Connecting with your email audience takes more than just making valuable content. We need to consider what it takes to create a welcoming, inclusive, and interesting space for engaging your entire audience. Imagine sculpting what seems like the perfect email campaign, but never reaching certain people in your audience because they can’t read it. We want all of the content we deliver to reach every corner of our audience. Ensuring your email messages are accessible to all, regardless of visual impairments, is crucial to building a strong relationship with your whole audience.
As the digital landscape continues to change, it’s more important than ever to be aware of the content you’re sharing with the world and consider the needs of individuals with visual disabilities. Let’s dive into this more.
Why Design for People with Disabilities?
In case you still need convincing, here’s why most marketers will actively work to reach people with disabilities:
- Inclusivity and Accessibility: Making digital content accessible to everyone, including those with visual impairments, is fundamental for creating an inclusive digital environment. It broadens audience reach and ensures that no one is left behind in accessing information and services online.
- Legal Compliance: Various laws and regulations, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States and the European Union Web Accessibility Directive, require digital content, including emails, to be accessible to people with disabilities. Non-compliance can lead to legal consequences and damage to an organization’s reputation.
- Brand Image and Responsibility: Demonstrating a commitment to accessibility not only aligns with corporate social responsibility but also enhances your brand reputation. It delivers on the promise that an organization values all supporters and is dedicated to providing an inclusive experience for all.
- Improved User Experience: Designing with accessibility in mind benefits all users, not just those with disabilities. Clear navigation, concise content, and other accommodations made for users with visual limitations can enhance the overall user experience for everyone, leading to increased engagement and satisfaction.
How People With Visual Disabilities Read Email
Before we dig into design and coding tactics, let’s take a minute to review how many people with visual disabilities actually “read” email messages and other content.
- Screen readers, such as JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver, are essential tools for visually impaired users to access digital content, including emails. These software programs interpret HTML elements, ARIA roles, and alt text to convey information audibly or through Braille displays.
- Semantic HTML and ARIA: Screen readers rely on semantic HTML elements and ARIA roles to understand the structure and functionality of web content. Properly implemented semantic markup enhances accessibility by providing context and navigation cues.
- Alt Text for Images: Descriptive alt text for images is crucial, as it provides context and information about visual content. This allows people to understand the purpose and relevance of images within an email.
- Semantic HTML and ARIA: Screen readers rely on semantic HTML elements and ARIA roles to understand the structure and functionality of web content. Properly implemented semantic markup enhances accessibility by providing context and navigation cues.
- Keyboard Navigation: People with visual disabilities often navigate using keyboard shortcuts rather than a mouse. Emails should be designed to support keyboard navigation, with a logical tab order and skip links to bypass repetitive content and navigate efficiently.
- Audio Feedback: Screen readers provide audio feedback to users, reading aloud the text content of emails and conveying descriptions of links, buttons, and other interactive elements.
How to Design Accessible Emails
Now, let’s talk about some specific tactics you can use to develop templates and produce email messages that maximize your chances of reaching and accommodating people with visual disabilities.
- Use Semantic HTML:
- Purposeful Tags: Employ semantic HTML tags such as headings, links, and buttons to structure content logically and provide context for screen readers.
- Alt Text for Images: Ensure that all images include descriptive alt text that conveys the content and purpose of the image to blind users.
- Example of Alt Text:
- Context: An email promoting a new line of eco-friendly backpacks.
- Context: An email promoting a new line of eco-friendly backpacks.
- Example of Alt Text:
- Purposeful Tags: Employ semantic HTML tags such as headings, links, and buttons to structure content logically and provide context for screen readers.
- Effective Alt Text: “Introducing our new eco-friendly backpacks made from recycled materials, perfect for your outdoor adventures! Explore the collection now.”
- Ineffective Alt Text: “Backpack”
- Accessible Design Features:
- High Contrast Colors: Choose color combinations that provide sufficient contrast for readability, especially for users with low vision. Colors should be at least 60 degrees away from each other on the color wheel.
- Font Size and Type: Use large, legible fonts and avoid decorative or overly stylized fonts that may be difficult to read.
- High Contrast Colors: Choose color combinations that provide sufficient contrast for readability, especially for users with low vision. Colors should be at least 60 degrees away from each other on the color wheel.
- Screen Reader Compatibility:
- Descriptive Links: Use descriptive link text that clearly indicates the destination or purpose of the link, rather than generic phrases like “click here” or “read more” try, “visit our homepage” or “download our ebook here.”
- Table Summaries: Provide summaries and proper labeling for tables to ensure that screen reader users can navigate and understand tabular data effectively.
- Descriptive Links: Use descriptive link text that clearly indicates the destination or purpose of the link, rather than generic phrases like “click here” or “read more” try, “visit our homepage” or “download our ebook here.”
- Keyboard Navigation:
- Logical Tab Order: Arrange the tab order of interactive elements in a logical sequence that follows the visual flow of the email.
- Skip Links: Include “skip to content” links at the beginning of emails to allow users to bypass repetitive navigation and access the main content quickly.
- Logical Tab Order: Arrange the tab order of interactive elements in a logical sequence that follows the visual flow of the email.
- Testing with Screen Readers:
- Compatibility Testing: Test emails with popular screen readers to ensure compatibility and identify any accessibility issues that need to be addressed.
- Feedback from Users: Seek feedback from blind users or accessibility experts to gain insights into usability and accessibility improvements.
- Compatibility Testing: Test emails with popular screen readers to ensure compatibility and identify any accessibility issues that need to be addressed.
- Use of ARIA Roles and Properties:
- Define ARIA landmarks within emails to identify regions such as headers, navigation, and main content, enhancing navigation for screen reader users.
- Use ARIA labels to provide additional context and information for interactive elements, such as links and buttons.
- Define ARIA landmarks within emails to identify regions such as headers, navigation, and main content, enhancing navigation for screen reader users.
- Content Clarity and Conciseness:
- Clear Headings: Use descriptive headings to organize content and facilitate navigation for screen reader users.
- Concise Messaging: Keep email content clear, concise, and free from unnecessary jargon or complexity to ensure readability and comprehension for all users.
- Clear Headings: Use descriptive headings to organize content and facilitate navigation for screen reader users.
- Include Text Transcripts for Audio/Video:
- Provide text transcripts or alternative formats for audio or video content included in emails to ensure accessibility for users who cannot access multimedia content.
- Provide text transcripts or alternative formats for audio or video content included in emails to ensure accessibility for users who cannot access multimedia content.
We understand that implementing these steps may seem daunting at first, but with practice, they will become second nature. Incorporating these practices into your email production process from the beginning also fosters organizational clarity. It gives you a chance to consider the importance and effectiveness of your chosen visuals and review the text’s relevance to your entire audience, not just those with visual impairments.
By embracing inclusivity you’ll expand your reach and demonstrate a commitment to serving every member of your audience. Here’s to all of us integrating accessibility into our digital strategies, ensuring that every email reflects our commitment to creating an equitable online experience.
As the digital landscape continues to change, it’s more important than ever to be aware of the content you’re sharing with the world and consider the needs of individuals with disabilities.
