Web Access Centre

BluMedia case study - Web Access Centre

Summary: Find out how digital design agency BluMeida built a high graphics accessible site which also uses JavaScript.

• Exploding myths about accessibility design
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Exploding myths about accessibility design

Blumedia is a full service digital communications agency. The agency’s access site provides a general introduction to its services, clients, creative work and software engineering skills. The site appears on Blumedia’s main portal page, alongside a Flash site that conveys identical information.

As a digital agency, it was important for us to offer both Flash and access sites to profile our services. It was also important to ensure that both sites complimented one another visually. Above all, we wanted the access site to offer an equivalent experience to the Flash site, rather than an alternative one.

When we researched other access sites, we were amazed to see how many designers had opted for a boring text only solution – no graphics, no styling and no use of JavaScript. A common misconception is that JavaScript can’t be used for accessible sites. JavaScript can be used, so long as the site is not dependant on JavaScript to function.

Knowing this, we developed our own access site to function with JavaScript, whether it was enabled or disabled by the user. Similarly, all fonts and colours are controlled by CSS, so they can be easily over-ridden by the user’s own settings.

Finally, after a series of creative and technical experiments (experimentation was crucial), we found a way of achieving a degree of style consistency between the access and Flash sites, without compromising on performance values. We achieved this as a result of the support and encouragement received from the RNIB.

Most of all, the experience has been hugely rewarding for us as designers - on both a creative and technical level – and has taught us that accessibility has every bit as much to do with getting the aesthetics right, as it does the usability factor.

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Content author: webaccess@rnib.org.uk

Last updated: 06/03/2008 15:41