March 26, 2004

Accessibility and usability

link to website

By Peter-Paul Koch
published on February 18 2004
"At the moment we Web developers are learning the basics of accessibility, as once we mastered the basics of usability. However, in my last column I hinted at a potentially dangerous accessibility vs. usability question. The time has come to study this question in more detail.
First, let's repeat the principles:
Ideally, any site should be accessible. Any device should be able to access the content and navigation of any site.
Ideally, any site should be usable. Though basic usability is ascertained by clear texts, unambiguous forms and a simple navigation, adding some JavaScript and CSS can dramatically improve a site.
We see the outlines of a problem here. Does building a perfectly accessible site mean all usability extras should be perfectly accessible, too?"

Posted by Kirsty at March 26, 2004 08:17 AM in Learning Design