Kartunet - When designing digital products or services, ensuring that everyone can access them is a must. To achieve this globally, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) organization, through its Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), developed a technical guide that serves as the global benchmark for accessibility: the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
The key to the success and strength of the WCAG standard lies in its simple yet comprehensive foundational principles. WCAG requires all web content to meet four core principles widely known by the acronym POUR: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. Below is an explanation of each principle.
1. Perceivable
This first principle asserts that users must be able to perceive or recognize the content presented, regardless of the assistive technology (such as screen reader applications) or device configurations they use. Information and user interface components must not be invisible to any user's senses.
Examples of applying the Perceivable principle include:
Providing alternative text (alt text) for non-text content like images, so that visual information can be converted into speech by a screen reader or into Braille.
Providing synchronized alternatives for multimedia, such as captions and audio descriptions for video content.
Ensuring sufficient color contrast between text and background to be easily readable by users with low vision.
2. Operable
The second principle relates to a user's ability to interact with content and control the interface. A site must not require interactions that users are unable to perform.
Examples of applying the Operable principle include:
Ensuring that all site functionalities can be fully accessed and operated via a keyboard interface, considering that many users with motor and visual disabilities do not use a mouse.
Providing sufficient time for users to read or interact, and allowing them to turn off time limits if present.
Avoiding designs that flash rapidly or trigger light flashes to prevent seizure risks for photosensitive users.
3. Understandable
The third principle focuses on how users process content and manage cognitive load. Content and interface controls must be easy to understand, not confusing.
Examples of applying the Understandable principle include:
Presenting clear, concise, and easy-to-read text and language.
Designing feature placement, navigation, and functionality to be consistent and predictable.
Helping users avoid mistakes when filling out online forms, and providing clear guidance or correction instructions if errors occur.
4. Robust
The final principle relates to the reliability of the underlying code. Content must be robustly coded and adhere to standard specifications so that it can be accurately and consistently interpreted by various devices (such as web browsers) and assistive technologies, both current and future.
By writing good HTML code structure and appropriately using accessibility attributes like ARIA, developers ensure that screen reader applications will not misinterpret the meaning or function of elements on a website.
Conclusion
Aligning design and development processes with these 4 POUR principles is not merely an effort to comply with laws, but a fundamental step to ensure no one is excluded from the digital space. When websites are built to be Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust, we create an internet that empowers all users with equal access. (DPM)
References:
Lazar, J., Goldstein, D. F., & Taylor, A. (2015). Ensuring Digital Accessibility through Process and Policy. Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.
Mancilla, R., & Frey, B. A. (2023). Guide to Digital Accessibility: Policies, Practices, and Professional Development. Taylor and Francis.
Herse. Assistive Technology for Visual.