People with perfect vision can quickly glance at the layout of a web page or document and typically find the content they’re looking for based on visual cues. If they’re able to use a mouse, they can easily click on a link or other control anywhere on the visible page. However, other users, including screen reader users, people using screen magnification, and people who navigate by keyboard, are unable to find and jump to content with similar ease unless the page is coded properly. There are a variety of methods for making digital documents easy for users to navigate.
Headings
Headings and subheadings play a key role in navigation and should form an outline of the page content. This enables screen reader users to understand how the page is organized, and to quickly navigate to content of interest. Most screen readers have features that enable users to jump quickly between headings with a single key-stroke. For more information about this technique, see Headings in Documents.
Titles in Documents
Titles are typically defined in a Document Properties or similar dialog, separate from the document itself. This should not be confused with the previously mentioned main heading of the document, which appears within the document. Titles should be descriptive and should make the purpose of the document and content clear.
Name Documents Consistently
A consistent, logical naming scheme will help instructors and users to identify and locate documents. Choose a naming scheme that would be clear to someone outside of the class/environment. Consider the following:
- Include more than one identifier in the title. An identifier can include the course name, author, name of document, date, organization, year published, topic, etc.
- Avoid strings of numbers
Examples
-
Poor Example: "LectureNotes_031024.docx"
-
The string "031024" could be confusing—does it mean March 10, 2024, or October 3, 2024?
- In the context of a class, if you only use "LectureNotes" as your signifier it could be confusing for students, especially if they are enrolled in multiple courses. To help students stay organized, use clear and specific naming conventions that include key identifiers.
-
-
Good Example: "BIO2005_LectureNotes_Mar_10_2024_EvolutionaryBiology.docx"
-
Uses date format MM-DD-YYYY, with abbreviated month, making the date clear and unambiguous, and retains other identifiers for context. There are other acceptable to format date, such as ISO YYYY-MM-DD, etc.
- By including class number and the lecture topic of Evolutionary Biology this ensures there are multiple key signifiers that make the file identifiable and easy to find.
-
Techniques for Microsoft Office
To add a title to Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, scroll down from the File drop-down menu and select Info, then click the Properties dropdown and select "Advanced Properties. This will open the properties window. Clicking on the summary tab will reveal the title field, enter a title that is meaningful and communicates the overall topic of the document.
Techniques for InDesign
InDesign requires a document title for accessibility. To add a document title in InDesign, from the File drop down menu select File Info…, this will open up the file information dialogue box. At the top, enter the document title. When exported as an accessible PDF, this information will automatically be transferred to the PDF as required metadata and saved.
Techniques for PDF using Acrobat Pro
Specifying the document title of a PDF allows for better searching and easier identification for users of assistive technology. To change the document title, you must use Acrobat Pro in order to access and edit the metadata.
After opening the PDF, Select Menu and scroll down to select Document Properties. Alternatively you can access the Document Properties menu by using the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl + D."
This will display the properties window. The description tab reveals the title field. If a document authored from a native format included a title using the techniques listed above, it would appear here. Otherwise, it will be left blank and the default title will be the file name and will also be reflected in the title bar. To add or change the title, enter a new title in the field and click OK.
Bookmarks in PDF
PDF files should have bookmarks for lengthy documents. These enable all users to efficiently jump to a particular chapter or major section. Before adding bookmarks to a PDF, be sure the document is tagged and has a good heading structure, as described above. For more details about tagged PDF, see the Accessible PDFs page.
After you have a tagged PDF with good structure, select Bookmarks from the Navigation Panel in Adobe Acrobat Pro. Then select the ellipsis icon and select “New Bookmarks from Structure…”.
A dialog will appear showing the various structural elements that are used in the document. Select H1, H2, and additional levels of headings if desired. When deciding on an appropriate level of detail within your Bookmarks, try to balance the need for navigation with the need for simplicity. Keep in mind the more bookmarks you have, the longer it will take for screen readers to read through them.
Lists
Whenever content on a web page or in a digital document can be described as a list of something, it should be created as a list, using the list features that are provided by the authoring tool. Most authoring tools provide one or more controls for adding unordered lists (bullet points) and ordered lists (numbers).
When creating content, it is important to recognize when your content is a list of items. For example, university web pages often include lists of links, events, staff members, degree programs, and much more.
When lists are explicitly created as lists, screen readers can inform their users that they have landed on a list and can provide additional information such as the number of items in the list, which is extremely helpful. It also facilitates navigation, as users can easily navigate between list items with a single keystroke.
Note: Manually added numbers or asterisks as a list of content will not be recognized by screen readers.
Techniques Using Word Processing Software
Most document authoring tools, including Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and others, include multiple buttons on their toolbars for adding lists to documents.
The following screenshot shows the ribbon in Microsoft Word, which includes buttons for “Bullets”, “Numbering”, and “Multilevel list”. Each of these buttons has a pop-up menu that allows for a high level of customization.
