Software Platform User guide

Table Of Contents

• Hyperlinks

Using color as the only method for identifying hyperlinks may also cause

problems for color-blind users. When you print your report in black and

white, check the hyperlinks to ensure that they are still visible.

• Identifying important areas of the report

Do not organize a report by using color as a background or as a separator

between different sections or areas. Instead of using color to identify

sections, establish clear and consistent navigation for the entire report.

Navigation

As with other aspects of accessible design, providing several alternative

navigation methods can help you meet the reporting needs of more people.

The W3C recommends including several different navigation methods. On

the other hand, simplicity is critical for intuitive navigation. Section 508

recommends simple navigation that uses the least number of navigation links

possible. Either approach can be effective for your reports, as long as you

maintain clarity and consistency.

You may want to use report parts to navigate a report (or to connect several

reports). If you provide a series of links in a page header, keep in mind that

screen-reading software will reread the navigation information every time

the user refreshes the page or views a new page. In this case, simple

navigation is preferable.

For a large report, you could provide a list of navigation links as a table of

contents in the report header. More extensive navigation can be useful when

you have a large volume of data. To allow users to skip the list, you could

start with a "Skip the table of contents" link that jumps ahead to the first page

header.

In general, report navigation should follow these guidelines:

• Identify the target of each link.

• Provide information at the start of the report that describes the layout and