Ensure all users can navigate and interact with your website.
We continue our web accessibility series with the second pillar of the POUR principles: Operability. After establishing in the first article that a website must be perceivable, it is now time to ensure that users can also interact with its components. A site can have the clearest content in the world, but if a user cannot access a menu, complete a form, or activate a button, their experience is compromised.
What Does It Mean for a Site to Be Operable?
The principle of Operability states that the interface and navigation must be functional for everyone. This means that a user must be able to perform the necessary actions using a variety of tools, not just a mouse. Think of people with motor disabilities who rely solely on a keyboard or users who need more time to read or fill in information. An operable website anticipates and respects these needs.
Detailed Technical Guide for the Principle of Operability
Here are the specific rules and practical tips to ensure your site's operability, taken directly from the official guide:
1.6. Keyboard Accessible
1.6.1. [A] Keyboard
- All functionality of the content is operable through a keyboard interface without requiring specific timings for individual keystrokes, except where the underlying function requires input that depends on the path of the user's movement and not just the endpoints.
- This does not forbid and should not discourage providing mouse input or other input methods in addition to keyboard operation.
- If keyboard shortcuts are implemented in a page, they should not conflict with browser or screen reader shortcuts.
1.6.2. [A] No Keyboard Trap
- If keyboard focus can be moved to a component of the page using a keyboard interface, then focus can be moved away from that component using only a keyboard interface, and, if it requires more than unmodified arrow or tab keys or other standard exit methods, the user is advised of the method for moving focus away.
1.6.3. [AAA] Keyboard (No Exception)
- All functionality of the content is operable through a keyboard interface without requiring specific timings for individual keystrokes.
1.7. Enough Time
1.7.1. [A] Timing Adjustable
- For each time limit that is set by the content, at least one of the following is true:
- Turn off: The user is allowed to turn off the time limit before encountering it; or
- Adjust: The user is allowed to adjust the time limit before encountering it over a wide range that is at least ten times the length of the default setting; or
- Extend: The user is warned before time expires and given at least 20 seconds to extend the time limit with a simple action (for example, "press the space bar"), and the user is allowed to extend the time limit at least ten times; or
- Real-time Exception: The time limit is a required part of a real-time event (for example, an auction), and no alternative to the time limit is possible; or
- Essential Exception: The time limit is essential and extending it would invalidate the activity; or
- 20 Hour Exception: The time limit is longer than 20 hours.
- Turn off: The user is allowed to turn off the time limit before encountering it; or
1.7.2. [A] Pause, Stop, Hide
- For moving, blinking, scrolling, or auto-updating information, all of the following are true:
- For any moving, blinking or scrolling information that (1) starts automatically, (2) lasts more than five seconds, and (3) is presented in parallel with other content, there is a mechanism for the user to pause, stop, or hide it unless the movement, blinking, or scrolling is part of an activity where it is essential; and
- For any auto-updating information that (1) starts automatically and (2) is presented in parallel with other content, there is a mechanism for the user to pause, stop, or hide it or to control the frequency of the update unless the auto-updating is part of an activity where it is essential.
- For any moving, blinking or scrolling information that (1) starts automatically, (2) lasts more than five seconds, and (3) is presented in parallel with other content, there is a mechanism for the user to pause, stop, or hide it unless the movement, blinking, or scrolling is part of an activity where it is essential; and
1.7.3. [AAA] No Timing
- Timing is not an essential part of the event or activity presented by the content, except for non-interactive synchronized media and real-time events.
1.7.4. [AAA] Interruptions
- Interruptions can be postponed or suppressed by the user, except interruptions involving an emergency.
1.7.5. [AAA] Re-authenticating
- When an authenticated session expires, the user can continue the activity without loss of data after re-authenticating.
1.8. Seizures and Physical Reactions
1.8.1. [A] Three Flashes or Below Threshold
- Web pages do not contain anything that flashes more than three times in any one second period, or the flash is below the general flash and red flash thresholds.
1.8.2. [AAA] Three Flashes
- Web pages do not contain anything that flashes more than three times in any one second period.
1.9. Navigable
1.9.1. [A] Bypass Blocks
- A mechanism is available to bypass blocks of content that are repeated on multiple Web pages.
1.9.2. [A] Page Titled
- Web pages have titles that describe topic or purpose.
1.9.3. [A] Focus Order
- If a Web page can be navigated sequentially and the navigation sequences affect meaning or operation, focusable components receive focus in an order that preserves meaning and operability.
1.9.4. [A] Link Purpose (In Context)
- The purpose of each link can be determined from the link text alone or from the link text together with its programmatically determined link context, except where the purpose of the link would be ambiguous to users in general.
1.9.5. [AA] Multiple Ways
- More than one way is available to locate a Web page within a set of Web pages except where the Web Page is the result of, or a step in, a process.
1.9.6. [AA] Headings and Labels
- Headings and labels describe topic or purpose.
1.9.7. [AA] Focus Visible
- Any keyboard operable user interface has a mode of operation where the keyboard focus indicator is visible.
1.9.8. [AAA] Location
- Information about the user's location within a set of Web pages is available.
1.9.9. [AAA] Link Purpose (Link Only)
- A mechanism is available to allow the purpose of each link to be identified from link text alone, except where the purpose of the link would be ambiguous to users in general.
1.9.10. [AAA] Section Headings
- Section headings are used to organize the content.
How Wawsome Ensures Operability
The principle of operability is complex, but Wawsome is here to simplify things. Our widget ensures complete and fluid keyboard navigation, automatically creating an accessible sitemap and optimizing focus order. Moreover, predefined profiles, such as the one for motor disabilities, adjust the site to eliminate reliance on complex actions, while providing a clear and visible focus indicator. This allows every user to navigate and interact with your site without frustration.
Conclusion
Operability transforms a website from a static page of information into an interactive and efficient tool for everyone. By following these rules, you not only expand your audience but also build a robust, user-friendly platform that inspires trust.
Now that we've covered Perceptibility and Operability, we're halfway there. In the next article, we'll explore the third principle: Understandable. We'll discuss how to make content and functionality not just accessible, but also intuitive and predictable.