2.14 Provide information about the general layout of a site
Contents
WAI checkpoint 13.3
Full WAI text: "Provide information about the general layout of a site (e.g., a site map or table of contents)." Provide an overview of the site structure that summarises the contents and organisation of the site.
Rationale
An overview of the site structure and content makes navigation easier. For example, site map or table of contents makes navigating to key sections of the site easier than browsing through pages. It is sometimes assumed that users build "mental maps" of site structures in their heads by browsing through sections. This is not the case. Most people do not want to invest time figuring out how your site is structured. At best, they will remember no more than a handful of the pages they visited and the relationship between those pages.
A table of contents or site map can help people who have become confused or disoriented, to review the contents and continue navigating.
Directions and Techniques
Include a site map or table of contents
The site map should provide an overview of the key sections of the site and some indication of the content or functionality contained in those sections.
How you could check for this:
There are no specific test methods recommended for this guideline.
Guidelines for Web Accessibility - Priority 2- 2.1 Ensure that images have sufficient contrast for people with colour deficient vision
- 2.2 Avoid causing content to blink
- 2.3 Avoid movement in content
- 2.4 Ensure that dynamic content is accessible or provide an alternative presentation or page
- 2.5 Use style sheets to control layout and presentation
- 2.6 Use relative rather than absolute units
- 2.7 Use header elements to convey structure
- 2.8 Break up large blocks of information where appropriate
- 2.9 Ensure that information laid out using tables make sense when linearised, or provide an alternative equivalent
- 2.10 Do not use structural mark-up to format information laid out using tables
- 2.11 Describe the purpose of frames and how they relate to each other if it is not obvious by their titles alone
- 2.12 Clearly identify the target of each link
- 2.13 Provide information about pages and sites in metadata
- 2.14 Provide information about the general layout of a site
- 2.15 Use navigation mechanisms consistently
- 2.16 Associate labels explicitly with their controls
- 2.17 Properly position the labels of form controls
- 2.18 Ensure that user interfaces are device-independent
- 2.19 Use logical event handlers in scripts
- 2.20 Use input device-independent event handlers in scripts and applets
- 2.21 Ensure that scripts and applets are accessible
- 2.22 When an appropriate markup language exists, use markup rather than images to convey information
- 2.23 Create documents that validate to published formal grammars
- 2.24 Mark up lists and list items using the proper HTML tags
- 2.25 Use quotation mark-up for quotations, but not for formatting
- 2.26 Where possible, use appropriate W3C technologies of the latest supported versions
- 2.27 Avoid deprecated features of W3C technologies
- 2.28 Do not periodically auto-refresh pages
- 2.29 Do not use mark-up to redirect pages automatically
- 2.30 Do not generate pop-ups or other windows and do not change the current window without informing the user
