Web Site Requirements

1. The Tennessee Tech University wordmark must appear on each page, preferably in the upper left corner.
2. All pages must contain the date of the last revision and the names and e-mail addresses of the unit and individual responsible for publishing and maintaining the page. It's recommended you also includ the postal address, phone number and fax number for the department.
3. All pages must contain links to the unit's homepage and to the University's homepage.
4. Units creating pages must provide links, if applicable, to pages containing information outside their areas of responsibility (i.e., admissions, visitor, alumni information, etc.) instead of re-creating the pages to ensure that the most up-to-date and accurate information is being provided.
5. Each unit creating pages is responsible not only for maintaining the site but also for ensuring that the information is of the highest editorial standards (spelling, grammar, accuracy).
6. All pages must be in compliance with the appropriate campus policies and applicable local, state and federal laws. Please read through and follow the Web-Style Guidelines as well as the Accessibility Guidelines to ensure your site has gone through all possible steps before going for review.
7. Once your site is completed, the site must be reviewed by the Office of Public Affairs. Contact the Web and Digital Media Director to arrange a review of your site. (Within
   e-mail notification include the URL, contact information, e-mail and phone number).

Web Site Design Tips

Below are some guidelines to assist in creating Web pages at Tennessee Tech University. View techniques and sample codes for these guidelines at W3C (http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT-TECHS/).

Accessibility Guidelines

1. Provide alternatives to auditory and visual content.

• Use "alt" tags for images, or provide a text equivalent.
• For complex content such as charts, provide an additional description using, for example, "longdesc" with IMG or FRAME, a link inside an OBJECT element or a description link.
• For image maps, use the "alt" attribute with AREA or the MAP element with A elements (and other text) as content.
• Graphics should always include height and width information. 

2. Don't rely on color alone.

• All information conveyed with color (heads, subheads) should also be recognizable without color.
• Provide significant contrast in colors used for background, text, active links and visited links. Avoid using red and green as predominant colors.

3. Use markup and style sheets properly.

• Use the proper HTML elements to mark up emphasis: EM and STRONG.
  Do not use the B and I elements.
• Specify the expansion of each abbreviation or acronym in a document where it first occurs.
• Mark up quotations. Do not use quotation markup for formatting effects such as indentation.
• While applets may be included in a document with either the APPLET or OBJECT element, OBJECT is the preferred method. Other objects, such as those requiring a plug-in, should also use the OBJECT element.

4. Clarify natural language usage.

• All text must read from left to right.
• Clearly identify changes in the natural language of a document's text and any text equivalents (e.g., captions).
• Specify the expansion of each abbreviation or acronym in a document where it first occurs.
• Identify the primary natural language of a document.

5. Create tables that transform gracefully.

• Provide summaries for tables.
• For data tables, identify row and column headers.
• Label table elements with the "scope," "headers" and "axis" attributes so that future browsers and assistive technologies will be able to select data from a table by filtering on categories.
• Do not use PRE to create a tabular layout of text. Use the TABLE element so that assistive technologies can recognize that it is a table.
• When a table is created only for layout, the table must linearize in a readable order. Cells should make sense when read in row order and should include structural elements (that create paragraphs, headings, lists, etc.) so the page is logical after linearization.

6. Ensure that pages featuring new technologies transform gracefully.

• Ensure that pages are accessible even when newer technologies are not supported or are turned off.
• Organize documents so they can be read without style sheets.
• Ensure that pages are usable when scripts, applets or other programmatic objects are turned off or not supported. If this is not possible, provide equivalent information on an alternative accessible page.

7. Ensure user control of time-sensitive content changes.

• Ensure that equivalents for dynamic content are updated when the dynamic content changes.
• Ensure that moving, blinking, scrolling or auto-updating objects or pages may be paused or stopped. OR
• Avoid moving or changing text. Do not use scrolling marquees or flashing text. Until user agents allow users to freeze moving content, avoid movement in pages. Some people with cognitive or visual disabilities are unable to read moving text quickly enough or at all. Movement can also cause such a distraction that the rest of the page becomes unreadable for people with cognitive disabilities. Screen readers are unable to read moving text. People with physical disabilities might not be able to move quickly or accurately enough to interact with moving objects.

8. Ensure direct accessibility of embedded user interfaces.

• Ensure that the user interface follows principles of accessible design: device-independent access to functionality, keyboard operability, self-voicing, etc.

9. Design for device-independence. Use features that enable activation of page elements via a variety of input devices.

• Do not restrict input to one device. Provide alternative ways to interact with the page, using the mouse, keyboard, voice, head wand or other.
• Provide text equivalents for image maps or images used as links to make it possible for users to interact without a pointing device. Pages that allow for keyboard commands usually will also be accessible through speech input or a command line interface.
• Create a logical tab order through links, form controls and objects.

10. Use interim solutions.

• Allow users to turn off spawned windows. Avoid changing the current window or popping up new windows without warning the user.
• Handle empty controls correctly. Include default, place-holding characters in edit boxes and text areas.

11. Provide context and orientation information.

• Clearly title all pages and label all frames. Provide purpose of frames and how frames relate to each other if it is not obvious.
• Divide large blocks of information into more manageable groups where natural and appropriate.
• Associate labels explicitly with their controls.
• Create a logical tab order through links, form controls and objects.

12. Provide clear navigation mechanisms.

• Clearly identify the target of each link.
• Keep text links concise.
• Keep navigation and layouts consistent from page to page.
• Don't use "click here."
• Include a link that allows users to pass over the set of navigation links.

13. Ensure that documents are clear and simple.

• Don't write your HTML for a specific browser or browser version. Browser software changes very quickly. Write good, clean code and let the browsers do their job.
• Avoid ASCII art (character illustrations). Use real images instead since it is easier to supply a text equivalent for images. However, if ASCII art must be used, provide a link to pass over the ASCII art.
• Title each frame to facilitate frame identification and navigation.

Design Issues

1. Avoid "Under Construction" pages.
2. Web pages are always under construction. If you don't have information available, don't make a link.
3. Avoid more than two fonts on the same page. Operating systems (Unix, Mac and Windows) all work differently; browsers display fonts differently and often are incompatible. Fonts have to present on your visitor's system for your page to appear as you intend. Providing a choice of one or two fonts in your code is advisable.
4. Avoid using frames.
5. Remember, not everyone is at Tennessee Tech. Be sure your dates make sense. For example, 01/02/01 means January 2, 2001, in the United States but February 1, 2001, in many European countries. If you write a time, indicate the time zone. Include your area code on the phone number, and specify country if appropriate.
6. Check your pages. Check each link to be sure it goes where you planned. Check each page in the major browsers -- Netscape, Internet Explorer and Opera. *Note: Internet Explorer is the only browser supported on campus.
7. Keep page size to a minimum. Most visitors are still using 28.8 dialup connections.
8. Keep it simple. Web pages should be easy to navigate and direct the visitor to the information as clearly and quickly as possible.