Digital

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1

Public bodies should achieve AA level conformance with the latest WCAG guidelines.

Learn More

Find out more about the Code of Practice on Accessibility of Public Services and Information Provided by Public Bodies.

Find a four-part webinar series on Web Accessibility developed by the Irish Computer Society (ICS) in partnership with the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD).

Tools

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) provides a list of web accessibility evaluation tools.

Writing for the Web

Make text easy to read and understand

Always use the simplest and clearest language possible. Avoid technical language that a member of the public may not understand. If you must use technical language, clearly explain what it means in plain English.

Where applicable, provide important information in other languages

If a large percentage of your customers do not speak English as a first language, where applicable, provide content in other languages or offer a translate button.

Help members of the public to scan text

Break text into chunks using short paragraphs, lists and sub-headings in order to help members of the public quickly understand and absorb information.

Keep content clear and concise

Adopt word-count targets that are appropriate for members of the public and your content.

Suggested word counts are as follows:

Write for members of the public

People interact with text differently online than they do in print. Most people are more inclined to scan text on a website. Therefore, content should be presented in a way that members of the public can obtain key information quickly when they scan your website.

Steps to achieve this include:

1. Present the key conclusion or facts at the start of the text.
2. Present information in order of importance. Support the key conclusion with the most relevant information.
3. Present supporting detail or background information.
4. Provide links to background or related information if available.

Tip

The CEUD provides guidance on Web accessibility techniques for use by:

• Developers
• Designers
• Content providers and editors

Tools

Readability checkers can work well in conjunction with plain English guidelines and user testing.

The public sector website gov.ie has a readability checker as part of its content management system.

There is a readability checker in MS Word.

Some publicly available readability checker apps might not be secure.

Use a clear, readable font

Use a clear font that people are familiar with and recognise easily. For example, Verdana or Helvetica.

Use bold or bigger sized text to emphasise text

The general guidance in emphasising important information is to:

• Avoid using BLOCK CAPITALS
• Avoid using italics
• Avoid using underlining

Avoid unnecessary technical terms

If you must use technical words, clearly explain what they mean.

Define unfamiliar abbreviations or acronyms

Where a reader may be unfamiliar with an abbreviation or acronym, spell it out the first time it is used, followed by the abbreviation or acronym in brackets.

For example, the Personal Public Service (PPS) number.

Try to keep unfamiliar abbreviations or acronyms to a minimum.

Avoid Latin and French expressions

There can be confusion around words such as e.g., i.e. etc.

Try to use the full English equivalents such as: ‘for example’, ‘that is’ and ‘and so on’.

Use your full organisation name on each page

Spell out your organisation’s name in full on every page. This is particularly important for members of the public who land there from search engines.

Use a house style

Develop a house style (or adopt a third-party style guide) to ensure consistency. This can also be applied to writing and layout standards.

Use Alternative (Alt) Text to make images and media accessible

Alternative (Alt) text is text associated with images or media that conveys the same essential information as the image. Screen readers announce alternative (Alt) text in place of images.

Alternative (Alt) text can also be changed into other formats that some people may require, such as large print, Braille, speech, symbols or other languages.

Alternative (Alt) Text basics:

• Provide alternative (Alt) text in the alt attribute.
• Succinctly describe the main message of the image.
• Mark decorative images as decorative in the alt attribute.
• Add descriptive text within the body of text near the image when alternative (Alt) text can’t be provided in the alt attribute.

Learn more

Web accessibility guidance on CEUD’s website hosts a link to WebAIM’s guidance on alternative (Alt) text.

Use colour, spacing, images and layout to break up long blocks of text

• Use images to break up long blocks of text.
• Use images to support the information in text.
• Use white space to separate blocks of information.
• Use colour, spacing and layout to highlight the important information.

Use good quality, relevant images

Use good quality, relevant images that add to or support your text content. Avoid images that are low quality or images that are not relevant to the text content.

Writing for the Web Checklist

• Ensure you comply with Directive (EU) 2016/2102 on the accessibility of the websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies.
• Avoid technical language, Latin and French expressions and unfamiliar acronyms and abbreviations.
• Where applicable provide important information in other languages.
• Present content so that readers can absorb and understand the content quickly. Help readers to scan text by:
  • Presenting key conclusions at the start.
  • Presenting information in order of importance.
  • Presenting detailed or background information.
  • Providing links to related or background information.
• Keep content clear and concise.
• Use the full organisation name on each page.
• Use a house style.
• Use Alternative (Alt) Text to convey the same meaning as the images or media.
• Use good quality, relevant images that add to or support your text content.

Content Quality

If there are issues with the quality of the content on your website, members of the public will quickly identify it. The guidance below is provided to help develop good quality website content.

Make sure your content is up-to-date

Out-of-date content will undermine the quality of the surrounding content.

Use correct spelling and punctuation

This can impact on the credibility of your website, and additionally, your services.

Be consistent with terms and formats

Use the same terms and formats for the same concept throughout your website.

For example, don’t change writing the date as ‘7 July 2020’ to writing it as the ‘07/07/20’.

Learn more

For further information on writing dates, addresses and numbers, please see Writing Addresses, Section 1: Written Communication

Content quality control process

The following steps can be put in place to manage the quality of your content:

Assign a designated manager

Have a manager take ownership of the content function and manage it actively.

Put in place a content review process

Establish an editorial process that involves at least one round of revision and sign-off on all content.

Provide training on developing web content

Content development should be included in relevant job descriptions. All content editors and authors should be trained so they know how to prepare web content and monitor content quality.

Develop a house style guide

The content authors and editors should be supported with a house style guide, or relevant standards and guidelines.

Tip

An example of a house style guide is available at: Gov.ie style guide

One of the most valuable processes to ensure content quality is to carry out regular reviews and to include customer feedback in these.

A review should look at each item in a body of text and assess it against the house style guide, standards and guidelines.

Links and Microcontent

Write descriptive links to help your readers

Hyperlinks (links) are typically created by pasting in a URL and pressing the space button. Edit these links to make them easier to understand for your readers by providing descriptors.

Note: If a document or content is to be printed, you may wish to use the full URL and a description in the link text.

The following guidance is recommended when providing links:

• Link descriptions should be short but descriptive. It should typically be between two and five words long.
• Provide useful information about the link. For example, file size, and format.
• Link descriptions should describe the target that they link to.
• Link descriptions should occur naturally in the sentence.
• Links can be presented in the text of a page or separately, such as at the end of the page.

Link descriptions should avoid ‘click here’ type terminology.
 

Learn more

The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD) provides guidance on making links meaningful and guidance on writing good web content.

Find guidance on how to use gov.ie and create web content for gov.ie webpages.

Microcontent

Microcontent refers to small groups of words that can be scanned by the reader to get a clear idea of what is on a web page. Microcontent includes:

• Captions for images: These provide the information required to help the reader understand the image in the context of the rest of the page.
• Sub-headings: These are used to break up long passages of text and to provide signposts to readers who are scanning the page.
• Headings: Use heading styles correctly, so that it creates structure that can be read using screen reader software. Do not create text that just looks like headings; for example, do not just increase the font size and weight of the text to create a heading.

Learn more

For further information, see Section 1 Written Communication, Document Design.

Titles and Descriptions

Well-written titles and descriptions help members of the public find your pages using search engines and, once found, encourage them to visit your site.

To write good titles and descriptions:

• Pick out two or three key phrases that are the most distinctive and typical of your page.
• Use key phrases and terms that a member of the public is most likely to use.
• Select a key phrase for your title (fewer than 70 characters).

Descriptions should:

• Include key phrases, or variations of them, at the start.
• Be factual, and accurately reflect the content.
• Be less than 156 characters long, including spaces.

Content Quality Checklist

• Make sure your content is up to date.
• Use correct spelling and punctuation.
• Be consistent with terms and formats.
• Put a content quality process in place:
  • Assign a designated manager with responsibility for content.
  • Put in place a content review process before information is placed on your website.

Links Checklist

• Link descriptions should be short but descriptive.
• Link descriptions should describe the target that they link to.
• Link descriptions should avoid ‘click here’ type terminology.

Titles Checklist

• Use key phrases and terms that people are likely to use.
• Select a key phrase for your title (fewer than 70 characters).

Descriptions Checklist

• Descriptions should be factual and accurately reflect the content.
• Descriptions should be less than 156 characters long, including spaces.

Designing and Developing Usable Websites

Make your website easy to navigate

The public should be able to use your website no matter what device or operating system they use, or their level of experience in using the web. The following guidance aims to help make accessing and navigating your site easier for everyone.

All navigation should be possible through the keyboard only

A fully accessible site should have no applications that depend on a mouse or similar cursor control (joystick, trackball, and so on).

Be consistent with layout

Well laid out content makes it easier for a person to navigate the site and find the content that they are looking for. Consistency is important.

The overall formatting and style of the content — the layout, structure, font, colour, and so on — should be consistent to make information easier to read.

The positioning and appearance of recurring items, such as the logo, navigation bar and headings, should be consistent.

The exception for consistent formatting and layout may be the homepage. Your homepage may have different formatting — it is similar in concept to the cover of a printed publication.

Always provide a link back to the homepage from every page of the site.

Learn more

The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD) provides information on Web Accessibility Techniques.

Navigation bars should be easy to identify and distinguish

Use clear navigation bars that are distinguishable from the content.

Navigation bars should provide feedback

The navigation bar should clearly identify where the person is on the website. This can be done by highlighting the person’s current location on the navigation bar, and by disabling the link to the current page.

Make webpages appear and operate in predictable ways

Webpages, applications and online interfaces should be intuitive and predictable in how they operate. Websites typically have a set structure. This helps people to easily find information and navigate new websites.

Your website should be easy and intuitive to use for members of the public. Examples of established website features, which make navigation more intuitive to use, include:

• ‘Breadcrumb’ navigation: This provides information about where the current page is in the site structure and provides navigation to higher levels.

           An example of this could be Home > About > Services.

• Within page ‘contents’ section: For long pages, a contents list for the page should be provided.
• Primary navigation bar: This is usually presented horizontally near the top of the page.
• A search box: This is usually in the top right area of the page. The search box should be visible on each page without scrolling.

If possible and appropriate web content should be usable on a variety of devices

Web content and applications should be usable by the widest variety of browsers, devices and assistive technologies by using fluid design and relative widths. (Note: Talk to your web designer about ‘responsive websites’.)

Learn more

The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD) provides information on how to Design accessible navigation.

For further information on page structure, see section 2.2 in CEUD’s Universal Design Guidance for Online Public Services (2012).

Website Navigation Checklist

• All website navigation should be fully accessible through the keyboard.
• Be consistent with your navigation layout.
• The navigation bar should be easy to identify and distinguish from the rest of the content.
• Navigation bars should provide feedback to identify where the person is on the website.
• Provide enough time to allow the person to read, digest and respond to information.
• Make webpages appear and operate in predictable ways, which are intuitive to use.
• Web content and applications should be usable by the widest variety of browsers, devices and assistive technologies.
• Avoid the use of pop-ups.

Online Forms

Forms must be properly structured and optimised to support the person in completing the form without errors.

• Guidelines for the design of forms are as follows:
• Give the form a clear title. Identify whom the form is for and its purpose at the start.
• Give instructions in bullet points on the first page.
• Ensure all terms and conditions are clearly explained in plain English.
• Divide the form into clear and logical sections with informative headings and clear numbering.
• Avoid unnecessary or repeated questions.
• Make it clear which fields are mandatory and must be completed.
• Make sure people have enough space for providing answers.
• Where possible use boxes rather than lines for answers.
• Create a clear path through the form.
  • Avoid multi-column forms unless necessary.
  • Avoid creating a 'jagged' misaligned appearance.
• Make sure ‘tick boxes’ are clearly linked to the answer.
• Ensure that ‘tick box’ borders and answer lines are solid and at least one point wide.
• Many people move between form fields with the tab key. Use the form layout and if necessary use the tab index attribute in HTML to support this.
• Make the ‘next’ or ‘submit’ button obvious and distinctive. This is particularly important where it is provided near competing buttons such as ‘back’.
• Use the simplest way of presenting options for ease of use:
  • It is recommended that for less than seven options, ’tick boxes’ should be provided.
  • For more than seven options, a drop down menu is recommended

Online Forms Checklist

• Give the form a clear title.
• Provide clear instructions at the start of the form.
• Provide questions in a logical order.
• Group similar questions together under a useful heading.
• Avoid unnecessary or repeated questions.
• Make it clear which fields are mandatory.
• Make numbering as simple as possible.
• Make it clear where answers should be provided.
• Make it easy to navigate through the form.
• Make it easy for the person to select options.
• Make the ‘next’ or ‘submit’ button obvious and distinctive.

Error messages

If the person is required to complete a form online, the form should be validated when they have completed the form. This is to make sure that the correct information has been provided before it is submitted. If an error in the form is identified, then there is a three-step process to correct the error:

1. Make the person aware that there is an error in an obvious and easy to understand way

There are a number of ways that you can make the person aware of the error:

• Consider alternatives to pop-up windows to avoid the difficulties these can cause for users of screen readers and other assistive technologies.
• Provide the error message on the web page itself.
• Provide the error message as the first item on a new page or focus should be set directly to it.
• Highlight the error. This should be identified using both colour and a symbol (such as a ”*”). Errors should not be identified using colour alone.

2. Indicate the location of errors on the form itself

If only one error has occurred, it may be more helpful to display the message and set focus to a point immediately before the area on the form where the error was made.

If several errors have occurred, the incorrect information should typically be displayed together. It is helpful to inform the person about the number of errors that were found.

3. Allow the person to resubmit and revalidate the form

Password and Login Details

Guidance should be provided before the password input

For example, when a password is to be created a reminder should be provided that the password needs to be in lowercase and consist of a minimum six letters with no spaces. This guidance should be provided before the space to fill in the person’s login details.

Time-out Messages

Provide enough time to allow the person to read, digest and respond to the information

You can account for this by identifying timed actions. For example, when completing a form, the person is informed, “you have 15 minutes to complete this form”. It is recommended that the option of additional time should be provided for timed actions.

Ideally avoid time-outs and time limitations

Where there are time limitations and time-outs ensure that it is possible to request more time. Consider if a person is likely to have to locate or prepare information to enter on a form.

If a time-out occurs, try to ensure that users can restart the process without losing the data they have entered.

CAPTCHAs

Where possible, avoid the use of CAPTCHAs

However, where anti-spam measures must be adopted in forms, use World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) techniques to allow CAPTCHAs to be accessible. This typically requires providing the CAPTCHA test in more than one format (for example, visual and auditory versions) and providing a text alternative that describe these formats.

Learn more

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) provides information on the inaccessibility of CAPTCHA: alternatives to visual turing tests on the web.

Search

Searching is one of the main ways people find content on the web. The majority of traffic to your site typically starts with a search on a web search engine (such as Google). Members of the public arriving on your site from a search engine are unlikely to have seen any other pages on your website; so it is important that they can quickly figure out where they are and where they can go next.

Your site should support people in finding their way to the most relevant content on your site by:

• Using webmaster tools to make sure the site is indexed by search engines. This is known as search engine optimisation (SEO).
• Checking web analytics and webmaster tools to see how you can improve your visibility for web searches.
• Making sure that metadata titles and descriptions are good.

Provide an easy to use on-site search

When people are trying to find particular content on your site (and if the location of this content is not easy to find), they will typically use your on-site search. The following guidance will help make on-site searches easier to use:

• The on-site search should look and work like the web search engines that members of the public are most familiar with (for example, Google).
• The search results should be ranked by relevance. There should be no duplicate results.
• The search results page should identify the term searched for and the number of matches found.
• The search should allow for misspelled words or variations in spellings, particularly for important search terms.

Provide a basic search option

Most people only use the basic search option and dislike having to choose between different search types. Therefore, it is recommended that the default search on your site should be a simple search. If you offer an advanced search option, ensure it does not complicate the basic search option.

Error Messages Checklist

Where an error occurs:

• Make the person aware that there is an error in an obvious and easy to understand way.
• Indicate the number and location of errors on the form.
• Allow the person to resubmit and revalidate the form.

Login Details Checklist

• Guidance/reminders should be provided before the login area.

Time Out Messages Checklist

• Ideally avoid time-out messages and time limitations.

CAPTCHAs Checklist

• Where possible, avoid the use of CAPTCHAs.
• Provide CAPTCHAs in more than one format (for example, visual and auditory versions).

Search Checklist

• Provide an easy to use on-site search.
• Provide helpful suggestions and alternative options in search results.

Multimedia, Images and Colour

Key guidance when using multimedia is as follows.

Use your design to enhance information, not distract from it

Use features such as animation and video to add to your content, rather than to distract from it.

Ensure multimedia is inclusive

Ensure multimedia does not exclude information from those who cannot see, hear or play it.

• Avoid the use of video players to play multimedia. All video content should use HTML5 to play MP4 or OGG content.
• For embedded multimedia, supply a link to a standalone version.
• Provide controls to skip, pause or stop the presentation.
• Provide captions for multimedia, so that it can be understood by all members of the public regardless of the volume the multimedia is played at. This is an important consideration as one in seven of members of the public have hearing difficulties.
• Where captions are not provided, provide transcripts for the multimedia. This can be provided either on the same page or as a link to a transcript on a different page.
• If using a slideshow (also known as a ‘carousel’), ensure that it is accessible.

Learn more

Find more information in Section 2 Spoken and Signed Communication, Communicating with persons who are d/Deaf or those who are hard-of-hearing.

Find information on creating an accessible slideshow on the World Wide Web Consortium ‘Carousels’ webpage.

Information technology - User interface component accessibility - Part 23: Visual presentation of audio information (including captions and subtitles) outlines the requirements and recommendations on the production and design of the visual presentation of audio information (including captions and subtitles) that support users who cannot make use of the audio content.

Avoid content that flashes more than three times per second

High flash content may cause seizures among some people.

Images

Some key guidance when using images includes:

• Add Alternative (Alt) Text when using an image or graph.
• Avoid text within images.

Colour

Create good contrast between text and background

The contrast between the text and the background affects how easy it is to read information.

Key guidance on colour contrast is as follows:

• Make sure there is strong contrast between the text and the background colour.
• If using white text, make sure the background colour is dark enough to provide sufficient contrast. Contrast is best when using very dark colours together with very light colours.
• Avoid combining yellow and blue, and green and red, as these are difficult for people with colour blindness to distinguish.
• Pale text on a dark background typically makes text look smaller, so you may need to increase the size and weight of the text to make it easier to read.
• Avoid placing text in front of an image or patterned background, as this makes it more difficult to read.

Tip

Print your page in greyscale. This will help identify if you have sufficient contrast.

For further information see Section 1 Written Communication, Use colours with good contrast between text and background.

Multimedia Checklist

• Use your design to enhance information, not distract from it.
• Provide controls to skip, pause or stop the presentation.
• Offer different download sizes.
• Avoid flash content that flashes more than three times per second.
• Provide captions/subtitles for multimedia.
• Where captions/subtitles are not provided, provide transcripts.

Images Checklist

• Add Alternative (Alt) Text when using an image or graph.
• Avoid text within images.

Colour Checklist

• Create colour contrast between text and background.
• Carefully consider colour combinations.
• Increase the size or weight of a light coloured font on a dark background.

Accessibility based on WCAG 2.1

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 covers a wide range of recommendations for making web content more accessible.

According to the W3C, content on a web page or web applications (including text, images, forms and sounds) should be:

• Perceivable: usable regardless of a person’s ability to see, hear or touch.
• Operable: usable forms, controls and navigation.
• Understandable: content and interface are clear and easy to understand.
• Robust: content can be used reliably by a wide range of devices.

It is important that accessibility is an on-going commitment. While a site may comply with WCAG 2.1 at its launch, those standards also need to be maintained as new content and features are added. Factors that help improve accessibility include:

• Using clear labels for navigation and important buttons.
• Using clear and simple language.
• Ensuring that information does not rely solely on colour.
• Providing accessible documents.
• Providing Alternative (Alt) Text, transcripts or captions for video and audio content. A good summary may be provided to identify what the video/audio is about.
• Provide information in alternate formats to make it more accessible to a diverse range of people. See Written Text Guidance, Alternate formats.
• Evaluating the accessibility of a website. When developing or redesigning a site, evaluating accessibility early and during the development process can identify accessibility problems when it is easier to address them.

Tools

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) provides a list of web accessibility evaluation tools.

Learn more

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) provides Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1.

Find out more about the Code of Practice on Accessibility of Public Services and Information Provided by Public Bodies.

Mobile Web Content and Apps

This guidance is designed to improve the person’s experience when accessing web content from mobile devices. The following best practice guidelines have been developed by W3C to ensure web content is usable with mobile web devices:

• People should be able to access content on a range of devices, regardless of differences in presentation capabilities and methods of access.
• Only provide basic navigation at the top of the page.
• Make use of the mobile device’s features and strengths to provide a better customer experience. Assign access keys to the most commonly used functions.
• Divide pages into usable but limited sized sections.
• Make sure that the overall size of page is suitable to the memory capacity of the device.
• Make sure that information presented with colour is also available without colour.
• Ensure that text and background colour combinations provide good contrast.
• Send content in a format that is known to be supported by the majority of devices. Use style sheets to control layout and presentation, unless the device is known not to support them.
• Provide informative error messages and a means of navigating away from an error message back to useful information.
• Do not cause pop-ups or other windows to appear and do not change the current window without informing the person.
• Do not use images that cannot be displayed by some devices. Avoid large or high-resolution images except where important information would otherwise be lost.
• Do not use tables unless devices are known to support them. Tabular data can be challenging even for a skilled screen reader user. It is important that data presented in graphs and charts is also available in a text format. Keep tables as simple as possible, and ensure that they are properly marked up.

Accessibility Statements

Public sector bodies must prepare and regularly update a detailed, comprehensive and clear Accessibility Statement on the compliance of their websites and mobile applications with the European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020.

An accessibility statement should be displayed in a prominent position on all pages on a website and from within an application.

The accessibility statement should describe the website or mobile app’s compliance with the accessibility requirements and provide helpful information to anyone who may need it.

Learn more

The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD) provides guidance on Accessibility Statements.

Examples of accessibility statements:

Revenue’s Accessibility Statement

Publicjobs Accessibility Statement

gov.ie Accessibility Statement

To learn about how to test mobile web content for accessibility, go to Mobile Accessibility Testing Methodology.

Apps for Smart Phones and Devices

All smart phones typically have built in accessibility features and functions, which provide a platform on which applications (apps) can be built.

If you develop an app for the public, the content and interface options provided should follow the best practice guidelines developed by World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These include:

• Use cookies sparingly. Cookies are a common and effective means to store small amounts of information on the app user. These are typically used to personalise data and are commonly used to store a token representing a person’s identity in order to enable automatic sign in.
• Ensure the person is informed about use of personal and device information.
• Allow the person to control application behaviour that might not otherwise be apparent, such as access to the network and access to device data.
• Enable automatic sign-in.
• Minimise application and data size.
• Make telephone numbers ‘click-to-call’.
• Optimise the application’s start up time. Customer experience is strongly influenced by the initial start-up time of an application.

Learn more

For information on making iPhone applications accessible, see Accessibility Programming Guide for iOS.

For information on making Android applications accessible, see Make Apps More Accessible.

The TPG Mobile Accessibility Testing for Android and iOS (PDF, 2.6MB) is a free accessible PDF outlining how to test native apps and the web for accessibility on Android and iOS.

Mobile Web Content and Apps Checklist

• Members of the public should be able to access content on a range of devices, regardless of differences in presentation capabilities and methods of access.
• Assign access keys to the most commonly used functions.
• Do not cause pop-ups or other windows to appear.
• Divide pages into usable but limited sized sections.
• Make sure that the overall size of the page is suitable to the memory capacity of the device. For apps, minimise application and data size. Where possible avoid large or high-resolution images.
• Make sure that information presented with colour is also available without colour.
• Ensure there is good contrast between text and background colour combinations.
• Send content in a format that is known to be supported by the majority of devices.
• Provide informative error messages and a means of navigating away from an error message back to useful information.

Email and Newsletter Guidance

Key guidance for communicating with the public using email and newsletters is as follows.

Writing for the web

People interact with text differently online than they do in print.

Choose a font colour that will provide good contrast

Simple black and white emails are sufficient for most email conversations, though some people prefer to send replies in a different colour text. Where applicable, choose a font colour that will provide a good contrast, like dark blue or dark green.

Choose a format

You can choose to write your emails, automated email notifications or newsletters in plain text, rich text, or HTML. However, best practice is to provide an option to choose between plain text and HTML.

Plain text email is suitable for most simple, routine correspondence. The advantages of plain text are as follows:

• It is compatible with all email systems.
• It uses the least amount of processing power and storage space.
• It is compatible with all assistive technologies.

However, the limitation of plain text is that you cannot apply document structure and the links are limited to full URLs, which are not very user friendly.

Rich text allows you to add formatting to your text. You can make text bold, add underlines, and insert links. Rich text does not allow you to add ‘semantic structure,’ such as headings, which helps members of the public using screen readers in navigating through long, complicated documents.

HTML email is recommended as the most accessible email format, as it allows you to add formatting and structure to your message. Emails created in HTML can effectively include anything that may be included in a standard web page.

Provide Alternative (Alt) Text for images and graphics

When images are unavailable (for example, if the device is not capable of displaying the image or if the person has a visual impairment), equivalent information must be supplied. Alternative (Alt) Text should be provided to convey the same meaning as the image or graphic.

Use a clear and descriptive subject line on your email

This helps the person to understand quickly the content of the email.

Use clear and descriptive file names for any attachments

This makes it easier to identify the content of individual files.

Inform the person if a document is attached

The body text of an email should mention if a document is attached in different formats. All attachments should be accessible.

Inform the person of when they might expect a response

Providing members of the public with information on the expected response time will help improve their customer experience by providing better communication.

Newsletters

Digital newsletters are often a combination of a HTML email that a person receives in their inbox, which then links to a ‘microsite’ with further information.

Ensure that newsletters follow the guidance above for:

• Writing good web content
• Emails
• Designing and developing usable websites

Email and Newsletter Checklist

• Choose a font colour that will provide good contrast.
• Choose a suitable email format. Best practice is to provide an option to choose between plain text and HTML.
• Provide Alternative (Alt) Text for images and graphics.
• All attachments should be accessible.
• Use a clear and descriptive subject line on your email.
• Use clear and descriptive file names for any attachments.
• Inform the person if a document is attached.
• Inform the person of when they might expect a response.

Accessible Documents

Accessibility of documents

Many organisations use their website as the main channel for publishing and sharing documents and information. It is important to ensure people know what they are downloading and that the content is usable and accessible. This similarly applies to documents emailed to members of the public.

When publishing documents to the web, consider the format which is the easiest to read. Documents such as Microsoft Word and PDFs can be made accessible. However, this does not happen automatically, and care should be taken to ensure that accessibility is considered in all stages of the documents development.

To start with, all downloadable documents should have a summary provided in HTML, as well as details on the document’s format and file size.

Tip

A PDF must meet the same accessibility standard as HTML pages, WGAG 2.1 AA.

Tools such as Adobe Acrobat Pro and PAC enable automated checking of many relevant Success Criteria.

How to make accessible documents

To make a document accessible does not require specific software. It simply requires you to take into account certain considerations (like font size and colour contrast) when developing your document. This will make documents easier to read and understand by the public — particularly members of the public who use assistive technologies like screen reader software.

The following guidance is provided to help make documents easier to access, understand and use.

Give documents a structure using heading styles

A good heading structure is probably the most important accessibility consideration in most Microsoft Word documents.

Many people do not use true heading styles in Microsoft Word. For example, when creating a heading, they simply change the font, increase the font size, and make it bold. The problem with this is that screen readers navigate through the headings function and do not recognise the body text as a heading. So essentially, it does not recognise any structure in the text. In Microsoft Word, the correct way to provide structure is to use ‘Word styles’ found under the ‘Home’ tab.

Use pre-set bullet points, numbering and tables

Use pre-set formats such as bullet points, numbering and tables to format and structure your document. This structure will then be carried over into other formats such as PDF, making it easier to navigate.

Note that alternate formats for the presentation of lists (bullets or numbered lists) may be required upon request by users of accessible technology.

Provide a table of contents for longer documents

For documents over 10 pages, provide a table of contents. This will make specific information easier to find. Additionally, by using the previously mentioned heading styles, it makes creating a table of contents far easier.

Provide Alternative (Alt) Text

When images are unavailable (for example, if the device is not capable of displaying the image or if the person has visual difficulties), equivalent information must be supplied. Alternative (Alt) Text should be provided to convey the same meaning as the image or graphic.

Fill out document properties

Fill out document properties (author, title, subject and keywords). A link should also be provided back to the website in the comments field if there is not a link in the body of the document.

Save or export to PDF

Save or export your document to PDF. Do this by using the ‘Save As’ option and selecting ‘PDF’ in the ‘Save as type’ drop down section. Do not use the print-to-PDF function.

Turn on accessibility features

Ensure accessibility features such as tagging are turned on when saving. This will allow screen readers to identify what is on the page. For example, images and headings.

Check accessibility

If possible, use PDF editing software that supports accessibility to check the accessibility of your PDF file.

Tools

Word processing applications may include an accessibility checker that allows you to check for accessibility problems. For example, to run the accessibility checker in Word 2016, select: File > Info > Check for Issues > Check Accessibility.

In long documents provide information in chapters or sections

For very long documents and reports, consider breaking the document into chapters or sections. This allows people to download and read only the relevant sections.

Accessible Documents Checklist

• Provide a summary in HTML of the document content, as well as information on the document format and file size.
• Give documents a heading structure.
• Use pre-set formats such as bullets, numbering and tables for formatting.
• Provide a table of contents for longer documents.
• Provide alternative (Alt) text for all images and graphics.
• Fill out document properties — author, title, subject and keywords.
• Save or export the document to PDF by using the ‘Save As’ option and selecting ‘PDF’ in the ‘Save as type’ drop down section.
• Ensure that accessibility features such as tagging are turned on when saving.
• If possible, check the accessibility of your document by using PDF editing software that supports accessibility.
• In long documents, break the document into chapters or sections.

Telephone Based Systems

If you use an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) System or call routing in your organisation, the following guidance should be applied:

Keep call routing systems simple

The call routing system should be kept as simple as possible. It should have no more than three levels, with no more than four options per level.

If your caller doesn’t make a choice, divert the call to a live agent

Where your caller fails to make a recognised choice, they should be automatically diverted to an employee. This should automatically be done once the options have been presented twice.

Avoid repetition or unnecessary gathering of information

If it is necessary to transfer the caller to a different section or organisation during a call, avoid gathering unnecessary information or repetition.

For example, where the caller has provided you with their name or contact details, you should pass this information onto the employee in the other section.

Only state important information

Information that is important to the caller should be presented at the beginning of the automated response options. This is to ensure that the caller is not provided with too much information, which would make instructions harder to follow.

Provide options in order of priority

Options should be presented in order of importance. This should be based on the types of calls that you most commonly receive.

Only provide frequently used options

The options provided should be those that are most frequently used by your callers. This is to avoid providing an exhaustive list.

Inform your caller upfront of the number of options

Make a statement at the start of the call identifying how many options the caller will be asked to choose from.

Music or a signal should be given to indicate that the caller is on hold

Where your caller is placed on hold by the system, music or an alternative signal should be given. This will let the caller know they are on hold.

Give an indication of the wait time

Where possible give the caller an indication of wait time or queue size.

Provide alternative ways to make contact

Provide an alternative channel for members of the public who are not able to use telephone based systems. For example, SMS messaging based communication.

Tip

Put details of call routing or IVR on your website and where required in print. This will help members of the public see what their options are and help them choose the option that is most suitable for their query.

Telephone Based Call Routing and Message Service Checklist

• Inform the caller upfront of the number of options to choose from and provide the options in order of priority.
• Only provide frequently used options.
• If the caller does not make a choice, divert to an employee.
• Music or a signal should be given informing the caller that they are on hold.
• Avoid repetition or unnecessary gathering of information.
• Provide alternative ways for members of the public to make contact.
• Where possible give an indication of the waiting time.
• Confirm when the transaction has been completed successfully.

SMS Based Communication

There are two general types of SMS (text) services used by public bodies:

• General alerting service: where a public body sends out a general message to a predetermined group of members of the public.
• Direct text communication which involves direct contact between two people on a specific issue. For example, between customer support and a person.

General Guidelines for SMS (texting)

State times that SMS service is available. Where direct text communication is available, clearly state the times that this service is available; for example, between 9.00am and 6.00pm.

Do not use text speak language

Other than in specific contexts, ‘text speak’ language should not be used. Use plain English.

Limit all texts to 160 characters

Keep sentences short.

Use an identifier at the start of all SMS

This will assist members of the public in recognising the number.

Where applicable state whether a reply will cost money and if so how much

If appropriate, include whether a reply is expected or not

If a reply is expected, include a prompt in the SMS such as “Please reply”.

Where immediate response is not intended, send an automatic reply to each SMS received to acknowledge it and provide further information, for example, “Thank you for your enquiry. We will be in contact with you shortly”.

If the SMS received from a person is not clear, seek clarification

For example, “Do you wish to make an appointment for 2.00pm on the 12 July?”

Alternatively use options to obtain information. For example, “Sorry do you mean 1— you wish to make an appointment for 2.00pm on the 12 July? 2 — you wish to cancel your appointment or 3 — do you want to make a new appointment? Please reply with 1,2 or 3.”

If no reply is received after 30 minutes, contact the person again using the previous message and adding a time that you expect a reply by. For example, “Sorry Mrs Smith, do you mean 1— you wish to make an appointment for 2.00pm on the 12 July? 2 — you wish to cancel your appointment or 3 — you want to make a new appointment? Please reply with 1, 2 or 3 before 6.00pm”.

If no further response is received — close the conversation.

When over, finish the conversation

When you have finished the conversation, always end the SMS with a closing phrase. For example, “No need to reply”.

Do not put sensitive information in a SMS

SMS texts should not include or seek confidential information. For example, bank account numbers.

Inform the person of when they might expect a response

SMS Based Communication Checklist

• State the times that SMS service is available.
• Do not use text speak.
• Limit all texts to 160 characters.
• Use an identifier at the start of all SMS.
• Where applicable state whether a reply will cost money (and how much).
• If appropriate, include whether a reply is expected or not.
• If the SMS from a person is unclear, seek clarification.
• When over, finish the conversation.
• Do not put sensitive information in a SMS.
• Inform the person of when they might expect a response.

Social Media Guidance

Some key communication design considerations on how to enhance customer service with members of the public on social media are provided below. Ensure that your organisational activity on social media is in keeping with the organisation’s Social Media Guidelines or Policy.

Create a tone that is appropriate for your organisation

Make sure your content and tone are appropriate for your organisation and the audience.

Keep information concise

Provide all of the information you want included in your post in a clear and concise manner. Avoid using unnecessary content. Separate out vital details, for example location or time of an event, so they are easier to see.

Provide contact information

Provide the organisation’s contact information on its account page/‘profile’. Provide more than one method of contact, for example, a phone number and an email address or a ‘contact us’ form.

Hashtags (#)

A hashtag — written with a # symbol — is used to index keywords or topics on social media. This function was created on Twitter, and allows people to easily follow topics they are interested in.

Using hashtags to categorise posts by keyword:

• The hashtag symbol (#) is used before a relevant keyword or phrase in a post to categorise those posts, and ensures that the posts will show up in a keyword search.
• Clicking or tapping on a hashtagged word in any message shows other posts that include that hashtag.

Use “CamelCase” for multiple words for hashtags. That is, use capital letters for the first letters of compound words (two or more words joined). For example, use #LeadersQuestions, not #Leadersquestions.

The ‘at’ symbol @

A username identifies a user on social media and is always preceded immediately by the @ symbol. For example, the Department of Justice and Equality username is @DeptJusticeIRL.

The @ sign is used to connect usernames in social media posts. Users of social media can use the @username to connect in posts, send a message or link to a profile.

Composing Posts

Place #hashtags or @mentions at the beginning of the post.

If space allows, spell out any acronyms or use a different way to convey the information.

Do not include abbreviations or ‘text speak’ in status updates. There is plenty of space for status updates, so spell out acronyms. It is recommended that the full name is written, followed by the acronym in brackets, the first time the acronym is used. For example, the Citizens Information Board (CIB).

Emojis

Emojis can help to convey the tone of a message. However, Emojis can also cause meaning to be lost and can make text difficult to understand. Position Emojis at the end of a sentence and do not use the same Emoji repeatedly as text to speech software will read this Emoji repeatedly.

Learn more

To learn more about links in Social Media posts go to Links and Microcontent.

Insert prefixes before images, video and audio

Put prefixes before images, video and audio in posts.

This informs members of the public using screen readers what to expect before it is read aloud. For example,

• Images: [IMG]
• Videos: [VIDEO]
• Audio: [AUDIO]

Provide Alternative (Alt) Text

Provide Alternative (Alt) Text for an image if needed. Otherwise mark it as decorative. Provide a link back to the organisation’s webpage that hosts a copy of the image, video or audio where it provides a full caption or transcript.

Provide closed captioning (subtitles) for videos

All videos should have closed captioning. Closed captioning means that the captions are not visible until activated by the viewer.

YouTube has a feature that automatically captions videos in less than 10 minutes. Though YouTube has the ability to create captions based on an audio file, a written transcript should be used for better accuracy. After uploading a text transcript, set YouTube to sync it up. The transcript should then be reviewed and edited to ensure the caption timing matches the video. Once the YouTube video has captions, it is advisable to download the captions and use an editor to tidy them up.

Tools for creating or editing captions

If creating captions for a video, or editing existing YouTube captions, there are a number of free tools that can help:

• YouTube help: has online tutorials about captioning.
• MAGpie: a free Windows application from the National Centre for Accessible Media.

Provide the option of viewing videos with captions in social media posts

If your organisation has a YouTube channel, upload videos to the channel and make sure to enable closed-captions. Then post a link to the YouTube video as a status update, rather than uploading the video into social media. This ensures that people will be directed to the accessible version on YouTube.

Learn more

YouTube provides a tutorial for creating subtitles and captions in YouTube. 

Twitter provides information on adding captions to images on Twitter.

Instagram provides information on how to edit alternative (Alt) text for a photo on Instagram.

LinkedIn provides information on adding closed captioning to videos on LinkedIn.

Facebook provides information on its accessibility features.

Social Media Checklist

• Create a tone that is appropriate for your organisation.
• Provide contact information on the organisation’s account page/‘profile’.
• Capitalise the first letters of compound words for hashtags.
• Place any hashtags or @mentions at the beginning of posts.
• Spell out any acronyms.
• Put prefixes before images, video and audio.
• Provide Alternative (Alt) Text for images, video and audio.
• Provide access to the full caption or transcript for an image, video or audio.
• Provide closed captioning for videos.

Social Media Checklist

• Create a tone that is appropriate for your organisation.
• Provide contact information on the organisation’s account page/‘profile’.
• Capitalise the first letters of compound words for hashtags.
• Place any hashtags or @mentions at the beginning of posts.
• Spell out any acronyms.
• Put prefixes before images, video and audio.
• Provide Alternative (Alt) Text for images, video and audio.
• Provide access to the full caption or transcript for an image, video or audio.
• Provide closed captioning for videos.