Best Practices for Video Accessibility

What is video accessibility?

Video accessibility is similar to web accessibility. It aims to make video content usable and enjoyable for people of all types, especially those with disabilities. The goal is to ensure that everyone can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with your video content, regardless of their abilities.

People with difficulties often face significant challenges when consuming video content. For instance:

• Deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals may struggle to understand spoken dialogue or important audio cues without proper captions or subtitles.
• If there are no audio descriptions of on-screen actions or text, blind or visually impaired people might miss crucial visual information.
• Those with cognitive impairments may benefit from slower-paced content or the ability to pause and review information easily.

Making a video accessible addresses these challenges and creates an equitable experience for all viewers, ensuring that no one is left out of the valuable information or engaging stories your videos tell.

Why is it important to make video content accessible?

Making your video content accessible offers numerous benefits for your business and its audience. Here are a few reasons why video accessibility should be a priority:

Legal compliance

One of the most pressing reasons to prioritize video accessibility is legal compliance. In many countries, including the United States, some laws and regulations require digital content to be accessible to people with disabilities. For instance:

• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): This law helps prevent discrimination against those with disabilities in many areas of public life. Recently, its application has expanded to include digital environments like websites and online content.
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG): These guidelines are widely recognized as the international benchmark for digital accessibility. Many legal systems use WCAG to determine if digital content complies with accessibility standards.

Neglecting certain regulations can lead to legal consequences, financial penalties, and harm to your brand's reputation. Ensuring your videos are accessible can help you steer clear of legal troubles and shows your dedication to inclusivity.

Inclusive user experience

Creating accessible videos ensures all users can enjoy and benefit from your content, whether you're video prospecting or posting a video on social media. This inclusive approach:

• Allows deaf or hard-of-hearing viewers to follow along to audio content with captions or subtitles.
• Enables blind or visually impaired users to understand visual elements through audio description.
• Provides options for users with cognitive impairments to process information at their own pace.

Considering the needs of all potential viewers creates a more inclusive and user-friendly experience that can significantly broaden your audience reach.

Enhanced engagement

Whether you're using videos in email marketing campaigns or adding them to your website, creating videos in an accessible format often leads to increased engagement across all user groups. Here's why:

• Captions benefit those with hearing impairments and viewers in loud or noisy environments or those who prefer to watch videos without sound.
• Video transcripts allow users to quickly scan audio and video content. This documentation makes it easier to find specific information or decide if the video is relevant to their needs.
• Audio descriptions add extra context that can enrich the viewing experience for everyone, not just individuals with visual impairments.

Positive brand image

Implementing video accessibility reflects your company's commitment to inclusivity and social responsibility. This demonstration of company values can have a significant positive impact on your brand image because it:

• Demonstrates that you value all potential customers and are willing to go the extra mile to serve them.
• Positions your brand as forward-thinking and socially conscious. This can be particularly appealing to younger, socially-aware consumers.
• Leads to positive word-of-mouth marketing as users appreciate and share your inclusive content.

Search engine optimization

Accessible videos can also boost your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts:

Captions and transcripts provide text that search engines can crawl and index, improving your video's discoverability.

Descriptive titles and metadata, when properly implemented for accessibility, also contribute to better search rankings.

Making your videos accessible can boost engagement, resulting in longer on-site times and lower bounce rates—both of which are positive indicators for search engines.

User retention

Making a long- or short-form video accessible can enhance user retention. Users who find your content easy to consume, regardless of their abilities or preferences, are more likely to return for more.

The improved user experience can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.

By catering to a diverse audience, you're expanding your potential customer base and creating more opportunities for long-term relationships.

Key components of accessible videos

Creating accessible video content involves several key components, each playing a role in making sure your content is enjoyable for the broadest audience possible. So, whether you're uploading your video to YouTube or sharing it with your email subscribers, make sure it has these components:

• Captions and subtitles: These are text versions of the speech and other significant sounds in your video. They benefit deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers and those watching in noisy environments or without sound.
• Audio descriptions: These are narrated descriptions of key visual elements in the video, such as actions, characters, scene changes, on-screen text, and other important visual information. They allow blind and visually impaired individuals to follow along with the video's visual content.
• Accessible video players: The platform you use to host and play your videos should have accessibility features built-in. These features include keyboard navigation support, the ability to adjust playback speed, and easy-to-use controls for captions and audio descriptions.
• Descriptive titles and metadata: Clear, concise, and descriptive titles, along with comprehensive metadata, help all users understand what the video is about before they click play. Metadata is particularly important for users of screen readers and those browsing your content.
• Transcripts: These are text versions of your video's audio content, including both speech and non-speech audio information. Transcripts allow users to quickly scan the content of your video and are particularly useful for deaf-blind users who may use braille output devices.

Best practices for accessible content

Now that you understand the key elements of accessible videos, let's look at some best practices for implementing them effectively.

Ensure captions are comprehensive and accurate

Captions are a crucial element of video accessibility. To make them as effective as possible:

• Caption the video's dialogue and relevant non-verbal sounds. Non-verbal sounds may include background music, sound effects, and speaker identification when necessary.
• Stick to industry standards for caption formatting to ensure your content remains consistent and compatible across various platforms and devices.
• Update captions if the video content changes or if feedback indicates inaccuracies.

Integrate audio descriptions seamlessly

Audio descriptions provide vital information for visually impaired viewers. To implement them effectively:

• Use a descriptive style that blends with the natural flow of the video, providing context without overwhelming the viewer.
• Maintain a consistent voice and tone for audio descriptions to ensure a cohesive viewing experience.
• Review descriptions with real users to ensure they are clear, useful, and enhance rather than detract from the viewing experience.

Create accessible transcripts with enhanced features

Transcripts offer another layer of accessibility and can enhance the user experience for all viewers by providing auditory or visual information in a different format.

Offer interactive transcripts that users can click on to jump to different parts of the video. This feature can be particularly useful for long-form content or instructional videos.

Ensure transcripts are searchable, allowing users to find specific content quickly. This searchability can be especially helpful for users who are looking for particular information within your video.

Provide transcripts in various formats (like HTML and DOCX) to accommodate different user preferences and needs. This flexibility can make your content more accessible across different devices and platforms.

Apply advanced visual design processes

The visual design of your video player and content can significantly impact accessibility.

Implement adaptive color schemes that adjust to different lighting conditions or user preferences. The right colors can help users with visual impairments or those viewing in challenging lighting conditions.

Use additional visual cues, such as icons or patterns, to convey information beyond color alone. These cues ensure that color-blind users can still understand all the information presented.

Maintain a consistent layout throughout the video player to enhance usability. Consistency helps users navigate your content more easily, regardless of their abilities.

Conduct rigorous accessibility testing

Regular testing is crucial to ensure your videos remain accessible. Continuously gather and incorporate feedback from diverse user groups to improve accessibility features. This real-world input is invaluable for refining your approach.

Perform regular accessibility audits to ensure ongoing compliance with best practices and standards. As technology and standards evolve, your content should keep pace.

Provide access across various platforms

Your visual content should work everywhere. Test compatibility with different adaptive technologies, such as screen readers and magnifiers, to ensure that users with various assistive technologies can access your content.

Implement responsive design principles to ensure accessibility features are effective on various devices and screen sizes. Your content should be accessible whether viewed on a desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Offer multilingual and cultural adaptations

Consider language and cultural factors for a global audience. Provide localized captions and audio descriptions that cater to different languages and cultural contexts.

Ensure translations and descriptions are culturally appropriate and sensitive to diverse audiences. This attention to detail can help your content connect more effectively with viewers from different backgrounds.

Foster accessibility awareness

Making sure your entire organization understands the importance of accessibility can lead to better results. Conduct regular workshops and training sessions on accessibility best practices. This ensures that everyone involved in creating video content understands the importance of accessibility and how to implement it.

Provide easy access to resources, guidelines, and tools for creating accessible video content, empowering your team to consistently produce accessible videos.

Embrace video accessibility for a greater impact

Making your videos accessible is not just about compliance or reaching a wider audience—it's about creating content that truly resonates with all viewers. By implementing these best practices, you're enhancing the user experience for people with disabilities and improving the overall quality of your video content for everyone.

Integrating accessible videos into your marketing strategy can be a great way to engage your audience and stand out. Mailchimp's platform offers several features that can help you leverage accessible video content effectively to grow your business. Sign up for Mailchimp today.