A web challenge

Monday 26th November 2007

We've set up this blog as a way of sharing our knowledge, tips and tricks on all the web-related stuff you'll need to know about when you embark on commisioning or maintaining your own web site. We'll be writing about things like email, marketing, newsletters and case studies. We've got a long list of topics to write about.

Let's start with a fun challenge

When we test a web site, the first thing we do is stick our balaclavas on (back-to-front of course) to help us with our screen reader testing. A screen reader is a piece of software that works in conjunction with a web browser and reads the contents of a web page out loud through your speakers: this is how a blind or partially-sighted person might access a web page. Don't worry though, that's not your challenge!

The challenge is to try putting yourself in the position of someone who (in all likelihood could be blind and) is unable to use a mouse: try to navigate through a site using just your keyboard. Start with the Doepud site, then try any other site you like... no cheating now, hands off that mouse!

If you need a few tips to start with, try these:

• Alt and D – start with this to put the focus of the cursor into the address bar so you can type in http://doepud.co.uk
• Tab – this will move the focus from one link to the next
• Shift and Tab – hold down Shift and press Tab, this will move the focus back one link
• Enter – when you have focus on a link, clicking the Enter (or Return) key is like left-clicking the mouse: it activates the link
• Space bar – you sometimes have to use the space bar to select checkboxes of forms
• Back space – back space is like clicking the back button of your browser
• Alt and Tab – hold down Alt and press Tab, this switches between your open applications or browser windows

Doepud, accessible web design, cms, blog, professional web design, challenge

posted by Blair Millen in the category: accessibility

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