Media: Digital Web tackles Usability vs Accessibility

Peter-Paul Koch writing for Digital Web looks at how accessibility and usability interact and the role of Javascript.

Does building a perfectly accessible site mean all usability extras should be perfectly accessible, too, he asks and concludes with a rule: Accessibility should not restrict usability. He talks through his own experience of building a site and striking a balance. He calls for more discussion and argues: 'If your site badly needs a few advanced JavaScripts to make the navigation or a form more usable, don't hesitate to add the scripts. ... But where do we draw the line? When can we say that the accessible view of the site becomes unusable, or that the usable view of the site becomes inaccessible? At the moment I don’t know, but I hope other people will take up these questions and will start answering them.'

Associated Link: Digital Web: Accessibility and Usability

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