Technical Writing in the Digital Age: Difference between revisions

Website content should be designed in accordance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure that individuals with disabilities are able to access the same information as those without disabilities.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-intro/ |title=Introduction to Web Accessibility |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Web Accessibility Initiative |access-date=October 26, 2023 }}</ref> It is a legal requirement to include accessibility features in website design.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://wcag.com/legal/ |title=Accessibility and the Web |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=WCAG |access-date=October 26, 2023 }}</ref> There are four different types of impairment that can affect how a user interacts and perceives digital documents: vision, mobility, auditory, and cognitive. <ref> {{cite book | last = Robbins | first = Jennifer Niederst | title = Learning Web Design: A Beginner’s Guide to HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Web Graphics | publisher = O’Reilly Media, Inc. | edition = 5th | date = 2018 | location = Sebastopol, CA | page = 42 | isbn = 9781491960202}} </ref> Digital documents will need to be optimized so that information can be accessed by hardware and software tools used by people with disabilities.<ref>{{cite book | last = Barr | first = Chris | title = The Yahoo! Style Guide | publisher = St. Martin’s Griffin | date = 2010 | location = New York | page=103-104}}</ref>

A document's scannability is determined by the ease in which it can be scanned to determine meaning. The most effective web content is concise and simple to scan, making it easy for users to find the important information. Breaking up text into interesting, easy-to-read sections helps users quickly find information. {{sfn|Barr|2010|p=103-104}}