1. Universal Web Design
Comp 190
Greg Lanier

2. Root of Web inaccessibility Legal environment Diagnostic testing
Contents 1
Project overview
Root of Web inaccessibility
Legal environment
Diagnostic testing
The premise of universal Web design
Demonstrations
What lies ahead

3. Personal Web background
Project Overview
Personal Web background
World Wide Web as a universal communication medium
Current research and development is broad but not integrated
Goal: fuse accessibility, standards compliance, and creativity 2

4. Root of Web Inaccessibility
Shift from content to visual presentation
Browser wars and proprietary HTML
Design tools perpetuate visual emphasis and bad code
Cost of revamping outdated websites
Result: people with disabilities have been overlooked 3

5. Legal Environment Section 508 + 1998 Amendment
All Federal agencies must provide accessible means for using any of its information media and electronic equipment to all employees and members of the public. 4

6. Americans with Disabilities Act, Title III
Legal Environment
Americans with Disabilities Act, Title III
Services provided by commercial or non-profit entities and state/local governments must not discriminate against or otherwise exclude users with disabilities
Traditionally has applied to physical structures and hiring practices 4

7. Other cases reaffirm that business Web services must be accessible
Legal Environment
Hooks v. OKBridge, Inc.
Extended ADA Title III to businesses that offer services via non-physical channels such as the Internet
Other cases reaffirm that business Web services must be accessible
NFB v. AOL, Inc.
Maguire v. Sydney Olympics
Access Now v. American Airlines, Inc. 4

8. Forty test subjects The diagnostic tests: Diagnostic Testing
HTML standards
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
Content load factor
Screen reader behavior 5

9. HTML Validation Results (errors/line of code)
Diagnostic Testing
HTML Validation Results (errors/line of code)
Popular sites:
UNC-CH:
Search Engines:
Government:
Accessibility Advocates: 0.18 5

10. WCAG Results (% lines of code with errors)
Diagnostic Testing
WCAG Results (% lines of code with errors)
Popular sites:
UNC-CH:
Search Engines:
Government:
Accessibility Advocates: 6.51 5

11. Content load factor (Code-to-content ratio)
Diagnostic Testing
Content load factor (Code-to-content ratio)
Popular sites:
UNC-CH:
Search Engines:
Government:
Accessibility Advocates: 3.15 5

12. The Premise
Engineering a web resource to be universal – not just "accessible" in a standards-compliance sense – leads to better overall design for everyone, regardless of visual, mental, or other differences. 6

13. Well-structured content Style switcher on project website
Demonstration
Well-structured content
Style switcher on project website 7

15. Search engine redesign
What Lies Ahead
Three prototypes
Search engine redesign 8