Website accessibility and usability

Blue Horizons are proud to lead the dental marketing field in producing accessible web design.

As part of our committment to the needs of our clients and their customers, we have prepared the following subjects to help you learn more about why we support website accessibility, and how:

• Web law
• W3C and SEO
• Accessibility
• Usability
• Browser compatibility
• Alternative page format
• Feedback

Web law

Since 1996 it became law for websites to be compliant with The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) in the UK. In an effort to enforce website accessibility for disabled users the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) was established as a standards body. In 1999 the W3C devised the Web Accessibility Initiative Standard (WAI) and developed the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) in attempt to define a specification for web developers. In 2010 the Equality Act came in to replace the DDA and associated legislation. It is important to note however that the WCAG only provides a set of guidelines; it is not a definitive specification under law.

W3C and SEO

In recent years an increasing trend to endorse web standards (particularly the W3C Accessibility Standards) has brought about an increase of inaccurate and exaggerated accessibility claims being made (try clicking on the W3C logos at the bottom of many websites and you will find that the page is not in fact valid at all). This is not to say that website owners or designers are deliberately misleading people, but we at Blue Horizons understand that the W3C guidelines (least not the inclusion of a logo graphic) are not an infalible guarantee that a website will in fact be accessible or usable for everyone.

Understanding the important difference between accessible and usable design is paramount to avoiding common obstacles and tactics that are detrimental to any successful long-term Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy. Likewise, good code and information architecture (often unseen and neglected) really matter not just for strengthening long-term SEO compaigns and rankings, but the user experience. And by adhering to 'white hat' methods, we help ensure that users are not discouraged by 'black hat' SEO.

Accessibility

To provide users with the best access possible, we offer the following features throughout this website:

• Quick access links.
• Accessible site navigation.
• Descriptive headings and links.
• Representitive lists.
• Form labels.
• Controlable font size.

Our website has been built to W3C standards and upholds the best practices of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) (exceeding priority 2 checkpoints where possible) but due to shortcomings of the W3C standards (keep in mind that it has been over 10 years since the WCAG has been updated), we have made the informed decision to encourage methods that go against the W3C guidelines where beneficial to the user.

In fact, because the web standards themselves are so outdated, we have made it our goal to go above and beyond them by keeping up with more current accessible solutions, starting with our very own website. Actual accessibility is one of our foremost concerns, not just compliance.

Usability

This website has been both designed and built to allow access for audiences including:

• People with sensory impairment.
• People with motor impairment.
• People with cognitive disabilities.

As part of our even wider committment to improve access to public information on the World Wide Web, every stage of design and development is not only checked against automated evaluation tools such as the W3C validator, but is even more importantly evaluated using actual human evaluation during content creation to ensure the most effective results. In addition to this, we also run regular website checks to ensure usability and security is maintained through the full life cycle ... afterall, all of us will be affected by minor impairment one day.

To provide the best user experience possible, we use a range of techniques and features including:

• Considered high-contrast design.
• Unobtrusive coding.
• Site map.
• Print-friendly pages.

We also exclude font size changing on all our websites. Instead, we actively encourage users to change system settings or change browser settings so that all website will default to a more comfortable size (no more having to fiddle with font sizes).

Browser compatibility

You can view the Blue Horizons website on a wide range of browsers. We have tested the pages of the site with the following browsers:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0
• Firefox 2.0 (Windows)
• Firefox 3.0 (Windows, Mac OSX)
• Google Chrome 2.0 (Windows)
• Safari 3.0 (Windows, Mac OSX)

To help you make the most from your web browser, we have provided you with a guide on changing your browser settings as well as a guide on changing your system settings.

Alternative (print friendly) page format

We understand that web pages rarely print well using traditional ink printers or with more non-traditional devices such as braille printers or handheld devices; advertisements, unsightly navigation and sidebars, large empty or coloured spaces or even obscured with chopped off text make not only for harder reading, but waste your money and your time.

That is why all pages on www.bluehorizonsmarketing.co.uk are built to print only the important things, in a legible and economical format. There is no need to look for (and find) a link to a print friendly version, although we have provided a 'Print view' link with the main content of each page should you wish to preview how a page will look prior to printing or should you need alternative page formatting.

Feedback

Whilst we take every step to ensure that the website is accessible to all users, we welcome feedback on your experience of our website. If you had any difficulties or problems whilst using our website, or you think you have a useful suggestion, then please call us on 01242 236600 or fill out our enquiries form with as much information as possible, including the web browser or user agent you are using.