structure

Structure for Assistive Technology

Build content structure that assistive technology can parse, navigate, and present meaningfully — so the structure you designed is the structure every user experiences.

Process

Step 1: Define the Document Outline

Using heading-structure, design the heading hierarchy:

• One H1 describing the page purpose
• H2s for major sections
• H3s for subsections within those
• Verify: does reading only the headings tell the full story?

Step 2: Identify Landmarks

Map the page regions that assistive technology uses for navigation:

• banner — site header and branding
• navigation — primary and secondary nav
• main — the primary content area
• complementary — sidebars and related content
• contentinfo — footer
• search — search functionality
• form — significant forms (use aria-label to distinguish multiples)

Every page should have at minimum: banner, navigation, main, contentinfo.

Step 3: Structure Images and Media

Using alt-text-design, assign alt text strategy for every image:

• Decorative: empty alt
• Functional: alt describes the action
• Informative: alt describes the information
• Complex: short alt plus extended description

Step 4: Structure Data

Using table-accessibility, for every table:

• Assign headers with proper scope
• Add caption describing the table's content
• Plan responsive behaviour for small screens

Step 5: Structure Forms

Using form-labelling, for every form:

• Associate every input with a visible label
• Group related fields with fieldset/legend
• Plan error message association
• Define required field indication strategy

Step 6: Define Reading Order

• Verify that the DOM order matches the visual order
• Content should make sense when read linearly top to bottom
• Avoid CSS that visually rearranges content away from DOM order
• Tab order should follow reading order

Output

Deliver a structural specification that includes:

• Document outline (heading hierarchy)
• Landmark map
• Image alt text strategy per image type
• Table structure specification
• Form labelling specification
• Reading order confirmation