Creating accessible training makes your content easier to navigate, understand, and complete. When accessibility is considered from the beginning, learners can focus on your content rather than how to interact with it.

Storyline 360 gives you the flexibility to design highly customized experiences, along with features that support accessible design and align with widely used accessibility standards such as WCAG. This article shares practical ways to design accessible training in Storyline 360 and how built-in features support your choices.

• Design with Accessibility in Mind
• Support Screen Readers and Keyboard Navigation
• Make Images Accessible
• Make Audio and Video Accessible
• Make Text Accessible
• Make Interactive Content Accessible
• Test Your Course
• Get Help When You Need It

Design with Accessibility in Mind

Accessibility results from intentional design decisions. As a course author, your choices shape how easily learners can follow, understand, and interact with your content. 

Use these practices as you design your course:

• Provide accessibility instructions upfront. Help learners get oriented at the start of your course by explaining available options, such as accessibility settings or keyboard shortcuts. This gives learners more control over how they navigate and interact with your content.
• Stay consistent. Use consistent layouts, labels, and navigation patterns throughout your course. A predictable structure helps learners focus on the content rather than figuring out how each slide works, and it supports people using assistive technology. Text styles and slide masters can help you maintain consistency. 
• Keep content focused. Avoid clutter and limit unnecessary animation. Busy designs can make it harder for learners to identify what matters most. Use white space to improve readability and help guide attention to key information. You can also enable the full-screen toggle so learners can focus on the content without distractions.
• Use plain, inclusive language. Write in short, direct sentences and define unfamiliar terms. Plain language helps more learners understand your content, including multilingual learners and those who prefer clear, straightforward wording. Use device-neutral terms like “select” instead of “click.” 
• Use descriptive links. Write link text that clearly describes where it leads, such as "Read the policy statement." Descriptive links help learners understand their options, especially when navigating with a screen reader.
• Give clear feedback. Let learners know what happens after they take an action. Clear confirmation and helpful error messages reduce confusion and help learners move forward with confidence.
• Avoid flashing content. Animations or media that flash rapidly can be difficult for some learners. Use motion thoughtfully and provide controls so learners can pause or stop animations when needed. 
• Offer multiple ways to navigate. Support navigation through menus, search functions, buttons, and keyboard interaction. Different learners use different methods, so providing options makes your course more flexible. If your course includes navigation guidance, link to it so learners can review it at any time.
• Support flexible orientation. Allow your course to be viewed in both portrait and landscape modes when possible so learners can choose what works best for their device and preferences.

Support Screen Readers and Keyboard Navigation

Some learners use screen readers to access content, while others rely on a keyboard or alternative input devices instead of a mouse. Learn more about how learners navigate your course. Designing with these tools in mind helps ensure your course is usable, navigable, and understandable in different ways.

Use these practices to support navigation and structure:

• Set a logical focus order. The focus order controls how screen readers read content and how keyboard users move between elements. Arrange objects in a clear, meaningful sequence so content is presented in the right order. 
• Identify the Course Language. Setting the correct language helps screen readers pronounce content accurately and improves understanding.
• Use clear text labels. Customize labels for buttons, controls, and messages to match your course content and be easy to understand.
• Allow learners to skip repeated navigation. Skip navigation options help learners move past repeated elements and focus on the main content more quickly.
• Use a visible focus indicator. Ensure the focus indicator is easy to see so keyboard users can track their position on the screen. 
• Ensure text is readable. Adjust font sizes and player settings so text remains clear across devices and zoom levels.
• Don’t rely on color alone. Use text, shapes, or icons alongside color to communicate meaning so information is available in multiple ways.

Make Images Accessible

Images can add meaning and context, but that information should be available to everyone, including learners who cannot see the visuals.

Use these practices when working with images:

• Provide text-based alternatives. Include the same key information in text so it’s available to learners who can’t see the image.
• Add meaningful alternative text. Describe what the image conveys and why it matters in the context of the course. Keep descriptions concise and focused. Our on-demand webinar, How to Write Alt Text for E-Learning, provides more detailed guidance.
• Hide decorative images. If an image doesn’t add meaning, remove it from the reading order so it isn’t announced unnecessarily. 
• Use captions or nearby descriptions. For complex visuals such as charts or diagrams, provide additional explanation so learners can fully understand the content.

Make Audio and Video Accessible

Audio and video can support engagement, but learners need flexible ways to access and control media to fully understand the content.

Use these practices for audio and video:

• Allow full media control. Avoid autoplay and let learners start, pause, and adjust playback as needed so they can control their experience.
• Add closed captions. Captions provide a synchronized text version of spoken content and important audio cues, supporting learners who prefer or need text.
• Provide a transcript. Transcripts provide a full text version of audio or video content, allowing learners to review information at their own pace and support different learning preferences.
• Include audio descriptions. Audio descriptions explain important visual details that aren’t conveyed through narration, helping learners understand visual information through sound or text.
• Use clear, simple language. Keep narration easy to follow so more learners can understand and retain the content.

Make Text Accessible

Text is a primary way learners receive information, so it should be easy to read, understand, and adapt to different needs.

Use these practices to improve readability:

• Choose accessible fonts. Use simple, sans-serif fonts with sufficient size and spacing to improve legibility. 
• Ensure sufficient contrast. To keep your course easy to read, ensure that on-screen text has a contrast ratio of 4.5:1 or higher against the background color. If you overlay text on a background image, reduce the image's brightness and contrast to improve readability. Alternatively, place a semi-transparent shape between the image and the text to increase the contrast ratio.
• Avoid images of text. Use real text whenever possible so it can be resized and read by assistive technology.
• Offer audio alternatives. Provide optional narration for text-heavy slides when it supports understanding. Storyline 360 can quickly convert your text to speech.
• Use accessible text features. Enable accessible text and styles so learners can adjust presentation and screen readers can identify structure. Accessibility controls available in the course player allow learners to adjust the zoom mode, toggle accessible text on or off, and manage keyboard shortcuts. 

Make Interactive Content Accessible

Interactive elements can reinforce training when they are designed to be usable by all learners, regardless of how they navigate or respond.

Use these practices when building interactions:

• Use large, clear controls. Ensure buttons and interactive elements are easy to select and clearly labeled. Modern player controls already meet the current minimum target size guidance in WCAG 2.2.
• Provide clear instructions. Explain how to complete interactions so learners understand what to do.
• Give helpful feedback. Let learners know what happened and how to improve when needed.
• Don’t rely on color cues alone. Reinforce meaning with text, icons, or audio.
• Provide alternatives for complex interactions. Offer keyboard-friendly or text-based options for interactions like drag-and-drop so more learners can participate. To design a keyboard-accessible drag-and-drop interaction, check out Sarah Hodge's downloadable example and the free webinar where she explains how to build it.
• Avoid strict time limits. Allow learners to work at their own pace whenever possible.
• Ensure hover content is accessible. Make sure any information shown on hover is also available through keyboard interaction.
• Use dialog layers thoughtfully. Keep focus within the dialog and provide clear titles and descriptions.
• Support accessible 360° interactions. Add alternative text and ensure navigation works with keyboard and screen readers.

Test Your Course

Testing helps you confirm that your course works as expected for a range of learners and interaction methods.

Before publishing, review how your course works for different learners:

• Navigate using only a keyboard (Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter)
• Test with a screen reader such as NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver, or Narrator
• Use automated tools to check contrast and structure
• When possible, review your course with people who use assistive technologies

Get Help When You Need It

Accessibility is an ongoing practice, and additional resources can help you continue improving your course over time.

Storyline 360 includes many features that support accessible training. Depending on your design choices, some areas may need additional consideration.

To learn more:

• Review the Storyline 360 Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT®)
• Explore the All About Accessibility series
• Visit the Accessibility Index
• Watch on-demand webinars on accessibility

You can also connect with other course authors in the E-Learning Heroes community to share ideas and learn from real-world examples. Join our Accessibility Group, too.