Accessible Digital Design Concepts

Owned by Michele Bromley
Last updated: Oct 02, 2024 by Alex Patterson
2 min read

The following accessible design concepts or areas of focus are relevant to most if not all digital resources. Each of the following help articles should build your capacity to create and maintain more accessible public-facing digital resources at PSU, allowing for a more usable and inclusive experience for all users.

 

Three Major Areas of Accessible Digital Design to Get You Started

 

Alternative Text for Images

 

Heading Structure

Document featuring an H1 Title

 

Five Major Areas of Accessible Digital Design to Address Next

 

  1. Media Accessibility
    Include accurate, synchronized captions, an accompanying transcript, and audio descriptions for any visual elements not accompanied by accurate, equivalent audio.

  2. Use of Color
    Never use color alone to convey meaning and ensure appropriate color contrast between foreground and background.

  3. Form Accessibility
    Clearly identify any required form elements and ensure that all directions, cues, form fields, and error reporting are accessible via keyboard.

  4. List Accessibility
    Use properly formatted, built-in structure for bulleted and numbered lists.

  5. Accessible Tables
    Avoid merged cells and always designate properly formatted header rows and/or columns. Tables should be used for data only and not as a layout or design tool.

 

If faculty or staff have any additional questions regarding digital accessibility for public-facing digital resources at PSU, please email help-accessibility@pdx.edu or submit a Digital Accessibility Support ticket.

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