helixml / chat-widget

Accessibility

The chat widget is designed with accessibility in mind, aiming to provide a user-friendly experience for individuals with disabilities. This outline explores the key accessibility features implemented in the widget.

WCAG Compliance

The chat widget strives to adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. This standard ensures that the widget is usable by people with a wide range of disabilities.

  • WCAG 2.1 Success Criteria: The widget addresses various success criteria defined in WCAG 2.1, including:

    • Perceivable: Information and user interface components must be presented in a way that users can perceive.

      • Example: The chat widget uses ARIA attributes to define the roles of elements and provide clear labels for interactive components.

    • Operable: The user interface components and navigation must be operable.

      • Example: The chat widget is fully keyboard navigable, allowing users to interact with the widget using the keyboard.

    • Understandable: The information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable.

      • Example: The widget’s language and structure are clear and concise, ensuring that users can easily understand the functionality.

    • Robust: The widget content must be robust enough to be interpreted by a wide range of user agents, including assistive technologies.

      • Example: The chat widget uses valid HTML and CSS, ensuring compatibility with screen readers and other assistive technologies.

ARIA Attributes

ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes are used to enhance the accessibility of the chat widget by providing semantic information to assistive technologies.

  • ARIA Roles: The widget uses ARIA roles to define the purpose of each interactive element, such as “button,” “menu,” and “dialog.”

    • Example: The “send” button is assigned the ARIA role “button” for screen readers to identify it as an interactive element.

  • ARIA States and Properties: The widget uses ARIA states and properties to communicate the current state of the element.

    • Example: The “typing indicator” uses the ARIA attribute aria-live="polite" to announce when the other user is typing, providing real-time updates to screen reader users.

Keyboard Navigation

The chat widget is fully keyboard navigable, allowing users to interact with the widget using the keyboard.

  • Focusable Elements: All interactive elements in the widget, such as buttons, text fields, and menus, are properly focused using the tab key.

    • Example: Users can navigate through the chat window using the tab key, focusing on the input field, the “send” button, and other elements.

  • Keyboard Shortcuts: The widget provides relevant keyboard shortcuts to expedite navigation and interaction.

    • Example: Users can press the Enter key to send a message or the Escape key to close the chat window.

Screen Reader Compatibility

The chat widget is designed to be compatible with screen readers.

  • Text Alternatives: All images and other non-text content are provided with appropriate text alternatives.

    • Example: Images used in the widget have alternative text descriptions to communicate their purpose to screen reader users.

  • Semantic HTML: The widget uses semantically correct HTML tags to structure the content in a way that is understandable by screen readers.

    • Example: The chat window content is structured using <ul> and <li> tags to properly represent the chat messages for screen reader users.

Color Contrast

The chat widget adheres to color contrast guidelines to ensure readability for users with visual impairments.

  • Contrast Ratios: The color contrast between text and background elements meets the WCAG minimum contrast ratios, making the text easily readable.
    • Example: The chat widget uses high-contrast colors for text and background to ensure readability, especially for users with low vision.

Accessibility Considerations

This section outlines some additional accessibility considerations for the chat widget:

  • Dynamic Content: The chat widget displays dynamic content, such as new messages and typing indicators. These elements are carefully designed to be accessible to screen reader users.

  • Internationalization: The chat widget is designed to be accessible to users in different locales.

    • Example: The widget is translated into multiple languages and uses appropriate character sets and language attributes for internationalization.

  • Mobile Accessibility: The chat widget is responsive and adapts to different screen sizes, ensuring accessibility on mobile devices.

Continual Improvement

The development team is committed to continually improving the accessibility of the chat widget. We welcome feedback from users and accessibility experts to further enhance the widget’s accessibility.

Resources

This outline provides an overview of the accessibility features implemented in the chat widget. It is a work in progress, and the development team is actively working to improve its accessibility.