Use labels that
clearly indicate the function of links
Use labels that accurately describe the destination
and/or resulting action of links. Avoid using meaningless labels such
as "Go" or "Click Here." Instead, enable users to scan and quickly
identify links they want to take. Vision impaired users scan for links
using screen readers. For this feature to be useful, however, link
labels must make sense on their own, or out of context.
Provide feedback
that tells users where they are in your site
Provide visual feedback that responds when users
make a selection, and remains dominant until they make a new
selection. Good feedback in the design of links includes visual and
possibly audio changes that occur in stages:
Use navigation
elements consistently
Once users see a link, they expect when they see it
again it will look the same, be in the same location, and function the
same. If it has changed, users may be forced to relearn the button,
which will delay their completion of tasks.
Provide
persistent links to the home page and to high-level site categories
Provide links to the homepage and high-level site
categories on every page of your site. These persistent links enable
users to easily navigate from one area of the site to another.
Be sure the persistent links include a link to your
shopping pages, or links to important sections of your e-commerce
pages. Feature these links either in the masthead or in a left-side
navigation bar because these are the areas users expect to find them.
Ensure that
image maps are accessible to vision-impaired users
In general, use client-side rather than server-side
image maps, and provide alt text for each hot spot. For client-side
maps, HTML code defines the clickable regions of the image and the
destination of links. The processing of the image map occurs on the
client's system. Client-side maps provide better accessibility since
they can be used with alt text. They also load and process more
quickly because they require less communication with the server.
For server-side maps, the server defines the
clickable regions of the image and the destination of links. They are
useful for maintaining maps with links that change frequently, but
screen readers for the blind cannot extract any descriptive
information about server-side maps. If you must use a server-side
image map because the image and its links will change frequently,
provide HTML text links below or near image map that repeat the links
that appear in the map.
Include a "skip
to main content" link at the top of each page
At the top of each page, include an invisible "skip
to main content" link that allows vision-impaired users with screen
readers to avoid listening to navigation links, such as those in the
top banner, that repeat on every page. This link can be invisible to
sighted users by using a tiny image that is the same color as the
background with alt text = "skip to main content." The link should
take users to the top of the content section of the page. For
instance, in these guidelines, it takes users to the heading above the
first guideline on the page.
The ability to skip navigation items is
particularly useful on sites that use a top banner and left-side
navigation bar. On these sites, a link to the main content can save
users substantial time. It also eliminates monotony and provides
greater control over the interface.
Test the
navigation design
To determine whether users can find information
easily, test your navigation design as soon as possible. You do not
necessarily need all the links to be active or all the pictures to be
in place, but you will need the significant navigation mechanisms to
be working and some of the content to be placed. Ask representative
users to find particular information. In your testing, answer the
following questions: