7 Universal Design Principles to Reach Audiences

Principle 1: Equitable Use

The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities.

Guidelines:

1. Provide the same means of use for all users: identical whenever possible; equivalent when not.
2. Avoid segregating or stigmatizing any users.
3. Establish provisions for privacy, security and safety to all users.
4. Make the design appealing to all users.

Tips for Implementation:

• Provide well-written text transcripts for audio content.
• Include a sign language interpreter at spoken events.
• Caption photos and videos.
• Provide audio descriptions of visual elements in videos.
• Add text alternatives to images.
• Text alternatives are brief but informative descriptions of an image, meant to be read aloud via screen readers.
• Convey information in multiple ways (e.g., don't use color as the only way of conveying information).
• Think carefully before including flashing content. This can be a danger and a barrier to some people.
• Warn users before presenting flashing content.
• Provide alternatives.

Principle 2: Flexibility in Use

The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities.

Guidelines:

1. Provide choice in methods of use.
2. Accommodate right- or left-handed access and use.
3. Facilitate the user's accuracy and precision.
4. Provide adaptability to the user's pace.

Tips for Implementation:

• Provide options to stop, extend or adjust time limits when possible (e.g., interactive content).
• Offer audio controls for sound that automatically plays for more than three seconds.
• Supply options to stop/pause/hide moving, blinking or scrolling content.
• Enable the ability to switch off animations unless they are essential.
• Consider a downloadable version if the content is hosted online.

Principle 3: Simple and Intuitive Use

The design is easy to understand, regardless of the user's experience, knowledge, language skills or current concentration level.

Guidelines:

1. Eliminate unnecessary complexity.
2. Be consistent with user expectations and intuition.
3. Accommodate a wide range of literacy and language skills.
4. Arrange information consistent with its importance.
5. Provide effective prompting and feedback during and after task completion.

Tips for Implementation:

• Review visual materials for clutter or inconsistency.
• Make sure fonts are uniform and don't distract from the message.
• Ensure your visual content uniformly directs the eye.
• Use the clearest, simplest language possible for your intended audience.

Principle 4: Perceptible Information

The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities.

Guidelines:

1. Use different modes (e.g., pictorial, verbal, tactile) for redundant presentation of essential information.
2. Provide adequate contrast between essential information and its surroundings.
3. Maximize the "legibility" of essential information.
4. Differentiate elements in ways that can be described (i.e., make it easy to give instructions or directions).
5. Ensure compatibility with a variety of techniques or devices used by people with sensory limitations.

Tips for Implementation:

• Distinguish information by separating the foreground from the background.
• Emphasize the most important information through placement, pacing, size or other methods.
• Ensure image alternative text and transcripts are compatible with screen readers.

Principle 5: Tolerance for Error

The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions.

Guidelines:

1. Arrange elements to minimize hazards and errors (e.g., the most used elements should be most accessible).
2. Provide warnings of hazards and errors.
3. Include fail-safe features.
4. Discourage unconscious action in tasks that require vigilance.

Tips for Implementation:

• Warn users before presenting flashing content (e.g., strobe lights).
• Make warnings legible for all ways people access content (e.g., visually and through screen readers).
• Emphasize warnings to stand out from the rest of the content in multiple ways (e.g., bold text, text box, color, symbols, isolate the information).

Principle 6: Low Physical Effort

The design can be used efficiently and comfortably and with minimal fatigue.

Guidelines:

1. Allow the user to maintain a neutral body position.
2. Use reasonable operating forces.
3. Limit repetitive actions.
4. Minimize sustained physical effort.

Tips for Implementation:

• Ensure your text and graphics aren't too small or too big.
• Limit the number of clicks/taps without over cluttering.
• Avoid phrases like "click here." Instead, use descriptive language so users know what to expect when clicking on the link.

Principle 7: Size and Space for Approach and Use

The design implements appropriate size and space for approach, reach, manipulation and use regardless of the user's body size, posture or mobility.

Guidelines:

1. Provide a clear line of sight to important elements for any seated or standing user.
2. Make reach to all components comfortable for any seated or standing user.
3. Accommodate variations in hand and grip size.
4. Offer adequate space for the use of assistive devices or personal assistance.

Tips for Implementation:

• Size and space graphics appropriately.
• Consider size and space if the information is physically presented in a booth, theater or conference.
• Guarantee that wheelchair users can enter the space, attend comfortably and interact without barriers.
• Ensure the sign language interpreter is visible to the audience during a spoken event.