How to Make Event Slides Readable and Accessible

Slides are an essential part of presentations at events, from conferences and webinars to workshops and meetings. However, poorly designed slides can create barriers to understanding and engagement, especially for attendees with visual impairments, dyslexia, or other accessibility needs. Ensuring that your slides are both readable and accessible is vital to creating an inclusive experience where everyone can participate and benefit from the content. In this blog post, we’ll discuss best practices for designing accessible event slides and how Eventably can support you in making your presentations clearer, more effective, and inclusive.

Why Readability and Accessibility Matter in Event Slides

Making slides readable and accessible isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about ensuring that all attendees, including those with disabilities, can engage with your content. Clear and accessible slides also benefit people viewing your presentation on smaller screens, in different lighting conditions, or those who may not be native speakers of the presentation’s language.

By focusing on readability and accessibility, you can:

1. Enhance Understanding: Well-designed, accessible slides help your audience follow along and grasp key points, regardless of their abilities.
2. Encourage Engagement: When attendees can comfortably read and understand your slides, they are more likely to participate and engage with your content.
3. Promote Inclusivity: Accessible slides demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity and respect for the diverse needs of your audience, ensuring everyone feels welcome and valued.

Choose High-Contrast Color Combinations

What to do

Select color combinations that offer a high level of contrast between text and background. Dark text on a light background or light text on a dark background works best. Avoid using colors that are too similar, as they can be difficult for attendees with visual impairments or color blindness to read.

Tips

• Use color contrast checkers to ensure your slides meet accessibility standards, aiming for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text.
• Avoid relying on color alone to convey information. Use patterns or labels in addition to color to differentiate data points on charts.

Use Legible Fonts and Sufficient Font Sizes

What to do

Choose fonts that are easy to read, avoiding overly decorative or script fonts. Sans-serif fonts like Arial, Helvetica, or Calibri are generally more legible on slides. Ensure your font size is large enough to be read by attendees, even from the back of a room or on smaller screens during virtual events.

Tips

• Use a minimum font size of 24 points for body text and 32-40 points for headings.
• Avoid using all caps for large sections of text, as it can be harder to read. Use title case or sentence case instead for readability.

Keep Text Clear and Concise

What to do

Slides should support, not overwhelm, your spoken presentation. Aim for a clean, simple layout with minimal text. Focus on key points, and avoid cluttering your slides with too much information. This makes it easier for attendees to read and retain the content.

Tips

• Use bullet points or short sentences rather than large blocks of text.
• Limit each slide to one main idea to keep the content focused.
• Ensure any embedded hyperlinks are descriptive (e.g., “Learn more about accessibility” instead of “Click here”).

Provide Alt Text for Images and Graphics

What to do

Include alternative text (alt text) for all images, diagrams, and other visual elements so that attendees who use screen readers can understand what is being displayed. Alt text should be descriptive and convey essential information without unnecessary details.

Tips

• Describe the content and purpose of the image. For example, instead of just saying “Chart,” describe what the chart shows: “Bar chart showing a 20% increase in sales from Q1 to Q2.”
• Be succinct but informative. Avoid phrases like “image of” or “graphic of” unless that information is necessary.

Use Simple, Clean Slide Layouts

What to do

Simple layouts are more accessible for everyone, including attendees with cognitive disabilities or those viewing your presentation on small screens. Stick to clean, uncluttered designs that make it easy to focus on the core message of each slide.

Tips

• Leave enough white space around text and images to prevent your slides from feeling cramped.
• Use consistent layouts throughout your presentation, with a clear hierarchy of headings, subheadings, and body text.
• Limit the number of slides and transitions to reduce cognitive load for your audience.

Offer Accessible Versions of Slides

What to do

Make your slides available to attendees in accessible formats, such as PDF documents with properly tagged headings and descriptions, or in formats compatible with screen readers. This allows participants to review the content at their own pace, even after the event.

Tips

• Provide your slides in advance to allow attendees time to familiarize themselves with the content.
• Include audio descriptions or captions for video content to ensure all attendees can access the information.

How Eventably Supports Accessible Slide Design

Eventably is designed to help event organizers create inclusive, accessible experiences. Here are some ways Eventably can support your efforts to make slides readable and accessible:

• Centralized Event Planning and Coordination: Eventably makes it easier to manage presentation content by providing a centralized platform for planning and coordination. This helps you keep track of accessibility needs, ensuring that all visual content is designed with inclusivity in mind.
• Integration with Accessibility Tools: While Eventably does not currently offer built-in tools for creating alt text, we support integration with platforms that do. This means you can use your preferred accessibility tools to prepare your slides, and Eventably will help streamline the process of making them available to your audience.
• Distribution of Accessible Materials: Eventably allows you to share accessible versions of your slides with attendees before, during, or after your event. Our platform can handle various formats, ensuring that your materials are compatible with screen readers and other assistive technologies.
• Real-Time Communication and Feedback: During your event, Eventably’s communication tools enable real-time interaction, allowing attendees to ask questions or request clarification. This helps presenters adjust on the fly to ensure that information is accessible to everyone in the audience.

Creating Slides That Everyone Can Read and Understand

Designing readable and accessible slides is a vital part of ensuring that your message reaches everyone in your audience. By focusing on high contrast, legible fonts, simple layouts, and thoughtful descriptions, you can create presentations that are clear, engaging, and inclusive.

Eventably supports event organizers in delivering content that is accessible to all, making it easier to coordinate, share, and present slides that everyone can understand. Start using Eventably today to create events that bring your message to a wider, more diverse audience, ensuring no one is left out.

By making thoughtful adjustments to your slides, you can foster an environment of inclusivity, where every attendee feels acknowledged, engaged, and equipped to participate.