Web accessibility continues to be a growing problem as more consumers flock to their computers and mobile devices to shop and perform other tasks. Because so many people depend on online banking to check account balances and complete financial transactions, banks have become easy targets for litigators who search for websites that don’t meet guidelines established by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The likelihood that your bank website isn’t ADA compliant is quite probable. In 2020, WebAIM discovered that 98.1% of website home pages failed WCAG 2.0 conformance. Here are the five most common errors detected that you must avoid when designing your bank website.

 

Faulty Navigation and Site Structure

Some customers with disabilities use a screen reader or the keyboard to use the internet. For these customers, the navigation and structure of your bank website can greatly affect their customer experience.

Proper navigation orders the information so that your customer can move logically through the page content and between pages. Effective site structure involves developing a text hierarchy to express how content relates to each other. You should use page titles, headings, and bullet lists to create structure on your bank website.

 

Low Contrast

For blind customers and those with limited or low vision, the contrast between different colors must be sufficient, especially when displaying text on a background. To be ADA compliant, WCAG 2.0 level AA defines the contrast ratio as 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. You should also avoid using color for informational or instructional purposes.

 

No or Insufficient Alternative Text and Empty Buttons

All non-decorative images and photos, including buttons, must include alternative text (alt text) or a caption. Furthermore, the text used to describe visual content must be meaningful. Alt text is essential for buttons so that screen readers can tell the customer that they need to complete an action.

 

Vague Hyperlinks

In the early days of the internet, web developers had to educate people on the concept of hyperlinks. The text “click here” became the common directive to signal that the user could tap on the words to visit a new page. Vague hyperlinks, such as “read more” or “follow this link” or a web address, are inadequate and not ADA compliant. Hyperlinks should provide context and describe what will happen when the customer clicks on the link.

 

Inaccessible Forms

Online forms make applying for a loan, opening an account, and requesting information more convenient for bank customers. Because they simplify your customer’s life, they must be accessible. The time to complete the form before timing out should be adequate for all customers. You can make filling out the form easier by clearly labeling fields to instruct the customer what information to provide. Error messages should be descriptive, too.

 

Final Words

Creating a web-accessible and ADA-compliant website is nothing to take lightly. With no clear web accessibility laws or guidelines and ever-changing technology, federal and WCAG standards can change on a dime.

BankSITE® Services has partnered with AudioEye to ensure that the sites we design meet the most current regulations. Ask us about including our ADA Accessibility Module on your website so that you don’t put your bank at risk for an expensive ADA-compliant lawsuit.