Website design: what does it mean make your page accessible?
Many designers confuse usability with accessibility; it is a very common mistake. The tendency appears to be that one is deemed less important than the other, as the two are also very different. It’s true that many principles surrounding accessibility apply to usability and vice versa, remember though, that both still must be taken seriously.
If you make your site as usable as possible, it will be more accessible to your customers, and it will give you a solid foundation to work from. If a large number of visitors to your site find it difficult to use, then it almost certainly will pose problems to those with disabilities or learning difficulties. But don’t sacrifice accessibility by putting too much focus on making the site usable.
The internet is a medium made for people, and with the web 2.0 technology this rings truer and truer everyday. This makes accessibility a very important feature in many web design courses and schools.
Put The User First
Flashiness aside, web pages are set up to be user friendly. More than just flashy gimmicks or eye-catching images, a website must first and foremost deliver its content in a functional and understandable way. A person, before thinking of ideas or firing up Dreamweaver, should know and understand that usability is considering the requirements of the user. Keep in mind that the performance of the final product is the measure by which any design is judged.
