How Can Accessibility Overlay Tools Help with Web Navigation

If you are not using accessibility overlay tools or plugins, you should ensure that your website's navigation system is consistent. It includes the icons you use and how visitors navigate the site. For instance, if your homepage has a top header bar with drop-down menus, all of your other pages should do the same.

Similarly, the icons on your website must be consistent. Consider adding a smartphone icon to your About page if you don't have a phone receiver for the "contact us" icon on your homepage. It's confusing, making it difficult for accessibility programs to understand how to use your website. Using good accessibility overlay tools will make this easier.

Here are some ideas for providing your users with a smooth website navigation experience:

First, attempt to use two-word labels. Each menu item should start with one or two descriptive words because most visitors scan the list and only see about two terms for most things. In addition, you can avoid using similar words to begin listing items because it will make scanning more difficult.

Using left-justified navigation items improves scannability. All caps reduce readability because all words have the same rectangular shape. All caps may work for one or two-word menu items, but avoid them when several menu items are three or more words long.

Reduce the number of top-level navigation options as much as possible. The average person has 7+2 objects in short-term memory. Stick to this number when creating a menu. When designing complex websites, you can provide limited options and sub-menus for each option.

Remember the order of the navigation options. The order of the items is just as important as the quantity. The Serial-position effect refers to the tendency of people to remember the first and last items in a series the best. The list's start and end items are the most effective because our brains recall them faster than those in the middle. As a result, the options at the start or end of our navigation become more visible.

Finally, use mega-menus to show users a preview of lower-level navigation options. Mega-menus are extensive drop-down menus that display multiple levels of links simultaneously. They can save visitors time by allowing them to skip a few levels.