Online Course &Web Page Design Standards
Listed below are important design elements to consider when designing any web pages, including ones you might incorporate into an online course, that will allow them to be accessible by individuals with disabilities as covered by Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 and U.S. Section 508 Guidelines.
DON'T use red/green or bright colors in any combination.
DON'T use colors in images to denote special areas, such as bar charts, maps and navigation bars. Consider using textures or line shading instead.
DO have a strong, bright contrast between foreground and background colors.
DO use blue, purple, white and black if you really must use colors to distinguish items. These combinations are less likely to be confused than others.
DO provide labels next to any colored indicators. For instance, if you have a red warning light and a green OK light, write "WARNING" and "OK" next to each one, or use numbers or symbols (avoid crosses and ticks as their interpretation varies internationally).
DON'T give instructions which refer to objects by color.
DON'T use single light bulbs that change color from red to green, red to yellow or green to yellow under any circumstances.
DON'T use italicized text or script typefaces.
DO use fonts like Times New Roman or Arial.
DO use dark shades of blue, violet, purple or black for lettering or other important objects.
DON'T use pink or green colored fonts.
DON'T use red colored fonts to highlight important text.
DON'T present text in all capitalized letters.
DON'T use pictures of letters or words in place of text.
DON'T underline text unless it denotes a hyperlink.
DO provide ALT= text for all images -- Every graphic image should have associated text.
DO provide an extended description if an image conveys important information beyond what is in its alternative text.
DO provide transcripts of all audio & video files.
DO use light color for background like white or beige. DON'T use dark colors for backgrounds.
DON'T place text on patterned backgrounds.
DON'T place blue-green lettering on a blue background.
DO use Incremental heading levels correctly (e.g., H1
followed by H2, rather than H1 followed by H3).
DO make the numbering pattern within Lists different so users can tell where in the hierarchy they are.
DON'T use blinking text created with the BLINK element or scrolling text created with the MARQUEE element.
DO use a consistent style of presentation between pages.
DO use link phrases that make sense when read out of context.
DO give your web page a title that makes sense and conveys.
DO give each frame you use a title.
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