Design Accessible Web Sites

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Author: Jeremy Sydik
Format: Paperback, 328 pages
Publisher: Pragmatic Bookshelf (November 5, 2007)
ISBN-10: 1934356026
ISBN-13: 978-1934356029

Review by James Pyles
December 21, 2007

Ok, so you are a web designer and you want to enhance the usability of your websites across different browser and operating system platforms. You've got your work cut out for you. In the "bad old days", all you really had to write for was Internet Explorer running on Windows. Sure, there were other operating systems and other browsers, but so few compared to what Microsoft was offering that you didn't really have to worry. Lest you think that the landscape has changed just in terms of Mac/Safari and Linux/Firefox, think again.

I don't mean that you have to consider just other PC based browsers such as Opera or you have to take combinations such as Konquerer/Linux or Firefox/Windows in mind. There's a whole new world out there in terms of mobile computing so sites have to be built to be viewable in very small interfaces (as well as still usable under "traditional" circumstances). Also, if you plan to have anyone with perceptional disabilities access your sites, you need to take that into consideration.

Along comes Design Accessible Web Sites by Jeremy Sydik. It takes the approach that you really need to think about what you want a website to do and how it is to be accessed before you type the first html tag. The theme is "principles before guidelines" and the result should be "justice for all". By "justice", I mean that the web should be accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of device-type, operating system, browser, or any physical limitations. Why? "It's the right thing to do", according to the author. Beyond that, there are actual legal considerations involved, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). I suppose if you're just developing a little site to post your family vacation photos, it doesn't really matter but if you are designing a web portal for a multinational corporation, you'll need to be aware of how to cross all your "T's" and dot all your "I's" or consider yourself out of a job.

As a matter of fact, Chapter 3 is called "A Brief Introduction to Disabilities" and addresses not just visual, but auditory and processing impairments among others. Yes, the whole book is about access...making your sites accessible across the board, or at least across as much of it as possible. Don't worry about html, css, javascript, and so on. You'll need to know all that before tackling this subject and reading this book. Sydik didn't write it for beginners and if you need it, you're not a beginner.

Fortunately, the book takes what could potentially have been a very dry subject and makes it quite interesting. I know that sounds bad but then "accessiblity" isn't always the "sexiest" aspect to web design. Sydik uses his writing style as well as his considerable experience in both computer science and cognitive psychology to present a unique perspective on this classic design issue and present it in an interesting and fun way. In an ideal sense, learning should be fun. Many times it's not, usually due to how the information is presented more than the information itself. This book teaches a topic all serious web designers should be well versed in and lets you enjoy the learning at the same time.

36 key tips are presented in 10 chapters but the book (including the Introduction) has a total of 18 chapters, so it's more than just a collection of handy tips on how to create accessible sites. Sydik goes into considerable depth in terms of technology as well as accessibility so Java developers will have something to chew on as well. It's not just a matter of "dumbing down" websites so that they present "large text-only" formats. Remember, it's not just visual accessibility you're dealing with. The subject is highly complex. The technologies are also complex and you have to provide not only text but images, video, flash, and more to all users on all platforms. Impossible? To find the answer to that question, you'll have to buy the book (or hope that it's available to be checked out at your local library).

No CD comes with the book and beyond the publisher's website, there's no accompanying site to access and view illustrations of the author's work (which is too bad...one picture and all...). I really would have enjoyed seeing some sample sites built by Sydik showing how the principles, guidelines, and tips all play out on the web. The last page of the last chapter does provide a list of sites about how to implement best practices, so there are some supplementary materials available. One of them is an accessibility forum so you can join with other like-minded developers and share ideas and issues.

Whoever you are and whoever you design websites for, if web developing is more than a hobby to you, getting a copy of Design Accessible Web Sites, reading it and studying it should be in your future. While you're doing that, just remember Sydik's statement on the last page..."have fun".