Accessibility writing red flags🚩: Guide to becoming a responsible Technical Writer

As writers, we can impact how people perceive the content we create. This responsibility becomes more crucial when it comes to ensuring accessibility. In this article, we will go over red flags — mistakes to avoid — and provide tips for creating accessible content empowering you to become an advocate for inclusivity.

Why should we be responsible?

Did you know that 16% of the population, which is about one in six individuals, has a disability?

However, caring for accessibility isn’t just about helping people with permanent disabilities like vision, hearing, or learning difficulties.

Why? Because we all, at some point, may experience disabilities sometimes. For example, after a sleepless night or when the aggressively bright sunlight strains your eyesight. Sometimes, the lack of time is our disability, as we don’t have the luxury of leisurely reading content. In these moments, we might turn on a screen reader to quickly grasp information while juggling work or daily errands.

Therefore, accessibility doesn’t just cater to a specific group; it caters to everyone. By making your content accessible, you open doors of opportunity for individuals with and without disabilities. But it doesn’t stop there; accessibility provides another remarkable benefit — it increases the conversion rates of any product or service.

Now let’s delve into some red flags to avoid when creating accessible content and explore strategies for crafting inclusive material.

🚩 Vague link text

As responsible writers, we need to provide meaningful descriptions for our links. Steer clear of vague link wording like “read more”, “ learn more”, “continue reading”, “ details”, or “click here”. These generic phrases do more harm than good, impacting usability, accessibility, and SEO. They hide the link’s true destination, leaving people clueless unless they thoroughly evaluate the surrounding context.

✅ Predictability is better than gimmicks when it comes to link wording. Clearly state what users can expect to see when they click on the link. This helps understand the purpose of the link before interacting with it.

For instance, instead of using: Click here and see what we have for you.

Try this: Get the scoop on our latest updates.

And rather than: Our model is 5' 9 tall and is wearing S. See more.

Opt for: Our model is 5' 9 tall and is wearing S. Check out the size chart.

🚩Ambiguous button wording

Let’s pay attention to the often-overlooked detail of clear button wording. Unclear button labels hurt accessibility, especially for users with visual or cognitive impairments. Descriptive labels help people understand the purpose and outcome of button actions, preventing frustration and navigation difficulties.

✅ For accessible writing, instead of using confusing phrases, opt for action words and task-oriented language to make things snappy and understandable. Keep it short and sweet — no need for long labels that drag on.

For example, instead of vague “No” and “OK,” create action-packed labels like “Discard” and “Save.”

Remember to use descriptive language that leaves no room for confusion about what happens after clicking the button.

🚩Unclear page titles and headings

Unclear page titles and headings can be significant obstacles to accessibility as they directly impact the navigation experience and comprehension of a website’s content. Wordy and non-informative titles that don’t reflect what the content is about create user confusion and cognitive burden we don’t need. To create a more inclusive and user-friendly experience, pay careful attention to making your titles short and sweet.

✅ Page titles and headings are signposts for your content. To make them meaningful and concise, avoid wordy or “mysterious” titles, as they prevent users from navigating the site and understanding what exactly awaits them on each page.

For example, instead of: “Experience Our Award-Winning Services that Have Garnered Praise from Industry Experts and Transformed Countless Businesses into Success Stories”

Opt for: “Discover Our Services for Business Success”

🚩No page hierarchy

No page hierarchy can significantly impact the accessibility and usability of a website. Both general users and those relying on screen readers may find navigating and locating information difficult without a clear and well-organized page structure.

Here are some tips for avoiding this tricky red flag:

✅ Think of your page as a well-organized book. Instead of a flat wall-like structure, implement a hierarchical approach with main headings and subheadings to reflect the logical flow of your content.

Also, limit subheading levels and maintain a reasonable hierarchy. Suppose you feel that you need more than a few subheadings (you created numerous H3 subheadings or multiplied your subheadings up to H4 and more). In that case, decide what information to focus on this page and reorganize your content.

For example:

<H1> What We Do </H1>

<H2> Web Development </H2>

<H3> Frontend Development </H3>

<H3> Backend Development </H3>

✅ Also, consider applying a consistent heading structure throughout the website, ensuring similar content categories have the same hierarchy on all pages.

🚩Meaningless alt text

Alternative text is a written description of images that helps users with any vision loss to understand the meaning of the images.

Meaningless alt text is a significant accessibility mistake that can hinder people with visual impairments from understanding the content that contains images, so care about adding alternative text when dealing with visual materials on web pages, presentations, Word, and PDF documents.

Consider these tips to improve your alt text:

✅ Provide concise and descriptive alt text that conveys the purpose of the image. Avoid using vague or generic descriptions that don’t convey meaningful information.

For instance, instead of: “Photo of happy people,” be specific and descriptive: “Group of friends sharing laughs around a campfire.”

Picture source: https://pixabay.com/photos/people-friends-camping-campfire-2598902/

✅ Avoid repeating information already present in the surrounding content.

For example, instead of using overloaded phrases like “Photo of Theodor Dreiser, an American novelist, journalist of the naturalist school,” provide concise and descriptive alt text such as “A photo portrait of Theodor Dreiser.”

Picture source: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Theodore-Dreiser

✅ Use empty alt attribute for decorative images. Such images don’t bear any meaningful information, and writing something like “yellow picture with lovely wavy curls” means shamelessly and unceremoniously stealing the reader’s time and attention.

For instance, instead of “Floral decorative pattern on a yellow background”, leave an empty alt attribute.

Picture source: https://pixabay.com/photos/flowers-pansies-floral-background-8121359/

🚩 Unhelpful captions

Videos and audio content are potent mediums, but unhelpful captions can hinder accessibility for individuals with hearing impairments. One common issue is automated captioning systems, which often struggle with accurately transcribing speech.

✅ To address this issue, edit automatic captions for accuracy. Ensure that the captions are synchronized with the audio and appear at the appropriate time.

✅ Don’t forget about sound effects and non-speech information. Captions should not only include speech but also convey sound effects and non-speech audio cues to provide a full-scale experience for people with hearing impairments.

For example, if the video includes a doorbell sound, include sound effect descriptions in captions, like “[Doorbell rings].”

✅ Consider providing full transcripts. Providing a complete transcript of audio content can be immensely helpful for individuals who prefer to read the material or require it in a non-multimedia format alongside captions.

A pinch of inspiration in the end

By creating content, we possess the power to shape narratives and foster meaningful connections.
We must take this responsibility with the feeling of the power of empathy, realizing that no one except us can make this world a better place to live for everyone.
Accessibility goes beyond guidelines. It’s about establishing connections with people, not faceless users. Accessibility is about constructing a better internet world that benefits all of us.
Let’s remain inspired and motivated to bring about change. Happy creating, writers!