WCAG: Accessibility guidelines for digital products
The Web Accessibility Initiative will soon be updating its international guidelines. We are also constantly working to improve and develop the accessibility of our apps.
When we think of accessibility, we traditionally think of ramps and accessible rooms for people with walking difficulties. But the digital space is also often full of obstacles for people with disabilities. Image: Unsplash, Tim Mossholder
The Web Accessibility Initiative publishes on its website the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) available. Apps are also always included, whereas the last adjustment in 2018 was only on a small scale. This month, the Guidelines adapted and also include recommendations for apps in particular.
- Target Size: Care should be taken to ensure that buttons are of a minimum size or that there is sufficient space around them. Some people with restricted mobility are unable to operate buttons that are too small or too close together.
- Consistent Help: Always link the help page in the same place if it is placed on different screens. This makes it easier and more intuitive to find.
- Redundant EntryNever ask for the same information twice. For example, people with cognitive impairments have difficulty remembering what they have previously stated.
- Accessible AuthenticationAvoid asking users to solve or transcribe something or to remember a password or question when logging in. People with cognitive impairments may have difficulty solving a puzzle, remembering usernames or using one-time passwords.
The latter point is particularly exciting, as it calls into question the way in which we generally log in. One solution would be to provide several login options so that users can choose the method that suits them best. One option recommended by the guidelines is to allow copy/paste, so that users can copy and paste the password from a password manager instead of having to type it in again themselves.
Accessibility is still often a secondary consideration in app planning. In our pitches, we think about this step right from the start, as Maria pointed out in her presentation at the last Bitforge Accessibility Event. Image: Bitforge AG
From guidelines to legal directives
The WCAG are an important benchmark for us with regard to our own apps and it is our aim to implement these guidelines whenever possible. It is still up to the client to decide whether and how an app is designed to be accessible. In our view, it would therefore make sense to enshrine certain criteria in law and thus create the obligation to implement accessibility in all future digital products.
Consulting and accessibility reviews
However, some accessibility requirements correspond to our basic understanding of quality anyway. We implement these automatically. These include, for example, optimum contrast in the fonts or the size of the buttons. For other important points, which are at the discretion of the client for budget reasons, we are happy to provide advice and contribute our expertise on the subject wherever possible. This relieves our customers accordingly, as they do not have to deal with the complex subject matter and the various requirements in detail.
For those who already have their own app, we also offer a so-called accessibility review on. A quick check that shows where and with what simple means the accessibility of the respective app can be improved.
Our accessibility event
“The topic of accessibility and inclusion is very close to our hearts,” says Maria, UX Lead at Bitforge. To raise awareness of accessibility, she launched the Bitforge Accessibility Event, which took place last year. spring for the first time. The event will take place for a second time on Thursday, September 7 at 6 p.m. – with new speakers and exciting input on the topic of accessibility in the digital space. Would you like to be there? Click here to register.
