Conformance status
Holistic aims to adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These guidelines explain how to make Web content more accessible for people with disabilities. It defines three levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA.
Holistic is conformant at WCAG 2.1 level AAA success of the accessibility standard.
Measures to support accessibility
HolisticWebSolutions.co.uk takes the following measures to ensure the accessibility of its website:
- Accessibility is part of Holistic’s mission statement
- Includes people with disabilities in its design personas
- Uses a progressive enhancement coding strategy that preserves HTML’s semantics to protect screen reader and browser access
- Aids readability through good use of contrasting font, short paragraphs, ample whitespace and alternative image text
- Conducts text expansion testing, including language translation, adjusting the font size to 'very large', and zooming the screen to 400%
- Screen reader testing evaluates flow and verbosity
- Carries out usability testing using the think-aloud protocol
- Provides browser support
- Appoints an accessibility engineer
Design personas
Holistic embraced an inclusive design by including three persona characters and their storyboard to measure requirements for a diverse spectrum of needs. Providing perceptions to avoid assumptions and cognitive biases, such as the blind spot’s incorrect judgements.
A persona reflected the 1,200 participants from WebAIM’s (2018) low-vision survey, which reported 70% use magnification software, 45% cannot browse without assistive technology and 20% said the web had become less accessible, embracing design requirements for:
- Screen reader access
- Semantic HTML
- Scalable fonts
- Layouts that zoom 400%
- Contrasting text
- Focused outlines
Also a persona for our international audience, to empathise with visitors who translate pages on the web that connects around 7,000 languages. Some languages have longer strings than English, requiring translated layouts to expand to avoid compromising text, highlighting the following design requirements:
- Responsive unitless line-heights
- Translation software that tests the web page’s resilience to a text expansion
Finally, from a synthesis of discovery research, a persona representing our primary target audience to understand their needs and problem to solve.
Progressive enhancement
The accessibility of Holistic Web Solutions relies solely upon HTML for a foundation conformant with WCAG 2.1. The additional layering of styled code is for the benefit of aesthetics only.
A progressive enhancement strategy rules coding must preserve HTML’s semantics to protect screen reader and browser access. Preventing specious behaviour so marketing is not at the expense of the browsing experience.
For browsers that understand javascript, they will receive an interactive code pattern that progressively layers to unobtrusively increase Holistic’s marketing. This ensures screen readers have access to the site’s context and functionality at all times; with or without CSS or Javascript.
Text expansion
Accessible fonts provide the user with scale control. Afforded by flexible units at HTML’s root and body text, and line heights that grow without compromising space. Allowing visitors to decide how the content is consumed.
We tested the layout's reaction to a font size expansion by increasing the system's font size to 'very large' and translating text to languages that have long words (Malayalam, German, Chinese, Japanese) using Google's translate software to confirm the typography and layout’s responsiveness sustains global communication, helping content reach a wider audience.
Compatibility with browsers and assistive technology
Communication is sustained across a variety of operating systems and browser versions within the past 9 years.
Accessibility tests included (yet are not limited to) the correct heading structure, good keyboard operability, sufficient whitespace and colour contrast, and screen reader support.
Web pages were tested for compatibility with VoiceOver screen reader on iOS desktops and Android mobile devices.
Microsoft’s old IE and latest Edge browser receive support to help it display spacing properties in line with its competitors.
Browsers older than 5 years that do not understand modern code receive:
- Fallback expressions
- The Webkit engine for rendering flexbox
- Regular javascript functions from ‘version 5’ of the ECMAScript host the navigation’s functionality
Responsible imagery
A fast page improves usability. Optimised imagery travels lighter and faster across the network. Art directed, compressed and saved on the server in staged sizes appropriate to breakpoints. Lazy-loaded then served using media query constraints and srcset allowing the browser to intelligently choose the most efficient display size and pixel density. Preventing the download of unforgiving data and creating a lighter page that is faster to load.
Formal approval of this accessibility statement
Joanne Hughes, accessibility engineer, assessed the accessibility of Holistic Web Solutions by self-evaluation and approved this accessibility statement.
Feedback
We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of HolisticWebSolutions.co.uk. Please let us know if you encounter accessibility barriers by email to:
Joanne Hughes, Accessibility Engineer, Hello@HolisticWebSolutionsWe try to respond to feedback within five business days.
