Strategies
Related Guidelines1: WCAG 1.1.1, WCAG 1.2.1, WCAG 1.4.1, WCAG 1.4.3, WCAG 1.4.4, WCAG 1.4.12, WCAG 2.4.6, WCAG 3.2.3, WCAG 3.3.2
While the previous sections discuss important factors in creating an accessible slide presentation, you may be wondering about the slide design itself, and how to make sure it’s accessible.
Whether you’re focusing on layout, color, typeface or format, or you want to insert media or outside content, there are a few approaches you can take to ensure all learners can engage effectively with your content.
Here are a few key slide design strategies to consider if you plan to share slides with students via Canvas or another platform to review in their own time:
Layout
Take a moment to ensure the content is still fully readable when the slide is zoomed in to 200%. You can test this yourself: Both Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint allow you to zoom in and out on a slide: Zoom In/Out on a Google Slide and Zoom In/Out on a Microsoft PowerPoint Slide.
Use a simple template or layout that comes with a title text box. For why, review Slide Titles.
Google Slides: Slide Layouts in Google Slide
Microsoft PowerPoint: Slide Layouts in Microsoft PowerPoint
Color
Try to avoid using color alone to convey information.
Example: If you are trying to show a connection between two points by making them the same color on the slide, be sure to also verbally describe the relationship during class and add short text to the slide or slide notes.
When possible, use a color contrast checker tool. For more on this, review Color Contrast.
Design and Emphasis
When possible, minimize the amount of text on a slide. You can do this by using short keywords/phrases and graphics on the slides, then adding any extra information to a separate handout or the slide notes.
Try to avoid elaborate slide transitions and animations. They can cause headaches and be generally distracting, and in a worst case scenario, they can trigger seizures.
Try to avoid using bold, italics, and ALL-CAPS for large chunks of continuous text (e.g., multiple sentences or paragraphs). Using them for single words or phrases to draw attention is often effective, but using them for large chunks of text can result in loss of impact and readability issues.
Typefaces/Fonts
Believe it or not, the typefaces and fonts you select for your slides can greatly impact a learner’s experience. Beyond improving readability for all learners in your course, using a clear type face is critical for students who may struggle with low vision, dyslexia, aphasia, or many other challenges to their learning.
When possible, use common and unembellished typefaces. For example, fonts like Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, and Times New Roman are clear and generally easy for learners to read.
Try to avoid using more than 3 fonts in the same presentation.
If possible, avoid small text when, e.g., text on a slide should be roughly 24pt or larger.
Media
If you embed/add a link to a video in a slide, try to ensure the source video has accurate synchronized closed captions and an available transcript.
If you embed/link to an audio file in a slide OR add recorded audio/narration to your slides, consider adding an accurate transcript to the slide notes or link to a separate transcript document.
Format
If possible, avoid saving slides as a PDF if you’re sharing them online outside of class. PDFs can be very difficult to make accessible for your learners – see “Context,” below, for more details. Instead, consider sharing the slides in the default format (e.g., PPTX or a Google Slides link).
If exporting your presentation as a video, take care to ensure it has descriptive narration/audio, accurate synchronized closed captions, and a transcript.
Tip: If you have to save your slides as a PDF, learn about how to create accessible PDFs at Cornell IT’s Accessible PDFs or by scheduling a consultation with a CTI Instructional Designer at cornellCTI@cornell.edu.
Context
Who benefits from these strategies?
These strategies can help make the content easier to perceive and remember for all learners; however, they are especially helpful to those who:
- Have a memory barrier.
- Have difficulty maintaining focus and/or an increased chance of getting distracted.
- Use certain assistive technologies, such as a screen reader, screen magnifier, and/or braille display.
- Require the use of closed captions and/or transcripts.
- Have low vision and/or struggle with perceiving color or distinguishing between certain colors.
There are many more scenarios where individuals may benefit from these strategies.
Why is it recommended that I avoid saving as a PDF?
Not all the accessibility changes made in one format are guaranteed to carry over when you convert your files to a different format. This depends on a number of factors, such as the tool you’re using, the design of the slides, and how you save the file. Because of this, converting your slides to a PDF after you already made your slides accessible may undo some of your work.
Something else to keep in mind is that PDFs in particular are more time-consuming to make accessible. It will be easier for you to make your slides accessible in their default format than as a PDF.
Why are some of these strategies important if you upload your slides to Canvas or another platform?
If you make the slides available to learners outside of class, they need to be able to navigate through the slides on their own. Some learners (such as those using screen readers2) will not be able to read the contents of a slide if they were not designed using these strategies.