Accessibility

These Black Cap Design posts outline the need for making your website web standards compliant by following the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and/or the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). This means your site will be accessible to handheld devices (mobile-responsive), screen readers and other assistive devices; ensuring that everyone has access to your website.

Why Website Structure Matters: Information Architecture
Why Website Structure Matters: Information Architecture avatar

 in Accessibility / Design & Development / Website Planning / Website Structure by

Have you ever visited a website that left you feeling frustrated?  Maybe you were looking for something and couldn’t find it. Or you felt like you had fallen down a rabbit hole and didn’t know how to get back to where you started. Websites with poorly organized structures have this effect; they can leave you feeling disoriented and discouraged. How does this happen – and how do you avoid it when managing or creating your own website? When a new website […]

It’s Official: Google Has Decided You Need a Mobile-Friendly Website
It’s Official: Google Has Decided You Need a Mobile-Friendly Website avatar

 in Accessibility / Design & Development / Mobile-Responsive / Search Engine Optimization (SEO)  tagged Black Cap Design / Google / mobile devices / mobile-friendly / responsive design by

We have been writing about and working with mobile-responsive design for a few years now.  Up until April of this year, building or switching to a mobile-friendly platform was a good idea, but – in my estimation – not a “must have”.  That changed on April 21st, 2015 when Google announced that “we will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal.”  They make it sound so friendly!  But what does it mean? It means that, as of […]

Web Accessibility for Everyone: AODA and WCAG
Web Accessibility for Everyone: AODA and WCAG avatar

 in Accessibility / Communication / Design & Development / Search Engine Optimization (SEO)  tagged AODA / assistive devices / SEO / WCAG / web accessibility by

WCAG  – short for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines – is a set of international standards aimed at making the Web more accessible to everyone. The AODA  is shorthand for the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. As of January 1, 2014, the AODA requires not-for-profit organizations and private businesses with 50+ employees to comply with the WCAG when launching a new website or undertaking major revisions to an existing website. (Reference: http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/programs/accessibility/info_sheets/info_comm/website.aspx) It’s not just Ontario that is pushing for […]