Newsletter issue #3 - 1st June 2004
This issue
With summer approaching it can get a bit disheartening being stuck in an office all day away from the sunshine. Fear not - the Webcredible newsletter is here to brighten up your day! This month we take a look at some of the biggest players on the web to check how hot they are on accessibility, as well as offering you the usual mix of useful tips and links.
In this issue:
- Feature article: Ten accessibility blunders of the big players
- Top tip: Improve your checkboxes and radioboxes
- Useful program: The Wapalizer
- Top link: Clickz search results articles
- New articles in May
- Webcredible news in May
Enjoy!
Ten accessibility blunders of the big players
More and more countries have passed laws stating that websites must be accessible to blind and disabled people. With this kind of legal pressure, and the many benefits of accessibility, the big players on the web must surely have accessible websites, right? Not really.
Top tip: Improve your checkboxes and radioboxes
To maximise the accessibility of forms be sure to use the <label for> tag with all form items. This is especially important for radioboxes and checkboxes. For example:
<input type="checkbox" id="signup"><label for="signup">Sign up</label>
Why?
Checkboxes and radioboxes are really small and it can be difficult for many people to position the mouse exactly over the checkbox/radiobox. By using the <label for> tag the text becomes clickable too. See this in action on the only page on the Webcredible website that has a checkbox - pretty neat, huh?
Useful program: The Wapalizer
The Wapalizer is a really useful program that shows you how your site looks on a mobile phone. Don't underestimate the importance of this - in 2008 alone an estimated 60 million PDAs will be sold worldwide.
You can use this handy program for free at www.gelon.net.
Top link: Clickz search results articles
Many of you will no doubt have heard of Clickz, the interactive marketing news website. For those who haven't and are interested in improving your search rankings, check out their extensive search results section. You can learn an extraordinary amount from these expert articles.
Check it out at www.clickz.com/experts/search/results.
New articles in May
- The DRC blew it
- Does the number of links on a page affect its ranking?
- CSS rollover button
- About the Open Directory (DMOZ)
- Manchester United: top of the web accessibility league?
Read these and many other articles at www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources.
Webcredible news in May
- Guild of Accessible Web Designers launches
- Accessibility articles reviewed in magazine
- Webcredible responds to DRC report
Web accessibility & CSS support packages
We now offer a range of accessibility and CSS support packages, offering you access to one of our accessibility consultants anytime you like. Please read more about this innovative service in our web accessibility and CSS help section.
About Webcredible
Based in London, UK, Webcredible is a user experience consultancy. Tailor-made usability, accessibility & design solutions include:
- User-centered design
- Accessible web design
- CMS services
- Usability
- Accessibility
- Training
- Website review lite
Please contact us on 0870 242 6095 or info at webcredible.co.uk, or consult www.webcredible.co.uk for further information.