Applying heuristics to accessibility inspections

Accessibility heuristics have been developed to complement accessibility guidelines. The use of Web accessibility heuristics in heuristic evaluations considers a greater range of special needs, such as visual impairments to cognitive disabilities. Key advantages of heuristics are conciseness, memorability, meaningfulness and insight. The heuristics allow evaluators to understand effectively which areas of a site have accessibility issues and provide useful insight into how to create a solution. However, the heuristics will not tell evaluators whether a Web site conforms to legislation. Studies have confirmed the view that while heuristics do not substitute for expertise, they do act to cue the deeper body of knowledge defined by the guidelines. It is essential that evaluators receive accessibility education before completing a heuristic evaluation using the accessibility heuristics. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.