Able Ize It

When creating a website making sure it’s easily accessible is important. Here in the U.S., if it’s a site made for the public, and it’s managed by the federal government accessibility is not just a consideration, it’s the law. If you are a huge corporation with a giant web presence like Target, you could even get sued, like they did for not making their site accessible for the blind. Accessibility shouldn’t just start or stop with your website though. You need to “ableize” your business. Where are the resources? Try the UK Disability Directory.

The directory is called Ableize. It’s owned and run by people with disabilities. The directory lists sites that are information based and service based for all types of disabilities. It currently has over a thousand listings, and additionally has a pretty cool forum (I like the theme). I found the site upon request to do an analysis on it. For most of the items I do in my basic analysis  it passed with flying colors. There was only two real accessibility issues I thought needed fixing, and they could be done in minutes. Hopefully they will take my advice.

One feature of the directory that I especially liked, was their search function. Having a search box is important, but it’s the quality of results that make it effective. Their search box automatically began dropping down possible answers while I was topping. This is a great, speed it up method, to improve usability. The second thing I like was the results. The results seemed well scored, and also included highlighted pages that were  starred as favorites.  Great, quick results, with additional eye cues. This is a very effective search.

Many webmasters skip the time it takes to make a site accessible for dissabilities, and this is unfortunate for themselves and the visitor. Simply checking the colors of your website could improve the experience of 5 out of every 100 visitors. Why? One out of at least ten men are color blind. 5% market share is not something to ignore, especially when we often fight to get just a half of percet improvement our bounce rate. Considering everyone isn’t always easy, but the reality is, it could help your bottom line.