Web accessibility

What standards are used to judge web accessibility?

Web accessibility is judged against WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), the international standard, and KWCAG (Korean Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), the Korean standard built on it. WCAG is made by the W3C and the current recommendation is version 2.2; in Korea, KWCAG version 2.2 is in use.

Both standards start from four principles. The names sound technical, but applied to a small business website the meaning is simple.

Even an ordinary small business website benefits from following these standards. You and your agency can talk about how far accessibility has been covered in the same terms, and you'll have a clear starting point if you raise the bar later.

Is web accessibility a legal requirement for small business websites?

Web accessibility is grounded in Korea's Act on the Prohibition of Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities, and who it applies to and when is phased in by its Enforcement Decree. So you can't simply say "every business has the same obligation"; it can vary with your type and size of business.

To know for sure whether your business is covered, check the original text of the Act and its Enforcement Decree on the Korea Law Information Center, or ask an expert. If you take part in public-sector projects or bids, you may also be asked for Web Accessibility Quality Mark certification.

Legal duty aside, caring about accessibility means losing fewer customers. Regulars whose eyesight is getting weaker with age and customers using their phone one-handed while holding a child benefit just the same.

The Web Accessibility Quality Mark is a certification you get by passing a review of whether you meet the standard, separate from any legal duty. For a small business, simply following the basics of the standard is worthwhile even without getting certified.

How do I check for a 4.5:1 text contrast ratio?

Contrast ratio is a number for the difference in brightness between text color and background color, and you can get it instantly by entering the two colors into a free contrast checker. WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.4.3 requires at least 4.5:1 for regular text and at least 3:1 for large text (18 points or larger, or 14 points or larger if bold).

Designs often fail in light gray helper text, white text over photos and text on brand-colored buttons. Text over a photo loses contrast on the photo's bright areas, so darken the photo slightly or put a semi-transparent background behind the text.

Logos and decorative text are exempt from this rule. But text customers must read, like prices, opening hours and buttons, should all be checked without exception.

Also avoid conveying information through color alone. If you mark things only by color, like "red dates are fully booked," customers who have trouble telling colors apart won't know, so add the word "Full" or another marker too.

What accessibility checks can I do myself?

You can find the basic problems yourself without professional tools. The checks below take 20–30 minutes with just a computer and a phone.

If you spot a problem, take a screenshot of where it is and send it to your agency. The more precisely you describe the problem, the faster it gets fixed.

If the screen reader only says "image" or "button" somewhere, that spot is missing alt text or a label. From the customer's side it's a button they can't identify, so fix it first.

1. 01On a computer, without using the mouse, move through the menu with only the Tab key and try to get all the way to booking or the contact form.
2. 02As you move with Tab, check that you can see where you are, such as an outline around the current item.
3. 03Zoom the browser to 200% and see whether any text overlaps or gets cut off.
4. 04Turn on your phone's screen reader (VoiceOver on iPhone, TalkBack on Android) and listen to the first screen.
5. 05In the booking and contact forms, check that every input field shows a label, and that a wrong entry tells you what was wrong.
6. 06If there's a video, check that it has captions and that the content makes sense without sound.

What should each type of business focus on for accessibility?

Every industry has different information customers must read, so start by checking that this information is accessible. Below are the spots small businesses often miss.

If many of your customers are older, pay attention to text size too. Lots of customers set large text on their phones, so check that button labels don't get cut off or overlap when text is enlarged.

Even if there seems to be a lot to fix, you don't have to do it all at once. Fix things in order, starting with the screens every customer has to go through, like booking, inquiries and prices.

• Cafes and restaurants: if your menu is only a photo, screen readers can't read it. Write out the menu and prices as text too.
• Hair salons: make sure date and time selection in the booking form doesn't work with a mouse only, and label each input field.
• Workshops: add captions to class introduction videos, and write out materials and duration as text too.
• Online shops: for long single-image detail pages, also write the key information (material, size, shipping) as text.

What are common web accessibility mistakes?

The most common mistake is trying to fix accessibility all at once right before launch. Colors, text sizes and form structure are decided at the design stage, so setting the standard from the start is much easier.

Stopping at an automated checker's score also falls short. Tools can tell you whether alt text exists, but not whether it's written correctly, so a person needs to check by hand.

Accessibility isn't a one-time fix. Every new photo, event banner or menu you upload needs alt text and text contrast checked again, so it matters that whoever runs the site knows the basic rules.

What should I ask my web agency about web accessibility?

If your agency says the site "meets accessibility standards," get the results showing which standard they used and how they checked. It also helps later when you make fixes or hand the site to someone else.

• What level of the accessibility standards (WCAG or KWCAG) will you meet?
• Do you check text contrast at the design draft stage?
• Can booking and inquiries be completed using only a keyboard?
• After launch, is there an easy field where I can write alt text when uploading photos?