K.I.S.S. Accessibility and Design Issues

How much movement – or confinement for that matter – do you need on your Web site to capture a viewer’s attention? Do you really want to build in <target=”blank”>, add animations that slow down the presentation, or confine your pages to a static frameset? While all these tricks and more are available to the Web designer, what criteria can the designer use to just say “no” to these gimmicks? Further, how does a Web designer convince a client that he really doesn’t want that moving water applet? This week, I’ll share a few reasons why designers might cease these activities. Accordingly, you can use these reasons to help your client understand “understated” and “accessible.”

Web Designer as Accessibility Thief

My mother actually told me when I was a mere pup that I shouldn’t complain about my trek to the bus stop, because she had to walk two miles to school each day up and down a hill. I’ve seen that hill, and it’s nasty. Although her reprimand has become a cliché, it returned to haunt me this morning as I sat to write this article. I can picture it now…In about five to ten years I’ll respond to my grandchild’s complaint about his quark-second delay in download time: “Listen, sonny, I remember when I had to deal with pop-up windows, moving water applets, and frames in the hands of inexperienced Web designers. Get over it.”

Overview

Much has changed in how a Web designer presents his information on the Internet over the past decade, and I see further alterations in the near future. Most of the adjustments in layout and code were wrought by accessibility issues. Accessibility problems were brought to the forefront by people who couldn’t access information they felt they needed from the Internet due to design problems. By design, I mean three operational modes:

The first design problem involved the GUI (Graphic User Interface) designer who believed that the Web was just like a magazine that could be laid out with tons of graphics and almost impossible navigation. The problems with this designer have almost disappeared as the graphic side of this person became acquainted with his coding side (right brain, please meet left brain?). Layout issues finally met structure. Also, design met CSS, and some lovely things occurred (like at the Zen Garden).

The second design problem occurred when the code wizard who wanted to display his expertise forgot that all browsers were not (and still are not) created equal. The troubles incurred by bleeding-edge designers have softened somewhat, as masterminds either became infamous hackers or they discovered that they could make a mint at a high-tech self-defence corporation. To be fair – many of these designers possibly became Web accessibility defenders.

The third and most insidious problem belonged to the amateur Web designer who wanted to render all the “cool” things that the GUI (meaning the browser, not the designer) could offer. Applets, JavaScript, and tables inside frames – WooHoo! What a treat, especially when these elements could be piled inside one another. Unfortunately, this designer still exists, and – even worse – some clients have latched on to this “accessibility thief” mentality. How do I know? I met with a client the other day who wanted the infamous water applet on his site.

Linda Goin

Linda Goin carries an A.A. in graphic design, a B.F.A. in visual communications with a minor in business and marketing and an M.A. in American History with a minor in the Reformation. While the latter degree doesn't seem to fit with the first two educational experiences, Linda used her 25-year design expertise on archaeological digs and in the study of material culture. Now she uses her education and experiences in social media experiments.

Accolades for her work include fifteen first-place Colorado Press Association awards, numerous fine art and graphic design awards, and interviews about content development with The Wall St. Journal, Chicago Tribune, Psychology Today, and L.A. Times.

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