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Creating Accessible Exhibits

Exhibit's viewer and templates are designed to work with keyboards, screen readers, and high browser zoom levels (see our Accessibility Statement). When you are authoring an exhibit, a few simple choices help make sure everyone can read and enjoy your story.

1. Write clear titles and introductions

  • Give your exhibit a specific, descriptive title in Settings (up to 60 characters). Avoid vague titles like "Untitled" or "Assignment 1" — your title is announced first by screen readers and appears in browser tabs and shared links.
  • Use the Description field to set the scene. Tell visitors what they are about to explore and what kinds of items (images, 3D objects, audio, or video) the exhibit includes.

2. Describe what is shown in each framed view

When you frame a detail on a 2D image or 3D model (see Adding Item Descriptions), visitors who use screen readers or have low vision rely on your step commentary to understand what is visible in the viewer:

  • Describe the visual detail you have zoomed in on, not just its historical background. For example, instead of writing "This inscription dates to 1450", write "Along the lower gold border, a Latin inscription in black gothic script reads…"
  • Transcribe short text or inscriptions shown in manuscripts, letters, trade cards, or monuments directly in your comment so visitors don't have to decipher small or stylised lettering on the canvas.

3. Structure your text for easy reading

In the rich-text toolbar (available in both Settings and the Comment tab):

  • Keep each step focused on one idea or detail. Splitting a long wall of text into two or three separate framed steps makes the story much easier to follow in Slides, Scroll, and Kiosk alike.
  • Use headings and bulleted or numbered lists from the toolbar to break up longer explanations.
  • Write meaningful link text. When adding a hyperlink, highlight descriptive words (such as "Read the full catalogue record at the Bodleian Library") rather than pasting raw URLs or writing "click here".

4. Check colour contrast

Exhibit's default Light and Dark styles in Settings are designed with strong text contrast out of the box. If you customise text colours in the toolbar or change card background colours in the Background Colour tab (see Customisation):

  • Keep dark text on light backgrounds, or light text on dark backgrounds. Avoid pairing pale yellow, light grey, or pastel text with a white card background, or dark blue/black text with a dark card background.
  • Aim for WCAG AA contrast (at least 4.5:1 for normal text). You can check any pair of hex colours using the free WebAIM Contrast Checker.
  • Don't rely on colour alone to convey meaning (for example, in a Quiz question, refer to numbered pinpoints or shapes as well as colours).

5. Audio, video, and Kiosk timing

  • Provide context or transcripts for audio and video. When adding a step on an Audio or video item, summarize the spoken words or key sounds in the Comment tab (or link to a full transcript) so visitors who are deaf, hard of hearing, or browsing in a quiet space can follow along.
  • Give visitors enough time to read in Kiosk mode. In the Kiosk template, the default slide duration is 10 seconds. If a slide has more than a couple of sentences of text, increase its seconds in the Duration tab so readers aren't rushed before the slide advances. Visitors can also pause Kiosk progression at any time using the pause button or the Space key, and automatic progression pauses automatically when a visitor has Reduce Motion enabled in their device settings.