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content can confuse screen readers and make the pages difficult to navigate. Another advantage of cascading style sheets is that they facilitate little scripts of code that allow a user to override or customise the style of the web site and change colour schemes and font sizes to make the site easier to read.

4. Use Site Maps, Page Titles, and Headings

Using screen readers, text magnifiers, or Braille displays is sometimes a slow process for visually impaired people. The problem is that they can't immediately see the whole layout or organisation of a web page. A user might not know, for example, that the link they need is at the bottom of the page and go there straight away. Instead, they have to slowly read the whole page from top to bottom until they find what they need. Use of site maps, page titles, headings and sub headings, however, considerably speeds up this process. It gives the user a quick way to scan content, rather than painstakingly read every line... which frankly is a pain in the arse.

5. Use Access Keys

Some people have difficulty in using a mouse because of a physical disability or perhaps can't track the on-screen cursor in the way that you or I can because of a cognitive disorder. For such people, the ability to navigate a website using their keyboard is really important. One of the best ways of doing this is by use of access keys. Access keys usually work by allocating particular keyboard keys to access specific parts of the web site. For example pressing Alt+1 may bring you to the home page, Alt+2 to the site map, and so on and so on. Some countries have their own standards for access keys. I can't list all the standards for all countries. You'll just have to look that up yourself. What do you want... blood?

6. Use Warnings

When a web site opens a link on a new page without letting the user know, it can confuse a screen reader and induce explicity rude language from the person trying to use the site. Its just really irritating when new pages are opening left right and centre without the user knowing. A little thoughtfulness and consideration on behalf of the web designer by utilising simple warnings would make navigation so much easier, and quicker.

In conclusion, I'd like to summarise by wrapping up.

Learn more about this author, Robert Stephenson.
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