ADA Compliant Web Design & Development

After reading our previous blog post on ADA accessibility – you should already have an idea what ADA is and what you need to do in order to become compliant. The question now is how do you handle it?

At David Taylor Digital, we have a great team of web design superheroes on board who understand the complexities of ADA web design requirements and how to apply them. We can make the functional changes necessary while ensuring your website is looking great.

Like a hot potato, you probably want to drop the subject of ADA, and we understand why. ADA web design guidelines can seem overwhelming to someone who is not accustomed to designing websites. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) on which the ADA law regarding websites is based upon is a lengthy and complicated document, and it can be difficult to understand which guidelines you’re adhering to and which areas you need to improve.

But, while you can leave a hot potato to cool down before you pick it up again, the same can’t be said for ADA web design requirements. You need to deal with your website as soon as possible. The consequences of inaction could prove costly for your business.

Does this mean you’re going to redesign my entire website?

While web design and web development are parts of our service, becoming ADA compliant doesn’t necessarily mean your entire website needs to be changed. If you’re using a modern design template, you may find that you already meet many of the requirements already.

Our job is to assess your existing website and make recommendations to improve its accessibility. Then, we carry out those recommendations to your satisfaction.

This may mean that we need to improve the coding of your site and make adjustments and tweaks until it satisfies the ADA criteria. A redesign may be necessary, however, if you’re using outdated or defunct software and tools to run your website.

What specific changes will you make?

Each of our clients is unique. The changes we make for websites depend on the current setup and how closely it satisfies ADA requirements. Our ADA web design service includes a look at the following factors, and your website may need a few or more of these functions to get up to standard.

• Full review and audit of your current setup
  • What aspects of your website are currently compliant and what needs to change.
• Overhauling your existing graphics
  • Graphics that flash more than three times per second are a danger to those at risk of having seizures. We can adjust any graphics that pose this hazard to mitigate the risk of a seizure occurring.
  • We will add descriptive Alt-Text to any images or graphics so it can be converted to audio for a visually impaired individual.
• Assess and change your fonts
  • Certain fonts are widely used for good reason. They’re clear and legible. We will ensure your website uses the best fonts for accessibility without compromising on the site’s aesthetics.
  • We will also ensure that contrast between your text and background is just right. Text against backgrounds that is too light or dark can make for difficult reading. We know how to ensure that the contrast is spot-on.

• Layout redesign
  • Website navigation should be easy and simple to use. It should also follow a logical process to get from A-B. Overly complex navigation makes a website inaccessible and frustrating to the average user, let alone an individual requiring assistance with accessibility.
  • We can improve the layout of your website so that it’s logical, simple, and easy to use.

• Add and use standard HTML tags
  • The right code allows your website to be read by site-readers. Our web developers can alter your existing code or add new code to ensure that site-readers have no problems reading your website.
  • We will also copy documents into a text-only format, which enables them to be easily understood by certain software that visually impaired individuals use.

• Make it keyboard operable
  • Individuals with motor-skills impairments often find it difficult or impossible to use a mouse or stylus to operate their computer. Instead, they use the keyboard to navigate and use websites. We’ll see to it that your site allows people to navigate via a keyboard.
  • We will ensure 100% functionality for keyboard navigation for your website.

This is going to change my website completely and I don’t want that!

An alternative to adjusting your existing website is to create another site with full accessibility functions available. Our ADA web development service can recreate any website but ensure it conforms fully to ADA requirements for those who need them. This means that you won’t have to compromise on your existing design or layout.

All you’d need to do is add a clear link on the existing site to direct users to the more accessible version.

Is all of this really necessary?

The law for ADA web design came into force fully in 2018. That means that you can be sued for failing to provide an accessible website and for discriminating against those with disabilities.

While you may think it’s possible to get away with not making any adjustments to your website, you’ll be taking a gamble. Businesses do face lawsuits and fines for not being accessible.

Why should I choose David Taylor Digital?

We’re an award-winning agency based in New Jersey and have been in the business since 2007. We have built a wonderful team of highly-experienced individuals who have been ensuring that all our ADA web design and ADA web development conforms to the law as a standard.

We have an extensive portfolio of high-profile clients and numerous case-studies to prove our expertise, as well as before and after examples that showcase our design skills.

Great web design is our passion. We strive to achieve ADA compliance without sacrificing the beauty of a web page.

How do I get started?

ADA website design is complex. To achieve a design that not only looks stunning but works for your business while operating within ADA law requires the assistance of a web design professional.

We’d love to hear from you and get to know about your business and its web design requirements. Even if you’re not sure whether or not you conform to ADA requirements, please feel free to get in touch for a chat.

Email us via our website or call us at 973-317-8765 and talk to a member of our friendly team. As well as ADA web design and development, we offer a range of services, including entire website redesign, search engine optimization, branding, graphic design, copywriting, and marketing strategy.

Whatever you have in mind for your website, we can make it happen. And we’ll remove the headache of ADA at the same time.