Blog | 09 June 2020
3 quick tips on how to make your video accessible
Are you wondering what moving content will be required on your site when the new web directive comes into force? We've put together three tips to get you started.
1. Caption the video
Caption your video. If you want, you can choose closed captions so that your visitor can activate them themselves. Use the icon for text (a t) or for a text strip (subtitles). Feel free to offer a transcription of the content you link to from the video and vice versa.
When subtitling, remember to describe sounds of importance like "a phone ringing".
2. Audio description of the content
Work with audio description of the content to help visitors with limited vision understand the context. Indicate the presence of audio description content with the "ad" icon (for audio description) or by linking to the video.
Sometimes you can plan a video so that audio description is not needed. Perhaps it is enough for the speaker to introduce themselves and describe any presentation slides in words?
Audio description is about explaining the context, rather than exactly what is happening visually. Therefore, it might be a good idea to consult with someone who is trained.
3. Contrasts for readability
If your visitor is visually impaired, proper contrast between text and background is important.
Most people can read body text on screen if the difference in light intensity between foreground and background has a ratio of 4.5:1. Larger text such as headlines is easier to read and then the ratio of 3:1 is sufficient.
Logos, decorative elements and inactive features are not covered by the rules. However, you need to pay attention to the content of charts or other graphics that your visitors will read or interpret.
Tip. Be careful with background images as your visitors may use different screens, text sizes, scaling of images, etc. Feel free to exceed the contrast requirements and, if possible, let the visitor choose the contrasts (e.g. light or dark background).
Watch our webinar and immerse yourself (even!) more
- Take a look at our quick and smart webinar "How to create and share accessible videos" we held together with Screen9.
- Find out more about the impact of the new Web Accessibility Directive on your moving content at webbriktlinjer.se.