Hypertext markup Language (HTML), the language that instructs the browser on how to format text, link to other relevant pages, and assemble the web page, was originally created for scientists to share information across the web. Web pages have evolved a lot since that time, and today they are expected to be dynamic, interactive, and pleasing. In fact, because the visual ppeal is so crucial, accessibility guidelines are put in place to ensure that a web page won’t sacrifice accessibility for visual appeal. Although web pages can be so full of visual elements that they become hard to access, HTML, along with the languages of CSS for styling and Javascript for interactivity, which make up the suite of languages used to build web pages, are all text-based. Thus, although a web page may not be accessible, the tools used to create it are. I fell in love with programming because of the accessibility of its tools. Yet, one question that plagued me continually is: how do I create them when I am blind? How can I design web pages so that they are visually appealing?
Use Chrome’s inspect element. Go to View, Developer Tools, and select Inspect Element. Otherwise, pressCommand+Option+C on mac or Ctrl+Shift+I on Windows. This allows you to examine what is working well on a web page.
Download the web page along with all supplemental files, or assets, that the web page requires through the save web page (complete) option. Look at the CSS and HTML side by side. How did the creator style each element in the HTML?
To design your own web page, look at a few web pages having a similar purpose. For instance, you may want to google a fast food place, a sit-down restaurant, and a cafe to see how the developers structure the web page to be accessible.
When you are designing your own web page, don’t just copy bits and pieces. You may want to use the layout of one page as your model, color scheme of another, and use the third to improve on your design.
Always have a friend look at it. Designing web page for visual appeal is a very subjective thing, there is no wrong answer, but you can steal ideas from what’s already out there.
There you go, these are my few tips on how to design a web page without sight. What is your process when designing web pages? Let me know in the comments!