The Easy Read Access Key is for sites using the clearest and simplest language possible for their content. The site will have received a Flesh-Kincaid score of between eight to ten from the spider. The manual check will take into account the target audience and the subject matter.
The average adult reads to GCSE level. According to usability guru Jakob Nielsen, about 30 per cent of internet users have low-literacy which means they need the reading age of a website to be geared for someone around 13 or 14 years old. For very important text such as terms and conditions or information about an insurance policy or health advice then the language needs to be geared for age 11 or 12. By keeping the text of a page as simple as possible it also means younger users and people for whom English is a second language can use your site more easily. Users will look elsewhere if they find the text on your website too difficult.
Another group to take into account are people with cognitive disabilities or who process information differently. The British Dyslexia Association estimates four per cent of the population is severely dyslexic while another six per cent experiences some symptoms. Along with those users who have dyslexia elderly users with dementia may visit your site, someone who has suffered a head injury and has problems with their short-term memory or someone who was born with Down Syndrome. While many of these users can certainly understand complex or technical subjects they may have different thought processes and they will benefit from simple language, short sentences and short paragraphs plus useful visuals or graphic instructions.
Most users prefer pages with text broken up by visuals or displayed in bulleted lists with distinct sections. In these cases they can scan the text to find the most useful information for their purposes. Using visual design to create larger headers - including graphs, charts and tables helping illustrate points - and using short lists that are easy to skim will help users stay focused on your site and not get frustrated or bored. Using a consistent design scheme throughout can help people to remember where they are and how to get around your site more efficiently.
Expanding all abbreviations and acronyms is useful to anyone who might not have encountered them before but especially for people for whom reading is more difficult.
Read about how Abbr criterion scoring works.
Using both static and multimedia versions of your site may help people who find multimedia versions confusing and hard to follow. You should provide the most up-to-date and detailed information possible on static versions of your site because users will already feel that they miss out on part of the internet experience by having to use a static version.
Read about how Alt Page criterion scoring works.
Automatically loading background audio can be confusing and distracting so avoid it - but if you do use it provide a way to turn it off.
Read about how Audio criterion scoring works.
Keep background audio in multimedia quiet enough so users can hear and understand the main content.
Read about how Background Audio criterion scoring works.
If you use colour to convey important information find another way to convey that information as well. People will adjust their systems to make it easier for them to read or focus on the information and it will help to have more than one way to express the information.
Read about how Colour criterion scoring works.
Make your pages as easy to read as possible. If a user needs to concentrate on understanding your site they will spend longer reading each page and you do not want to make them struggle to differentiate the colours as well.
Read about how Colour Contrast criterion scoring works.
Inconsistent design can confuse people especially people with dyslexia who have problems with structure and sequencing. As a result they can get lost within a website. If you structure all your pages the same way and the navigation pinpoints a user's location on your site then they can find their way to the information they need more easily.
Read about how Consistent Style criterion scoring works.
Causing things to happen on the site automatically or taking a user away to an unexpected page can cause confusion for somebody who has trouble concentrating, who gets distracted easily, who has trouble reading or has only just began using the internet. They may not realise a new window has opened or a link has taken them to a different website.
Read about how Context Changes criterion scoring works.
If you use any unusual, rare or technical terms on your site provide a glossary defining those terms to help people understand the text.
Read about how Define Terms criterion scoring works.
By allowing items to receive focus without activating them you will help avoid confusion.
Read about how Focus criterion scoring works.
Offering users who have difficulty reading, spelling or typing a chance to go back and edit forms before final submission will help them considerably. Equally, offering suggestions to help them fill in complicated form fields will cut down on the number of errors and will assist people in using your site more easily.
Read about how Formfill criterion scoring works.
By providing a detailed and logically organised site map you will help users find what they want on your site if they get lost in the site structure itself.
Read about how Info criterion scoring works.
Some users may make use of screen reading technology to make it easier to follow the text on a site. Therefore you should specify the language so the screen reader can pronounce words correctly.
Read about how Language criterion scoring works.
Use descriptive link text so users understand where each link goes and what they will find on the page.
Read about how Link Target Text criterion scoring works.
By clearly separating each link in a group or list users will know where one link ends and the next begins and will not get confused.
Read about how Link Text Space criterion scoring works.
Provide transcripts/subtitles of any multimedia so users can follow the multimedia content. Sometimes reading along with speech helps people follow and retain the information.
Read about how Multimedia Sound criterion scoring works.
Flickering or moving content at the wrong frequency can cause people with epilepsy to have seizures. Users with other cognitive issues may find it distracting and it can prevent them from focusing on the text.
Read about how No Flicker criterion scoring works.
You should always provide links to any necessary plug-ins so users can get the best use from your site. By making the link apparent and understandable people new to the internet or uncomfortable using a computer will know explicitly what they need to do.
Read about how Plug-ins criterion scoring works.
Use the clearest and simplest language you can. Your potential customers will have a wide range of reading abilities. Some will speak and read English as a second language. Some will be young. Some will have memory problems causing them to forget the first half of a long sentence before they get to the end. Some will have cognitive issues causing them to have difficulties concentrating on complex or long blocks of text. Simply put - the less demanding the text the more people can access your site and buy your products.
Read about how Read Index criterion scoring works.
By providing different ways to search the site or by categorising search results in more than one way you help people with cognitive differences locate information in ways which make the most sense to them.
Read about how Search criterion scoring works.
By grouping related links together you will help people find what they are looking for.
Read about how Skip Navigation criterion scoring works.
Time Outs can cause problems for anyone who may read slowly or who needs to take extra care when filling out a form.
Read about how Time Outs criterion scoring works.