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Clicks don’t really matter
Over the last few months I’ve received several requests to track the number of clicks it takes a user to complete a task to determine the “improved” usability of a website.
18 September 2019Usability
Plain English for the web
When writing for the web, use plain English to make your content easy to read by all users. Plain English will also help your page rank higher in search engine results.
23 August 2019Accessibility Content
Designing for users with low vision
In a fact sheet on vision impairment and blindness, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 1.3 billion people live with some form of vision impairment.
21 August 2019Accessibility
Advertising on Facebook
Facebook advertising was the topic of discussion during the latest digital forum, this blog post summarises the meeting. If you are a student or staff member at the University of St Andrews, the slides from the digital forum are available to view online.
8 August 2019Social Media
Designing for users of screen readers
A screen reader is a software application that enables people with visual impairments to use a computer or mobile device. Users of screen readers can benefit from accessible web-based services. This guidance is for web and digital professionals who want to make sure that their service is optimised for users of screen readers.
29 July 2019Accessibility
How to make PDFs accessible
PDF files published on the University of St Andrews website must meet accessibility standards. This is so the website, and all the content within it can be used by as many people as possible. Considering that there are hundreds of PDF files on the University website, it’s imperative that they’re also accessible. This post is…
15 July 2019Accessibility
Designing for users on the autistic spectrum
Users on the autistic spectrum can benefit from accessible web-based services. This guidance is for web and digital professionals who want to make sure that their service is accessible for users on the autistic spectrum.
8 July 2019Accessibility
Summer Graduation 2019 live stream data
Between Monday 24 and Friday 28 June 2019, nine graduation ceremonies were streamed live on the University website. These streams were accessible via YouTube and were embedded on one page of the University website. We also set up an alternative web page embedding a stream feed with lower bandwidth primarily for users who have no…
3 July 2019Data
Findings from Funnelback search usability testing
Last November I wrote about the initial findings from the control usability test that was conducted on Google Search Appliance (GSA), the University’s search system at the time. The main outcomes from that test were that University search results were inaccurate, there was a distrust of keymatch boxes and there was little interaction with search…
27 June 2019Usability
How to make videos accessible with closed captions
Subtitles are transcripts of a video’s dialogue or audio contained in SubRip (SRT) files that are attached to videos. They provide context and clarity to video content.
21 June 2019Accessibility