Hierarchy Design for Accessibility: Key Principles

Want your digital content to work for everyone? Start with accessible hierarchy design.

What it is: Organizing content so users can easily navigate and understand it.
Why it matters: Helps people, including those with disabilities, access and interact with digital content effectively.
How to do it: Use clear headings, readable fonts, proper spacing, high contrast, and semantic HTML.

Key tips:

Use larger text for key points and consistent font sizes.
Ensure enough contrast between text and background.
Structure content logically with headings and bullet points.
Design for screen readers and assistive tools.

Clear, accessible hierarchies improve usability for everyone. Ready to make your content easier to navigate? Let’s dive into the details.

A Guide to an Accessible Heading Hierarchy

Core Elements of Accessible Hierarchies

Accessible hierarchies rely on well-organized structures and user-friendly design elements. These hierarchies ensure that content is easy to navigate and understand for everyone, including sighted users, keyboard-only users, and those using screen readers. Below, we'll break down the key components that make hierarchies accessible and effective.

Design Elements for Clear Hierarchies

Once the structure is established, visual elements like size, color, typography, and layout help bring clarity to your hierarchy. These tools make it easier for users to navigate and understand your content.

Size and Emphasis

Make key information stand out by using larger sizes, while keeping secondary details smaller. Stick to consistent sizing patterns and use bold or italics sparingly to avoid overwhelming the design.

Using Color and Contrast

Always ensure there’s enough contrast between text and background for readability. Don’t rely solely on color to convey meaning - use icons or patterns to assist users with color-vision deficiencies. Tools for checking contrast can help ensure accessibility.

Text and Space Management

Opt for fonts that are easy to read and provide enough space between lines and paragraphs. Adjust font support and spacing to accommodate different scripts and languages.

Layout and Position

Place the most important content at the top. Group related elements together with consistent spacing, and use clear separations between sections to make reading and scanning effortless.

Making Content Accessible

Use clear and concise text at every level of your hierarchy to ensure it’s easy for all users to understand. Choose readable fonts, like sans serif, with a minimum size of 16px, 1.5 line spacing, and generous letter spacing to improve readability. Organize your content with semantic headings, bullet points, and short paragraphs to make navigation straightforward for everyone. Additionally, structure your headings thoughtfully to align with user expectations and work seamlessly with screen readers.

Hierarchy Methods Compared

Once you've established size, color, spacing, and semantics, you can strengthen hierarchy by combining these elements. When assessing each method, consider these four key factors:

Clarity: Can users easily identify each level at a glance?
Consistency: Are the same visual cues applied uniformly across all levels?
Accessibility: Does the method meet WCAG standards and work well with screen readers?
Context: Are the cues appropriate for your specific content and audience?

Conclusion

This guide has shown that creating accessible hierarchies relies on having a clear structure and strong visual design.

Key Takeaways

Using proper headings, consistent visual indicators, and semantic HTML helps create content that works well for everyone. This can be achieved by focusing on:

Typography, appropriate font sizes, and HTML that enhances readability and works with assistive tools.

Why It Matters

Accessible hierarchies make content easier to read and understand while ensuring it’s usable for a wide range of audiences.

The results of well-designed hierarchies include:

Better readability and usability for everyone.