Accessibility is a crucial element in today’s digital world. It ensures that people of all abilities can interact with websites, applications, and digital products. As more organizations strive to become inclusive, it’s clear that ensuring accessibility isn’t just about compliance—it’s about creating a better user experience for everyone. However, accessibility errors are common, and failing to address them can leave individuals with disabilities frustrated and excluded. In this blog, we’ll explore the most common accessibility errors and provide solutions to fix them.
Table of Contents
1. Missing or Poor Link Text
The Issue: Many developers overlook the importance of link text. It’s common to find links that lack descriptive text or have generic labels such as “Click here” or “Read more.” For screen reader users, this is problematic, as they cannot infer the link’s purpose.
Impact: People using assistive technology such as screen readers depend on clear, descriptive link text to understand where a link will take them. Without this, they can’t decide if they want to follow the link, causing confusion and increasing the effort required to navigate a page.
Solution: Always ensure that the link text provides context. Instead of using generic text, use specific, descriptive phrases such as “Learn more about our accessibility services” or “View our product catalog.” Additionally, use the <a> tag properly, making sure all interactive elements have clear text. This ensures that the purpose of each link is communicated effectively.
2. Non-Active Elements in Tab Order
The Issue: Non-interactive elements like static text or images sometimes appear in the tab order, meaning users navigating with a keyboard or assistive technology can inadvertently focus on them. This is often due to improper use of the tabindex attribute, which makes these elements focusable.
Impact: Users who rely on keyboard navigation, including those with motor impairments or vision impairments, experience difficulty when non-interactive elements are part of the tab sequence. It disrupts the flow of navigation and leads to inefficiency.
Solution: Ensure that only interactive elements (like links, buttons, and form fields) are included in the tab order. The tabindex="0" attribute should only be applied to elements that truly need keyboard focus. To further enhance keyboard navigation, ensure that elements with a role in interaction have logical keyboard access. Avoid using a positive tabindex to control focus order, as it can confuse users and lead to unpredictable navigation sequences.
3. Missing Alt Text for Images
The Issue: Alt text provides essential descriptions of images for screen reader users. When images lack alt text, users with visual impairments are left with no information about what the image represents. This becomes especially problematic for image-based links or images conveying critical information.
Impact: Without alt text, users who rely on assistive technology miss out on content, context, or navigation cues. This significantly impairs the accessibility of a website and excludes a vital part of the user base.
Solution: Every image on your website should have an alt attribute that provides a meaningful description of the image. For decorative images that do not add any informational value, use alt="" to indicate that the image should be ignored by screen readers. However, for images that convey important content or serve as links, ensure the alt text is descriptive and explains the function or message of the image. For example, for an image of a “Submit” button, the alt text could be “Submit form button”.
4. Improper Use of ARIA Attributes
The Issue: ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes are used to improve the accessibility of dynamic content. However, misuse of ARIA can lead to confusion. Common issues include incorrect or missing IDs in aria-labelledby or aria-describedby attributes, making it impossible for screen readers to properly associate labels with the correct elements.
Impact: When ARIA attributes are misused, assistive technology can’t interpret or relay the correct information, leading to poor user experiences for those relying on screen readers. This can especially be problematic in forms or dynamic content, where proper labeling and description are critical.
Solution: Always validate ARIA attributes to ensure they are used correctly. When using aria-labelledby or aria-describedby, ensure the IDs referenced match the corresponding element on the page. Test with assistive technologies such as screen readers to verify that the relationships between elements are conveyed properly.
5. Forms with Duplicate Labels
The Issue: Forms are a common area for accessibility issues. One of the most frequent errors is using duplicate labels for different form fields. For instance, multiple input fields might have the same label text, which makes it difficult for users to differentiate between them.
Impact: Duplicate labels confuse users and can lead to input errors, particularly for those relying on screen readers. It can also make it harder for users to determine which field they are filling out, slowing down form completion and increasing frustration.
Solution: Ensure that each form field has a unique label. If fields require similar labels, provide additional context in the label itself or through supporting text. Group related form elements together and use clear, descriptive labels to guide users through the process.
6. Insufficient Color Contrast
The Issue: Many websites use color combinations that do not provide sufficient contrast between text and background. Low contrast can make text difficult to read, especially for users with visual impairments like color blindness or low vision.
Impact: Users with vision impairments may struggle to read text or distinguish elements on the page if the color contrast is too low. This impacts readability and can make navigating the site a frustrating experience.
Solution: Ensure that your color choices meet the minimum contrast ratio requirements specified in WCAG 2.2. For normal text, the contrast ratio should be at least 4.5:1, and for larger text, it should be at least 3:1. Use online tools or automated accessibility checkers to evaluate the contrast levels of your website and make adjustments as needed.
7. Poor Focus Management
The Issue: Focus management involves controlling how users navigate through interactive elements on a webpage using the keyboard. When focus is not managed properly—such as when users are unexpectedly “trapped” in a section or skip important sections entirely—it can create significant usability problems.
Impact: Users relying on keyboard navigation or assistive technologies need to be able to move logically through a webpage. Poor focus management can result in users skipping over important content or getting stuck, which severely impacts their ability to engage with the page.
Solution: Implement logical focus management practices. Ensure that users can navigate all interactive elements in a predictable and intuitive way. Use focus indicators to help users identify where they are on the page. When designing pop-ups or modals, ensure that focus moves to the new content and back to the original location when the modal is closed.
8. Lack of Keyboard Accessibility
The Issue: Some websites are not fully navigable using just the keyboard, which excludes users with motor impairments or those who prefer keyboard navigation over using a mouse.
Impact: Without keyboard accessibility, users relying on this method cannot fully interact with the content on a website, leading to poor experiences and frustration.
Solution: Ensure that all interactive elements on your website (such as buttons, forms, and navigation menus) are accessible using only the keyboard. Test your website by tabbing through each page to check for any elements that are skipped over or cannot be activated via keyboard.
Final Thoughts
Digital accessibility is an ongoing process, and addressing common errors is the first step in creating an inclusive and user-friendly web experience. By focusing on these frequent issues and applying the appropriate fixes, you can ensure your website is accessible to everyone, regardless of ability. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, staying up-to-date with accessibility guidelines and trends, such as WCAG 2.2, is essential to providing a seamless and inclusive experience for all users.
We Offer Web & Mobile Accessibility Testing
We at ‘Accessible Zone‘ provide web, mobile and software accessibility testing services. We perform testing manually using screen reader such as JAWS, NVDA & Voiceovers. We also provide VPAT and ACR reports. If you want to use our services do contact us as at contact@accessiblezone.com or you can also schedule a free call with us from here.