Archive for October, 2009

Web design conventions; positioning of common elements

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

Here are some quick thoughts on the positioning of common elements on a web page:

  • Home button in or near menu on far left on all pages except the homepage
  • Logo in the upper left corners of all pages
  • Open search field in upper right of all pages
  • Log in/out upper right of all pages
  • Shopping basket icon upper right of all pages

The above highlights the most common areas of placement for particular elements on a website. As such users expect to see them there. Following these design trends helps users feel comfortable/familiar with how to use the website and allows them to get on with their desired task.

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Ten simple accessibility tips for online forms

Thursday, October 1st, 2009
  1. Use the label elements to associate form controls to text label
  2. Ensure that the labels are descriptive
  3. Position labels appropriately to maximize predictability of relationships to their controls
  4. Where necessary show examples of expected data input, for example date format
  5. Group related form elements by using the fieldset and legend elements
  6. Group related options by using the optgroup element in a dropdown menu for example
  7. Ensure there is a logical tab order through form controls
  8. Include text instructions at the beginning of the form or set of fields that describes the necessary input
  9. Ensure that the user activates changes by the use of a submit button, for example don’t use onchange events on dropdown menus
  10. If you have to use an onchange event ensure there is a clear explanation of what will happen when the control is changed prior to the controls activation

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