Homeward Bound of Marin has been providing shelter, housing, job training and services for people experiencing homelessness in Marin County since 1974. As they celebrate their 50th anniversary, they came to Kiosk, their longtime digital marketing partner, with well-defined goals for their new website; design and build it with accessibility at the forefront and make navigation clear and simple for all.
So how did we do it?
- We started by mapping out the hierarchy of content and then choosing the right HTML elements.
- We freshened up the look using brighter and friendlier colors, ensuring that all color combinations on the site meet or exceed contrast rules for visibility.
- We ensured alt tags were added to all images whose purpose is more than decorative, allowing a screen reader to tell a visitor what is on the page.
- We limited the number of non-accessible PDFs and added contact forms where appropriate.
- We then focused on keyboard navigation, using a screen reader to make sure content is described in a way that is both perceivable and understandable to humans, going beyond readability issues identified by automated scans.
- We asked ourselves throughout the project: is what we’re doing serving the goals for which it was designed and does it do so in a way that creates positive feelings in the people for whom it is intended?
As standards and laws around accessibility continually evolve, Kiosk is proud to work with the team at Homeward Bound of Marin who understand the value that accessibility provides their clients, volunteers and donors. As Travis Stone, our Development Director says, “Accessibility isn’t a destination, it’s a way of thinking and doing.”
Looking to the future, Homeward Bound of Marin’s Co-CEO Paul Fordham has this to say, “This new site is just the fresh start we were looking for as we celebrate our 50th anniversary. Focusing the site on accessibility will help bring our services to an even wider audience and boost our quest to end homelessness in Marin.”
At Kiosk, we believe that websites should be accessible not only because it’s the law, but because it’s the right thing to do. And who wouldn’t want to have their website be informative and useful to as large an audience as possible?