Non-visual use.
WHAT A SCREEN READER DOES
Reads the page aloud, and allows navigating by headings, links and regions.
WHAT THAT REQUIRES
Meaningful structure Text alternatives for images Labels on every control Announcements when things change
WHAT HEADINGS DO
Provide the structure people navigate by.
WHAT THAT MEANS
Use real headings, in order, describing the content beneath.
Not text styled to look like a heading.
WHAT IMAGES NEED
A description of what they convey, or an indication that they are decorative.
WHAT DECORATIVE MEANS
Adding nothing beyond what the text says.
Those should be marked so they are skipped, not described.
WHAT CONTROLS NEED
A label stating what they do, even when visually obvious.
WHAT TO ANNOUNCE
Content that changes without a page load: errors, confirmations, updated results.
WHY
Otherwise a non-visual user has no indication anything happened.
WHAT TO AVOID
Describing appearance rather than purpose Link text such as "click here"
WHAT TO TEST
Listening to a key page.
