Accessibility of Web Interfaces
Ilichev, Ivan (2024)
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024120231896
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024120231896
Tiivistelmä
Web accessibility barriers prevent millions of users with disabilities from accessing digital content effectively. This thesis explores obstacles in implementing accessible web interfaces through examin-ing common implementation challenges.
The aim of this study was to identify the most common and significant barriers in implementing acces-sible web interfaces, analyze their impact of users with disabilities, and synthesize best practices for overcoming those barriers. The purpose of this study is to spread awareness on the current state of accessibility of web interfaces and to assist developers and designers in the process of implementing accessible web interfaces.
The study builds upon qualitative analysis of technical documentation and research papers from 2010 -2024. The literature review focuses on accessibility guidelines, empirical studies, and user experience reports. Publication selection criteria prioritize sources containing concrete accessibility implementa-tion data and user testing results.
The analysis revealed major flaws in accessibility implementation present on a significant amount of web pages. Color contrast issues were identified on 81% of examined websites, while 54.5% did not have proper image descriptions. Form related accessibility problems appeared in 48.6% of cases. Addi-tionally, the research revealed that keyboard navigation barriers particularly impact users with motor disabilities, though exact statistics was difficult to quantify across different studies.
Even though technical solutions exist for all identified barriers, implementation rates remain low. Accessibility requirements are often overlooked until late development stages, when corrections are costly. The thesis presents evidence that successful accessibility implementation requires systematic approaches throughout the development cycle.
These findings offer developers specific techniques for accessibility barrier prevention. Future studies might explore accessibility challenges in emerging web technologies and evaluate solution effective-ness through direct user testing.
The aim of this study was to identify the most common and significant barriers in implementing acces-sible web interfaces, analyze their impact of users with disabilities, and synthesize best practices for overcoming those barriers. The purpose of this study is to spread awareness on the current state of accessibility of web interfaces and to assist developers and designers in the process of implementing accessible web interfaces.
The study builds upon qualitative analysis of technical documentation and research papers from 2010 -2024. The literature review focuses on accessibility guidelines, empirical studies, and user experience reports. Publication selection criteria prioritize sources containing concrete accessibility implementa-tion data and user testing results.
The analysis revealed major flaws in accessibility implementation present on a significant amount of web pages. Color contrast issues were identified on 81% of examined websites, while 54.5% did not have proper image descriptions. Form related accessibility problems appeared in 48.6% of cases. Addi-tionally, the research revealed that keyboard navigation barriers particularly impact users with motor disabilities, though exact statistics was difficult to quantify across different studies.
Even though technical solutions exist for all identified barriers, implementation rates remain low. Accessibility requirements are often overlooked until late development stages, when corrections are costly. The thesis presents evidence that successful accessibility implementation requires systematic approaches throughout the development cycle.
These findings offer developers specific techniques for accessibility barrier prevention. Future studies might explore accessibility challenges in emerging web technologies and evaluate solution effective-ness through direct user testing.