Some of the concepts that are most emphasized when we try to improve the user experience of our website are two: usability and accessibility. On many occasions these concepts are confused or it is simply thought that they are the same, but they are not. It is necessary to know the difference between usability and accessibility if we want to optimize our website.
In order to understand in depth how these concepts are related to web design, we will first see what web usability is, what accessibility is and, finally, the difference that exists between these two concepts. In addition, we will talk about the importance and how to create an accessible website with good web usability.
What is web usability?
We can define web usability as the degree or ease of use of a web page when a user navigates and interacts with it. When we say that a website has a good level of usability, we mean that it is a clear, practical, intuitive website that allows safe browsing.
The best way to create a website with good usability is to have a user-centered design, created by and for the user, leaving aside very original elements or new layouts that may distract or disconcert your visitors.
Therefore, we can associate the concept of web usability with simplicity or ease when navigating a page.
And what is web accessibility?
Web accessibility is the possibility that a web page can be used by as many people as possible, regardless of the users’ own limitations, abilities, the knowledge they possess or the technical characteristics of the device they are using (for example, mobile, tablet or laptop).
Although with the passage of time and the development of the web, accessibility is a term that is gaining more and more strength, it is not new at all.
To give you an idea, Tim Berners-Lee, considered the father of the Web for being the first person to communicate a client with a server through the HTTP protocol, argued that The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect. Or in the language of Cervantes, The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by any person, regardless of their disability, is an essential aspect (Source: W3.org)
When we talk about web accessibility and a user’s own limitations, we are not only referring to the capabilities of use, but also to other very common factors such as the user experience or the language.
Difference between usability and web accessibility
As we have seen, the difference between usability and web accessibility is not totally clear. Even many authors like Henry claim that establishing a difference between these two concepts is unnecessary.
Accessibility is a key and necessary aspect if we want to ensure that our website has good usability, that is, that it is easy to use and intuitive for all users, regardless of their abilities, experience or the device they are using while browsing a website. Web.
Although we cannot get lost in the technical aspects of web accessibility itself, since we will probably be making navigation difficult, or in other words, we will be losing web usability. That is, we need a website with usable accessibility.
But how to achieve that middle ground? How to ensure that web usability and accessibility complement each other?
Create an accessible website with good web usability
We have already seen that usability and accessibility are actually two terms that complement each other, an accessible website will allow it to be easy to use and a website that is easy to use or with a high degree of usability will be accessible to more people in different situations.
Therefore, when designing a website you must always keep these two concepts in mind. After all, both usability and web accessibility are two very important factors for a user to have a positive experience on your website, repeat and improve your conversions. Something that Google will also value very positively!
7 basic principles for good web usability
Imagine that every time you access a website each one works differently, you would go crazy! You have to try to make your website easy to use, thinking about the user, and that its operation is easily predictable. Let’s look a little more in depth at the basic principles of web usability that every page should comply with:
- Clear and simple design. So that users can easily find the information they are looking for. Imagine a website with a thousand colors or a lot of elements on the main page, the only thing you would achieve is that they will saturate you, divert your attention and you could possibly end up abandoning the page.
- Good organization of the elements. The layout of the menu, contact forms or any other element of your website is essential if you want everything to follow a coherent order and the user not to get lost.
- Guides the user. For example, using a good CTA or call to action is very effective in driving the user through your website. In addition, it is a good way to get your visitors to perform a specific action such as, for example, downloading an ebook.
- Speed. Obviously you can’t have the user wait 4 seconds for a page on your website to load. In this sense, SSD Hosting will help you improve loading times and make your website work much more fluidly.
- 3 click rule. You must ensure that the user can navigate and quickly find the sections or sections of your website, that is, try to ensure that the user does not have to make more than three clicks to find what they are looking for. In the case of an ecommerce or a website with many pages, a search engine can help you make it a little easier for your visitors.
- Use visual references. Colors or font sizes will help you highlight certain parts of your website. For example, you cannot add the same font size that you have in the footer as in the “Subscribe” button that you have in the subscription form.
- Security. Users must feel safe when browsing your website, entering their personal data or making a transaction. Purchasing an SSL certificate will allow your website to work with HTTPS, encrypting all data transferred from the browser to the server.
5 tips to improve the accessibility of your website
Getting an accessible website is not something you can achieve overnight, but there are some aspects that will help your website be used by more people:
- Add subtitles to videos. It’s a small detail, but it makes a big difference for those people who have certain hearing difficulties. And not only for them, imagine yourself that you access a website and they have a video in English on a topic that really interests you. I am sure that, even if you have an intermediate level of English, having subtitles will help you understand the content better.
- Your images always with alternative text. If a user with a visual disability accesses your website and has a screen reader, adding the Alt text to the images will help the reader read the image and provide the user with precise information on the website.
- Correctly define the fields of the contact forms. For example, if you use Contact Form 7 in WordPress or any other contact or subscription form, be sure to define the Name, Email, Phone, etc. tags. As in the previous case, think that if a user navigates with a screen reader, you will be making it much easier for them.
- Readability and structuring of content. Try to make the font you use on your website easily legible. Do not use color contrasts that may make reading difficult and structure the content with H1, H2 and H3 tags correctly.
- Responsive design. Not only do we tell you this, Google’s new Mobile-first Index algorithm already warns you of this. It is necessary to have a web design that adapts to all types of devices. The desktop version is giving way to the mobile version, and you should take this into account.
Is it worth investing resources to improve web usability and accessibility?
Absolutely yes! Not only because you improve the ease of use of your website, but because you will allow more people to access it. The Internet is free, do not make your website a barrier for anyone.
Especially when we deal with the issue of accessibility, it is not only important that we work on it to make it easier for people with some type of disability to navigate the Internet without problem.
There are other factors such as, for example, lack of experience on the Internet, the language itself or the device we use to navigate that can make it very difficult for us when searching for the information we need from a certain web page.
Plus, you probably already know how important user experience is for SEO, right? Usability and web accessibility are the main ingredients if you want your visits to have a good user experience and you can improve conversion opportunities on your website.
Recapping
Usability and accessibility are two different terms that complement each other and are closely related. If you want to provide your visitors with a website that is easy to use and that they can navigate without difficulty, always keep these concepts in mind. In addition, it will help you position your website better on Google, we all win!
