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So.. I'm working on a website that is primarily for reading. Just looking at the statistics, there is 7.9 million people out of 300 million in the US that will

So.. I'm working on a website that is primarily for reading. Just looking at the statistics, there is 7.9 million people out of 300 million in the US that will have either be blind or effectively blind. That's 2.6% of the population that won't be able to access my site. That's below my threshold for dropping browser support. I'm pretty sure my time would be better spend making it visually better than learning about accessibility.

therealkatie 14y ago
Even if your site is just for reading, have you considered all the above groups? * Can someone who can't use a mouse navigate your site? How about if they can't use a keyboard? * Can your default styles be over-ridden? Does it grow gracefully, or is content suddenly hidden? * Have you checked your color contrasts for the color blind? * Are ads constantly looping animations? * What fonts are you using? * Does it have a consistant navigation? * What about the content? Is there any attempt to make it as readable as possible? Or are the authors long-winded? * Is text broken up into reasonably sized paragraphs? Are sections effectively used? * Is there abuse of all-caps or italics? Those are just off the top of my head. If you think that the blind and visually impaired are all you have to worry about, you'd be wrong.
- epochwolf 14y ago
  Can someone who can't use a mouse navigate your site? How about if they can't use a keyboard? I test on my ipad and iphone for usability. I plan on having mobi export so you can use a kindle if you want. Can your default styles be over-ridden? Does it grow gracefully, or is content suddenly hidden? The base font is 14pt with additional spacing between lines. The navigation won't degrade well but the body content should be fine though it might wrap oddly. Have you checked your color contrasts for the color blind? I do actually. I regularly use OSX's accessiblity tools to use grayscale or high contrast mode. I also have a badly-balanced lcd screen for testing if the text is still readable without proper color balance. The site is primarily black on light gray so I don't have many problems with that. Are ads constantly looping animations? No ads, currently. I doubt I will ever add them but if I do they will be static and only on index pages. What fonts are you using? $sansFontFamily: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; $serifFontFamily: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; $monoFontFamily: Menlo, Monaco, Consolas, "Courier New", monospace; Does it have a consistant navigation? Edit links tend to be in the same place everywhere on the site. Still working on that. Delete buttons are always bright red on the bottom left of the edit screen. I hid them a bit on purpose since I would prefer people to archive stuff instead of deleting it. What about the content? Is there any attempt to make it as readable as possible? Or are the authors long-winded? Is text broken up into reasonably sized paragraphs? Are sections effectively used? Is there abuse of all-caps or italics? I have very little control over writing quality. It's a place for people to share their writing. I do a lot to mitigate the damage normal people like to inflict on readability but I can't force them to use paragraphs, capital lettters, or typography properly. I can only insure that all the text is in the same font and size for everyone's submissions. (I don't allow authors to increase or decrease font size. All html is prestyled with minimal room for adjustment.)
cjensen 14y ago
When software I use adds usability features, it makes me proud to be user of that software. I am much more inclined to think of the developer as "good", and much more likely to recommend the software. So it's more than just 2.6%. There are other bonuses to be had.
PostOnce 14y ago
And then out of that 2.6%, what % of those would be interested in your site even if it is accessible? Diminishing returns, you're right. These other guys are kidding themselves. You'd be better off worrying about all the Chinese and Indians who can't read your site in English.
- epochwolf 14y ago
  The site is going to be english-only until I have moderators that read other languages.

therealkatie 14y ago

Even if your site is just for reading, have you considered all the above groups? * Can someone who can't use a mouse navigate your site? How about if they can't use a keyboard? * Can your default styles be over-ridden? Does it grow gracefully, or is content suddenly hidden? * Have you checked your color contrasts for the color blind? * Are ads constantly looping animations? * What fonts are you using? * Does it have a consistant navigation? * What about the content? Is there any attempt to make it as readable as possible? Or are the authors long-winded? * Is text broken up into reasonably sized paragraphs? Are sections effectively used? * Is there abuse of all-caps or italics? Those are just off the top of my head. If you think that the blind and visually impaired are all you have to worry about, you'd be wrong.

epochwolf 14y ago
Can someone who can't use a mouse navigate your site? How about if they can't use a keyboard? I test on my ipad and iphone for usability. I plan on having mobi export so you can use a kindle if you want. Can your default styles be over-ridden? Does it grow gracefully, or is content suddenly hidden? The base font is 14pt with additional spacing between lines. The navigation won't degrade well but the body content should be fine though it might wrap oddly. Have you checked your color contrasts for the color blind? I do actually. I regularly use OSX's accessiblity tools to use grayscale or high contrast mode. I also have a badly-balanced lcd screen for testing if the text is still readable without proper color balance. The site is primarily black on light gray so I don't have many problems with that. Are ads constantly looping animations? No ads, currently. I doubt I will ever add them but if I do they will be static and only on index pages. What fonts are you using? $sansFontFamily: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; $serifFontFamily: Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; $monoFontFamily: Menlo, Monaco, Consolas, "Courier New", monospace; Does it have a consistant navigation? Edit links tend to be in the same place everywhere on the site. Still working on that. Delete buttons are always bright red on the bottom left of the edit screen. I hid them a bit on purpose since I would prefer people to archive stuff instead of deleting it. What about the content? Is there any attempt to make it as readable as possible? Or are the authors long-winded? Is text broken up into reasonably sized paragraphs? Are sections effectively used? Is there abuse of all-caps or italics? I have very little control over writing quality. It's a place for people to share their writing. I do a lot to mitigate the damage normal people like to inflict on readability but I can't force them to use paragraphs, capital lettters, or typography properly. I can only insure that all the text is in the same font and size for everyone's submissions. (I don't allow authors to increase or decrease font size. All html is prestyled with minimal room for adjustment.)

cjensen 14y ago

When software I use adds usability features, it makes me proud to be user of that software. I am much more inclined to think of the developer as "good", and much more likely to recommend the software. So it's more than just 2.6%. There are other bonuses to be had.

PostOnce 14y ago

And then out of that 2.6%, what % of those would be interested in your site even if it is accessible? Diminishing returns, you're right. These other guys are kidding themselves. You'd be better off worrying about all the Chinese and Indians who can't read your site in English.

epochwolf 14y ago
The site is going to be english-only until I have moderators that read other languages.