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Creating Accessible HTML
Email Campaigns
Jason Rodriguez
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Jason Rodriguez
Community & Product Evangelist, Litmus
rodriguezcommaj.com/newsletter
@rodriguezcommaj
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Why email?
What makes email worth
caring about?
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2.9 Billion Email Users
Worldwide by 2019
Source: Radicati Group
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3800% ROI
$38 for every $1 spent
Source: DMA
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Why accessibility?
Do I really need to ask this question?
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285 Million Low Vision Users
39 million of which are blind
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8% Color Blindness in Men
0.5% in women
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What is accessibility?
A site or email’s content is available to - and
it’s functionality can be operated by, anyone -
regardless of ability.
Tactics & Functionality
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What is inclusion?
Design that embraces the full range of
human diversity, with respect to ability,
language, culture, gender, age, and other
forms of human difference.
Strategy & Content
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How can we make accessible
email campaigns?
Tips for improving accessibility
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Technical Accessibility
Accessible Design
1
2
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Accessible Tables
Use ARIA attributes to hide
tables from screen readers.
role=“presentation”
CONTENT
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Semantic Markup
This is a level 1 heading
This is a level 2 heading
This is a level 3 heading
This is a paragraph of text. It has multiple sentences. As paragraphs do.
This is emphasized text. This is bold text. Use proper markup to provide additional context for email content.Slide 18
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Alternative Text
Context for missing images
and screen readers.
Use empty ALT attributes
for decorative images.
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Language
Allows screen readers to
switch language profiles.
Provides proper accents
and pronunciation.
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True Text
Favor HTML text over
copy locked in images.
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True Text
Keeps email readable when
images are disabled.
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Contrast
Follow WCAG guidelines
for keeping text readable
for low vision users.
Bad
Better
Best
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Hierarchy
Reinforce your semantic
structure.
Help users scan content.
Most Important
Least Important
This doesn’t even make the cut
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Readability
Font size and style
Line length and spacing
Alignment
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Readability
Font size and style
Line length and spacing
Alignment
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Usability
Make links look like links
Avoid link clusters
Use bulletproof buttons
This is a link
This is a button
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Layout
Use simpler layouts
Make emails responsive
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Going Beyond
Accessibility
Some thoughts on creating more
inclusive email experiences
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50 Milliseconds
To make an impression
Source: Taylor & Francis Online
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11.1 Seconds
Average email attention span
Source: Litmus
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The average adult reader can read 250 to 300 words
per minute. If the average reading time for an email is
11 seconds, then the ideal length of an email is
around 50 words.
Tom Tate, AWeber
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There are people with disabilities, including reading
disabilities, even among highly educated users with
specialized knowledge of the subject matter. It may
be possible to accommodate these users by making
the text more readable.
The W3C Working Group
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Simpler Text
Shorter and more
readable.
Less jargon, more human.
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Localization
Translate for specific
audiences, but localize to
include those audiences.
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Diversity
The world’s a big place and
you have a lot of different
subscribers.
Your emails should reflect
that fact.
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Consent
Explicitly ask for
permission to email people.
Use double opt-in when
needed.
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Silence, pre-ticked boxes or inactivity should not
constitute consent.
GDPR
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The data subject shall have the right to withdraw his
or her consent at any time. (…) It shall be as easy to
withdraw as to give consent.
GDPR
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Respect
Think of subscribers as
people, not just entries in
a database somewhere.
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The reality is that when brands operate with
empathy and use it to fuel every decision, action,
message, product, service and experience, they are
both more agile and more successful.
Ad Age
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Some creators treat accessibility as a barrier to innovation because it
requires foresight and time and testing. That kind of thinking is an
excuse for avoiding good work.
Think about it this way: accessibility provides options, and options lead
to innovation. Accessibility isn’t a barrier — it’s what removes them.
It frees us from one path and gives us many.
Mischa Andrews
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Cheers!
Have some resources:
rodriguezcommaj.com/speaking/refreshdetroit2019