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

by Sarah Horton

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 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 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.

Paperback

First published July 12, 2005

Reviews

[Dhuaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good compendium of design / best practices / markup for most common accessibility issues and problems. Pretty good overview for someone who has already read about accessibility (aka why it is needed and how it should work in theoretical sense), but who doesn't code with it in mind on daily basis.