Information Design Considerations

Long text blocks can be difficult to read for people who use screenreaders. Also, readers whose first language is not standard English, including some deaf people, can find long text blocks difficult to understand. Keep your text blocks short. See Section 9.3 ― Accessible Writing Techniques for more information.

Do not overuse graphics, especially when you write online Help. A graphic that merely repeats a text message can frustrate someone who is using assistive technology to read the Help. Provide descriptions that do not require graphics. To test whether you need a graphic, remove the graphic, then check whether you can still work out what to do. If you need to use a graphic, make sure that you include a text equivalent of the graphic. See Section 9.4 ― Text Equivalents for Graphics for more information.

Tables can cause problems for screenreaders that read the content of all the cells as a single, continuous line of text. Use tables for genuinely tabular information only. Do not use tables merely as a layout technique. Ensure that tabular information makes sense if you read the cells in sequence from left to right, starting from the top left cell in the table.