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December 20, 2007
Free Report from Jakob Nielsen On Accessible Web Design
Jakob Nielsen's Nielsen Norman Group is offering a free repoprt as a holiday season gift to their readers. These reports normally run about $124.00.
And this one is on a vitally important topic - the usability and accessibility of websites for differently-abled people. It's a big report with lots of research driven insights.
So, from one of the design gurus, get your copy here.
"The report contains:
Results of usability tests of 19 websites with users with several different types of disabilities who are using a range of assistive technology:
- blind users using screen readers
- blind users using Braille readers
- low-vision users using screen magnifiers
- motor-impaired users
Test data collected mainly in the United States, with some additional studies in Japan to ensure the international applicability of the recommendations
A total of 104 users participated in the usability studies:
- 84 users with disabilities
- 20 non-disabled users who served as a control group
- 75 detailed design guidelines
The report is richly illustrated with 46 screenshots of designs that worked well or that caused difficulties for users with disabilities in the usability tests as well as 23 photos of assistive technology devices. The examples and guidelines are directly based on empirical observation of actual user behavior. "
"This report addresses the second level in improving the user experience of websites and intranets for people with disabilities. Yes, you must ensure technical accessibility but you should also ensure good usability, ease of use, and high productivity for employees and customers with disabilities."
Good for Jakob! This is a nice thing to do. Get it soon.
Stephen
Posted by stephen at December 20, 2007 11:00 AM