WAI Site Redesign Goals

Approved on EOWG call of 15 July 2016

Primary Goal

Create the WAI site as the #1 Go-To place for Web accessibility 
This goal is for our own internal understanding — a simple beacon to keep us focused. To be clear, what it means to us is about the public perception of the site — that it is seen not just as authoritative, but also as the most reliable place for Web accessibility information and a role model. This can be demonstrated by things such as prominent, consistent inbound links, people sending others here first as a starting place for Web accessibility needs, and it being featured at not just accessibility conferences, but also Web conferences. We do not mean it will be the Web accessibility site that gets the most page views or that is thought of for gnarly, up-to-the-minute parsing of issues (e.g., on topics such as reCAPTCHA).

Short Term Goal

Launch the initial iteration in the first quarter of 2017, with a modern, attractive (to our primary audiences), extensible look-and-feel that reflects leadership in the Web community and builds credibility. This includes:

Creating a completely new visual design
Overhauling the information architecture, including the navigation, that makes it easy for users to know what is on the WAI site and find what’s relevant to them.
Implementing best practices: an inspiring model for accessibility, usability, and use of W3C standards.
Maintaining (and improving in the few spots needed) rapid page-load time.
Deliberate maintenance planning, including a front-end style guide.
Careful coordination with WAI and W3C people, including coordination with WCAG TA Project work to improve discoverability and integration of WCAG 2.0-related resources.

Second Priority Goals

Sub-goals we would like to accomplish, but, given time constraints, will likely have to wait until later iterations

Reducing the “wall-of-text” and content bloat issues
Expand content, including
- Provide comprehensive role-based content for web accessibility
- Provide support materials