The power of the World Wide Web is displayed through its universality. It can be accessed by anyone regardless of their physical, motoric or cognitive abilities. The same goes for the WCAG 2.1 web accessibility guidelines. It is imperative that the guidelines be abided by and that they be implemented in various websites as web greatly affect our lifestyles, everyday tasks as well as our thinking.
The principal aim of this thesis is to develop a design suggestion for a more accessible website for the University of Ljubljana. The University is the oldest and the largest higher-education and scientific-research institution in Slovenia and employs and educates people including persons with special needs due to various deficits, impairments and disorders. It is thus important to make the website accessible to every (future) student, employee and any other visitor.
The experimental part is based on the results of the preliminary analysis that compares the websites of the University of Ljubljana, the University of Maribor, the Princeton University and the Oxford University. The analysis also implements the design upgrade and the results of usability testing for a more accessible website for University of Ljubljana.
The results of the WAVE evaluation tool show the existing website for the University of Ljubljana is not adequately adapted for people with special needs. The two foreign universities' websites present fewer mistakes and inconsistencies than the website for the University of Ljubljana. However, the latter is, compared to the website for the University of Maribor, responsively designed for the use on various devices. Based on the SWOT analysis and implementing the WCAG 2.1 web accessibility guidelines, the contents of the website and the prepared information architecture were optimized. The latter was used as a guideline in the planning and designing of a more accessible website prototype for the University of Ljubljana. The usability testing among students with special needs showed that the website suggestion is more easily understandable and useful. Implementation to the World Wide Web would allow additional adjustments that would make the website even more accessible.
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