Digital Inclusivity
Constituents engage with Gonzaga University in many digital ways, from reading emails to exploring the website or making donations. To support fundraising and efforts to foster relationships, it is essential to apply digital accessibility practices that are fair, clear, and inclusive. Accessible content improves usability for people with disabilities and individuals with poor internet connections. It also boosts search visibility, since both assistive technologies and search engines depend on well-structured, machine-readable information. By making content easy to read, simple to use, and welcoming to all, the University's communication teams help its messages reach a wider audience.
Four Principles of Accessibility
To help make digital content more inclusive and effective, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) outline the following four key accessibility principles:
Perceivable: Information must be presented in ways that users can recognize and take in. This includes providing text alternatives for images, captions for videos, and content that works well with assistive technologies.
Operable: Users must be able to navigate and use the website or digital tool. This includes allowing keyboard navigation and making sure links, buttons, and forms are easy to use.
Understandable: The content and design must be clear and predictable. This means using simple language, organizing information logically, and providing helpful instructions or feedback.
Robust: The content must work well across different devices, browsers, and assistive technologies.
People-First Approach
A people-first approach to digital content design prioritizes clarity, usability, and inclusion. The following best practices help ensure that all users, including those with disabilities, can access and understand information effectively.
Structured Layout
Organize content using clearly defined headings that follow a logical hierarchy. This structure helps all users understand the flow of information and allows assistive technologies to navigate content more accurately. Behind the scenes, use semantic markup, such as the emphasis tag (<em>), to indicate meaning. Semantic markup conveys importance without dictating how content looks, which improves accessibility and searchability. A well-organized structure also helps software catalog content more accurately, making it easier for users to find what they need.
Consistent Identification
Make sure that elements with the same function are labeled and styled consistently throughout the communication. For example, call-to-action buttons should look and function the same across a website or email. Consistency helps users recognize patterns, reducing confusion and improving navigation.
Visual Contrast
Visual contrast should guide attention without overwhelming the user. This aligns with user experience (UX) principles, such as the von Restorff Effect, which recognizes that people have limited attention and benefit from clear visual cues. However, contrast should be used thoughtfully. Overusing contrast or relying on it alone can make content harder to perceive, especially for users with vision impairments. Ensure sufficient color contrast between text and background, and never rely on color alone to convey meaning. Always pair visual contrast with other accessibility features to support a wider range of users.
Make Unstructured Data Perceivable
Unstructured data, such as images, audio, and video, is often difficult to understand for individuals with disabilities as well as for machines that are used to interpret information. To ensure accessibility, provide meaningful text alternatives that convey the same information as the media. For example, add descriptive alt text to images and captions or transcripts to videos. When sharing infographics, export them as accessible PDFs rather than static image files like JPEGs or PNGs. This helps ensure all users can access the information, regardless of how they experience digital content.
Advancing Accessibility with Purpose
Digital accessibility is not just a technical requirement; it also reflects the organization’s commitment to ethical and inclusive communication. By taking a people-first approach, marketing professionals can design content that is easier for a wide range of users to access, understand, and engage with. Whether it involves using clear structure, consistent elements, thoughtful visual contrast, or accessible alternatives for media, each step helps remove barriers and builds trust with diverse audiences. Prioritizing accessibility supports both human dignity and organizational goals, ensuring that digital content is usable by all and discoverable across platforms.