Access design guide for accessibility
•Download as DOCX, PDF•
2 likes•570 views
This document seeks to provide guidance that will help you create Access databases that are usable to everyone.
Report
Share
Recommended for you
Recommended for you
More Related Content
Similar to Access design guide for accessibility
Similar to Access design guide for accessibility (20)
More from Microsoft Accessibility
More from Microsoft Accessibility (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Access design guide for accessibility
- 1. Access Accessibility Design Guide 1 Introduction As technologytouchesmore andmore lives, we riskexcludingmillionsof peopleunintentionallythroughour designchoices.Worldwide, more thanabillionpeople have adisability. Asdevelopers,we mustdesignsolutions that allowall users,regardlessof theircapabilities,touse ourproducts.DesigningaccessibleAccessapplications has sometimesbeenchallenging becauseof alack of guidance andeducationmaterial available.Thisdocument seekstoprovide guidance thatwill help youcreate Access databases thatare usable to everyone. Here are some keyprinciplestokeepinmindwhendesigning Accessapplications foreveryone: Informationshould be communicated throughmultiple channels,not justvisually Keyboardingisthe onlyinteractionthatmanyuserswill be able touse Minimize keystrokestoaccomplish scenario-critical tasks Use more than justcoloras a meansof communicating information 1.1 Content 2) UI flow o 2.1) Header, detail, footersections 3) Navigation o 3.1) Settingtaborder forcontrols o 3.2) Using the F6 keyboardshortcutfornavigation 4) Controls o 4.1) Labelsassociatedwiththeircontrols o 4.2) Captions 5) Colors o 5.1) High contrastmode o 5.2) Luminosityratio 6) Testingchecklist 7) Walkthrough of a user scenario 2 UI flow Whenyou begindesigninganAccess application,take some time tothinkaboutthe flow of auser’sexperience. Users needinformationthathelpsthemunderstandthe purpose of the current database objectthey’reworking withat that moment.Commandbuttons ona form,forexample, thattake formlevel actions suchas navigation and printingneedtobe discoverable immediately. Fromuserstudies,we findthata user’sfocuswill naturally start at the topof the formand thenscan down.Because of thisuserbehavior,inmostcases we recommend that youput informationaboutthe formandcommandbuttonsat the top. Below formlevel actions,we recommendthat youlimitactionsthatthe usercan take to the currentform.This iswhere youshouldputyour maincontrols anddetail information. At the bottomof formsandreports,we recommendyouput summarizations thatare relevanttothe database afterthe user isfinishedwiththe details.Onareport, for example,add controlsthatdisplayaggregationsor
- 2. calculations atthe bottombecause thisisinformationrelevantafterthe userhasseenthe individual record details. Rememberthatthese are guidelinesandnothard andfast rulestothe designof yourformsand reports.Every Accessapplication isdifferentso designtheminaway thatprovidesthe bestlogical flow of information.Ask yourself,whatinformationwouldyoulike toknow first andwhatinformationisrelevant next? 2.1 Header, detail, footer sections In thissection, we provide anexample of userinterface flow usingthe StudentsDatabase templateinAccess 2016. Indesign view,you’ll see header,detail,andfootersectionsthathelppartition the formintosections like whatwe describedearlier. Figure 1: Student list form shown in design view. The form’s header, detail, and footer sections are visible. Header: Inthis example,the headersectionof the formcontainsthe title of the form,formlevel navigation, searchingandfilteringcontrols,andinformationonhow touse the form(questionmarkicon).Thisinformation isthe mostrelevantandshouldtherefore appearatthe top of the form.The headersectionisthe firstsection that a userseesso putimportantinformationausermustknow to use the form here.We recommendthat the formheadersection contains: Title of the form Form or application level navigation Searchingandfiltering options Instructionsandhelpinformation Detail: Inthisexample,the detailsectionof this formcontainsthe fields andcontrols thatdisplay the datafor each recordinthe form’sdatasource.The details sectioncomesafterauserunderstands the general purpose of
- 3. the form byreviewingthe controlsinthe form headersection.Usersof the applicationnow know this iswhere theyneedtotake actions on data. We recommend thatthe detail sectioncontains: Relevantinformationandactionstothe current form Controlsthatdisplaydatafrom the form’srecordsource Footer: Inthisexample,the footersection of thisformisn’tused.Thissection isthe lastsectionthata user interactswithastheyuse the form.We recommendthatthe footersection contains: Informationthatismeaningfulafterthe userhasbrowsedthe previoustwosections suchas calculated fieldsin formsand reports Controlsthatallowusersto move todifferentrecordsif applicable If needed,supplementalinformation thatisnotappropriate inthe headersectionsuchasdeveloper contact informationortermsandconditionsinformation 3 Navigation Since we are designingwithaccessibilityinmind,we needtounderstandthatnoteveryone canuse the mouse and see the screen. Keyboardingisthe onlymethodof interactionthat manypeople canuse.Thissectionof the guide will gooverhowto designyourdatabase applications toprovide amore navigable experience usingthe keyboardalone. 3.1Setting tab order for controls Tabbingisthe primarymethodof navigationforauserthat reliesuponthe keyboard.Thismeansthat configuringthe taborderof your formsis one of the most important tasksinmakingyourAccess databases accessible. Figure 2: Tab order command on the Access Design ribbon tab Here is an example of aconfiguredtaborderusingthe StudentListformof the Student’s database template:
- 4. Figure 3: Students list form with its tab order set for the Form Header section In figure 3, you can see that the Welcome command button(the buttonwiththe questionmarkcaption) isthe firstcommandinthe tab order. We set the Welcome commandbuttonfirstinthe tab order so that users can quickly goback to the formthat providesinstructionsonhow to use the form.The nextitemsinthe tab order are the command buttoncontrols that are shown inlefttorightorder as theyappearat the top of the form.This isonlyan example,andyourapplications willhave theirownuniquetaborderdependingonthe mostlogical userexperience. Here are some concepts to keepinmindwhenconfiguringthe taborder foryour forms: Minimize the numberof tabsbyplacingthe most usedcommandsnearthe top of the tab order. Setthe taborder of your controlssothey follow aconsistentpatternwithrespecttothe UI and not jumparound in a somewhatrandomorder.Userswithlow vision see onlyasmall,magnifiedsectionof the form at a time whichmeanstheycan’tsee formelements outside the magnifiedarea. Testout the tab order of your controls afteryouare done designing yourformsincase the ordermight have changedsince you lastmade form modifications. Ensure that unimportantelementsare atthe bottomof the tab orderto deprioritize themappearingto users. Witha properlyconfiguredtaborder forform controls,users,regardlessof theircapability,will have abetter experience navigatingthroughyour application. 3.2Using the F6 keyboard shortcut for navigation Accessprovidesakeyboardshortcut,F6,useful for navigatingthrough the differentregions of the Access interface.Inthe nextfigure,youcansee whatpatternAccessfollowswhenyoucontinuallypressF6.
- 5. Ribbon Headerof the active form(if it exists) Detail of the active form (if itexists) Footerof the active form (if itexists) Navigation pane View switcher Ribbonandrepeat Note that if anysub form controls existinthe sectionsof the form, pressingF6puts the focus intothe sub formand thenfocusmoves throughitssectionsbefore movingontothe nextsection inthe parent section. Usingthe F6 keyboardshortcut provides aquick wayto navigate betweenthe differentregions of the Access interface anddatabase objects. Usingthisnavigationtechnique furtheremphasizesthe needtoappropriately place informationthatisrelevanttoeach areaof the application asdetailedin Section2.1of thisdocument. 4 Controls Accessibilityfeaturesare already includedinthe controlsof Access. Insome cases,you’ll needtomake minor configurations toyourcontrolsindesignview forthemtowork well forusers of assistive technologies. For controls, we recommendthe following guidelines: Associate controlswithanappropriate label Provide anappropriate captionforcontrols thatdon’thave an associated label 4.1Associate labels with their respective controls Appropriate labelsforthe variouscontrolsdisplayingdataonyour formsand reportsare needed tounderstand the value of data controlssuch as textboxes. Notall userscansee the labelsnexttothe controlsinthe forms and reportsusingtheirassistivetechnologies.Forformsand reports,justprovidingthe datafieldvalue,usually shownin a textbox, isnot enough. Youshouldideally providealabel withfield controls displayingdataand associate themtocreate a complete experienceforyourapplicationusers. If you are creatingcontrolsforfields inyourformor reportrecordsource usingthe providedwizards, Access shouldcreate appropriate labelsforeachof your fieldcontrols.However,through additional editsand adjustments youmightmake whilecompletingyourformandreportdesign,youmightlose the label association betweentwocontrols accidentally.If you needtomanually associate alabel toacontrol,follow these steps: 1) Openthe propertypane 2) Selectthe control youneedtoassociate a label with 3) Findthe label name property Figure 4: Pressing F6 navigates users through different areas of the Access interface
- 6. 4) Type in the name of the label Figure 5: Property pane with label name property Whenlabelsare associatedproperly,assistive technologieswill provide the information inthe label tousers whenthose controls have focus. Forexample,if youuse ascreenreaderandyourfocus ison a textbox,the screenreadernarratesout the associatedlabel firstandthenitnarrateswhateveristypedinto the textbox. If youhave no associatedlabel, the screenreaderonlyreadsoutthe value inthe textbox. 4.2Captions For elementswhere youwantto control whatis communicatedtothe useror elementswhere alabel isn’t appropriate,youcanuse the Captionpropertyof a control to provide informationtothe assistivetechnologies to be communicatedtothe user. For example, if youhave apicture inyour form,thenyou will wanttoprovide an alt-textdescriptioninthe Captionproperty. Textinthe StatusBar Text property of controlsare not accessiblysupportedin Access.Asaworkaround to this limitation,considerputtingthattextinthe Captionproperty orintoan associated label. 5 Colors Whenit comesto usingcolorsinyour Accessapplications,the keyprinciple torememberforuserswithcolor- blindness isthattheycannotperceive the differencesbetweensome combinationsof colors. Youdon’tneedto remove all colorsinthe designof yourAccessdatabase objects,butyoudo needtokeepcolorsensitivityin mindwhencreatingyourAccessformsand reports.Youshould make sure that colorsare notthe onlymethod of conveyingimportantinformation tothe applicationusers.Forexample, use colorplusshapesorcolorplus textto conveyinformation.Use ared cross anda greencheckmark,for example, todistinguishthe difference
- 7. betweenanegative andapositive status.Inthisexample,you’re combiningcolorswithshapeswhichmakes the visual elementsmore accessible. As youdesignyourAccessdatabase objects,youmightfind situationswhere you’ll have coloredtext orother elementsonabackgroundof anothercolor.Thisscenariomightmake it difficultforuserswhohave color- blindnessorlowvisiondisabilitiestoperceive the variousobjectelements.Computeroperatingsystems provide a highcontrast mode,and in the followingsections, we’ll provideresourcestochoose operatingsystem settings that are mostperceivableforall users. 5.1High contrast mode Operatingsystemsprovide ahighcontrastmode whichrepaintsthe userinterface withcolorsthatcanbe better perceivedbyeveryone. Figure 6: Windows 10 high contrast settings In figure 5, you can see that Windows10 providesahighcontrast settingspage which allowsuserstoselect differentthemes. Whenyou selectone of the highcontrastthemes,Windowsautomaticallyrepaintsall the Windowsandapplicationuserinterfaces withthe specifiedcolorsinthe theme. AsanAccessapplication developer,youshould verifythatyourAccessdatabase objectscanstill be functional andthatyoudon’thave missingcolors.If yousee colors inyourdatabase objects,notspecifiedinthe highcontrasttheme,showingup afterturningon highcontrastsettings,please postthis informationinthe Microsoftaccessibilityforum. 5.2Contrast ratio Whenchoosingcolors foryour database objectssuchas formsand reports,make sure thatthe contrastratio betweenthe control andobject elementsandthe backgroundcolorisat least4.5:1. You can check yourcolor contrast ratio by downloadingafree tool called ColorContrastAnalyzerbythe PacielloGroup orby usinga color contrast checkeronthe web suchas WebAIMContrast Checker.Byensuringthatthe colorcontrast ratioof the foregroundandbackground colorsare at least4.5:1, you can be confidentthatusers of your Accessapplication can perceive the textorelementsyoudesigned.
- 8. 6 Recap of testing Here is a quickchecklistof all the thingsmentionedinthisaccessibilitydesignguidethatyoucan use for quick reference withyourAccessapplications.If youcheck andtest yourapplicationsusingthislist, thenyoushould be on your wayto creatingan Accessapplication thatisusable byall. Thinkaboutthe flowof a user’sexperience o Place importantinformationandcommandbuttonsatthe top – headersection o Place formor report relevantinformationatthe middle –detailssection o Place summarizationand overall information atthe bottom– footersection Checkyour configured control taborder o Verify thatthe tab orderfor controlsfollowsalogical flow throughthe database object o Verify thatcommandsthatare usedthe mostare at the top Check your controls forappropriate labels o Verifythere are noorphanedlabels Check your control captions o Verifyif captionsare needed o Verifythatcaptionsare definedif youdon’tuse control labels Checkif any informationiscommunicatedusingcoloronly o Verifythatyou’re notusingcoloronlyto distinguish application information Checkif highcontrast settingsimpactyourapplication o Verifythatonly colorsinthe highcontrast theme appear inyourapplication Check your colorcontrast ratio o Verifythe contrastratioisat least4.5:1 o Use WebAIMresources orColorContrast Analyzerbythe PacielloGroup 7 Walkthrough of a user scenario 7.1Introduction Thiswalkthroughaimstoshowwhat a userwithdisabilitieswouldexperience whenusinganAccess database that has beendesignedwithaccessibilityinmind. Thiswalkthroughwill use aseriesof screenshotswith explanations fromthe Studentsdatabase template. 7.2Legend Visionimpaireduserswill use assistivetechnologiestonarrate outwhatUI elementcurrentlyhasfocus.The headphones iconwillbe usedtodenote whatuserswill hear. Thisblue outline will highlightwhatthe user of the applicationis focusedoninthe database. These iconsdenote whatkeysuserswill presstonavigate aroundinthe database.
- 9. 7.3Walkthrough Figure 7: The New Student button is where the user is focusing on in the Student List form In the openingform of thisdatabase,we canconfidentlyuse the F6keyboardshortcut tonavigate tothe header of the form.We have designedthisformtoinclude the commandbuttonsinthe headersection.The focusison the firstcommandbutton“NewStudent” andthe screenreadercorrespondinglyreadsitout.Now let’s press Enter. Figure 8: Student details form for a new student F6 “New student” Enter “General tab item”
- 10. Afteropeningthe “StudentDetails”form, the focusisputintothe “General”tab item.Access tabcaptions are recognizedbythe assistive technologyand theyare narratedoutappropriatelytoprovide uswithmore informationonthe UI that we have focuson inthe form. Figure 9: Filling out the form By pressingthe Tabkeyagain,we can navigate tothe textboxes onthe form.The screenreadernarratesoutthe label firsttoprovide contextforourtextbox. Afterfillingitin,italsoreadsoutthe currentvalue. Tab “Last name, Chan”
- 11. Afterwe finishenteringall the neededinformationaboutthe studentinthe detail form,we canuse the F6 keyboardshortcut to go backto the headersection andthenuse the Tab key to getto the commandbutton labeledClose. Atthispoint, the screenreadernarratesoutthe name of the control “Close”and thatit is a button.PressingEnteractivatesthe commandbuttonwhich closesthisformandsavesthe student. Note that we couldhave usedthe Tab keyto move to the Save and New commandbuttonif we wantedtostart creating anotherstudentrecord. Figure 10: Saving and exiting the form Tab “Close button” F6 Enter
- 12. Figure 11: Student list form with the newly added student details We are back to the studentlistformandwe see the newlyaddedstudent’sinformationinthe firstrecordinthe datasheet.