Access by Design: A Guide to Universal Usability for Web Designers

Book description

In just over a decade, the Web has evolved from an experimental tool for a limited community of technically inclined people into a day-to-day necessity for millions upon millions of users. Today’s Web designers must consider not only the content needs of the sites they create, but also the wide range of additional needs their users may have: for example, those with physical or cognitive disabilities, those with slow modems or small screens, and those with limited education or familiarity with the Web. Bestselling author Sarah Horton argues that simply meeting the official standards and guidelines for Web accessibility is not enough. Her goal is universal usability, and in Access by Design: A Guide to Universal Usability for Web Designers, Sarah describes a design methodology that addresses accessibility requirements but then goes beyond. As a result, designers learn how to optimize page designs to work more effectively for more users, disabled or not. Working through each of the main functional features of Web sites, she provides clear principles for using HTML and CSS to deal with elements such as text, forms, images, and tables, illustrating each with an example drawn from the real world. Through these guidelines, Sarah makes a convincing case that good design principles benefit all users of the Web.

In this book you will find:

  • Clear principles for using HTML and CSS to design functional and accessible Web sites

  • Best practices for each of the main elements of Web pages—text, forms, images, tables, frames, links, interactivity, and page layout

  • Seasoned advice for using style sheets that provide flexibility to both designer and user without compromising usability

  • Illustrations of actual Web sites, from which designers can model their own pages

  • Instructions for providing keyboard accessibility, flexible layouts, and user-controlled environments

  • Practical tips on markup, and resources

  • Table of contents

    1. Title Page
    2. Copyright Page
    3. Dedication Page
    4. Contents
    5. Foreword
    6. Preface
      1. The Origins of this Book
      2. The Focus of this Book
      3. Conventions and Terms Used in this Book
    7. Introduction
      1. A Functional Basis for Design
      2. Defining Function
      3. Providing Function
      4. Summary
    8. Chapter 1. Fundamentals
      1. 1.1. Basic Principles
      2. 1.2. Markup
    9. Chapter 2. Document Structure
      1. 2.1. Basic Principles
      2. 2.2. Markup
    10. Chapter 3. Text
      1. 3.1. Basic Principles
      2. 3.2. Size
      3. 3.3. Color
      4. 3.4. Markup
    11. Chapter 4. Images
      1. 4.1. Basic Principles
      2. 4.2. Text Alternates
      3. 4.3. Size
    12. Chapter 5. Data Tables
      1. 5.1. Basic Principles
      2. 5.2. Markup
    13. Chapter 6. Layout Tables
      1. 6.1. Basic Principles
      2. 6.2. Markup
    14. Chapter 7. Frames
      1. 7.1. Basic Principles
      2. 7.2. Markup
    15. Chapter 8. Lists
      1. 8.1. Basic Principles
    16. Chapter 9. Forms
      1. 9.1. Basic Principles
      2. 9.2. Markup
    17. Chapter 10. Links
      1. 10.1. Basic Principles
      2. 10.2. Markup
    18. Chapter 11. Color
      1. 11.1. Basic Principles
      2. 11.2. Markup
    19. Chapter 12. Audio and Video
      1. 12.1. Basic Principles
    20. Chapter 13. Interactivity
      1. 13.1. Basic Principles
      2. 13.2. Markup
    21. Chapter 14. Editorial Style
      1. 14.1. Basic Principles
      2. 14.2. Markup
    22. Chapter 15. Page Layout
      1. 15.1. Basic Principles
      2. 15.2. Markup
    23. Acknowledgments
      1. About the Author
      2. About the Developmental Editor
      3. About the Technical Editor
      4. About Ben Shneiderman
    24. Appendix
      1. Fundamentals
      2. Document Structure
      3. Text
      4. Images
      5. Data Tables
      6. Layout Tables
      7. Frames
      8. Lists
      9. Forms
      10. Links
      11. Color
      12. Audio and Video
      13. Interactivity
      14. Editorial Style
      15. Page Layout
    25. References
      1. General Design
      2. Universal Design
      3. Interface Design
      4. Web Design
      5. Web Accessibility
    26. Illustration Credits
      1. Introduction
      2. Fundamentals
      3. Document Structure
      4. Text
      5. Images
      6. Data Tables
      7. Layout Tables
      8. Frames
      9. Lists
      10. Forms
      11. Links
      12. Color
      13. Audio and Video
      14. Interactivity
      15. Editorial Style
      16. Page Layout
    27. Index

    Product information

    • Title: Access by Design: A Guide to Universal Usability for Web Designers
    • Author(s):
    • Release date: July 2005
    • Publisher(s): New Riders
    • ISBN: 9780133067354