Improving Website Content as it is Entered

Written by
John Jameson
March 1, 2023

Ensuring website content is accessible is simpler since OIT developed a testing tool that is built in to the University's SiteBuilder platform. Known as Editoria11y, the tool checks the accessibility of content as it is being entered so that the editor can fix the issues right away.

For example, images should provide contextually meaningful descriptions so that people who rely on screen reading technology can understand them. When the Editoria11y tool finds images with such descriptions, known as alt- or alternative text, it provides instructions. In the image below, Editoria11y is advising a manual check, lists the reason, and provides an explanation: 

alert box image of child kicking soccer ball has no alt text

Since the tool is built-in to the editing environment, it addressed problems as they occur, saving time. And since it provides explanations, the tool is helping Princeton's content editors to better understand how to make their websites more accessible.

Help us improve Editoria11y

Since introducing the tool in 2021, campus partners have provided feedback that helped OIT redesign it. It now includes:

  • A dashboard that provides a site-wide report
  • Tooltips include inline examples
  • Customizable themes
  • Improved integration capabilities

If you would like to help us make even more improvements, please explore the checker library demo or the Drupal integration demo, and send in any bug reports and feature requests.