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by therealkatie 4999 days ago
Even if your site is just for reading, have you considered all the above groups?

* Can someone who can't use a mouse navigate your site? How about if they can't use a keyboard? * Can your default styles be over-ridden? Does it grow gracefully, or is content suddenly hidden? * Have you checked your color contrasts for the color blind? * Are ads constantly looping animations? * What fonts are you using? * Does it have a consistant navigation? * What about the content? Is there any attempt to make it as readable as possible? Or are the authors long-winded? * Is text broken up into reasonably sized paragraphs? Are sections effectively used? * Is there abuse of all-caps or italics?

Those are just off the top of my head. If you think that the blind and visually impaired are all you have to worry about, you'd be wrong.
1 comments
epochwolf 4999 days ago
Can someone who can't use a mouse navigate your site? How about if they can't use a keyboard?

I test on my ipad and iphone for usability. I plan on having mobi export so you can use a kindle if you want.

Can your default styles be over-ridden? Does it grow gracefully, or is content suddenly hidden?

The base font is 14pt with additional spacing between lines. The navigation won't degrade well but the body content should be fine though it might wrap oddly.

Have you checked your color contrasts for the color blind?

I do actually. I regularly use OSX's accessiblity tools to use grayscale or high contrast mode. I also have a badly-balanced lcd screen for testing if the text is still readable without proper color balance. The site is primarily black on light gray so I don't have many problems with that.

Are ads constantly looping animations?

No ads, currently. I doubt I will ever add them but if I do they will be static and only on index pages.

What fonts are you using?

    $sansFontFamily:        "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
    $serifFontFamily:       Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;
    $monoFontFamily:        Menlo, Monaco, Consolas, "Courier New", monospace;
Does it have a consistant navigation?

Edit links tend to be in the same place everywhere on the site. Still working on that. Delete buttons are always bright red on the bottom left of the edit screen. I hid them a bit on purpose since I would prefer people to archive stuff instead of deleting it.

What about the content? Is there any attempt to make it as readable as possible? Or are the authors long-winded? Is text broken up into reasonably sized paragraphs? Are sections effectively used? Is there abuse of all-caps or italics?

I have very little control over writing quality. It's a place for people to share their writing. I do a lot to mitigate the damage normal people like to inflict on readability but I can't force them to use paragraphs, capital lettters, or typography properly. I can only insure that all the text is in the same font and size for everyone's submissions. (I don't allow authors to increase or decrease font size. All html is prestyled with minimal room for adjustment.)

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