A Web Directions event Respond 2017 Australia's Front End design conference

Session Details

Adem Cifcioglu

The Anatomy of an Accessible Auto-suggest

Adem Cifcioglu Director of Accessible Technologies

Google first launched auto-suggest (aka Google Suggest) as a Google Labs project in 2004 saying it "... provides you with search suggestions, in real time, while you type".

Since then, it's become commonplace on the web and is used pretty much everywhere from social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, to shopping sites like eBay and Amazon, and even in occupation validation for credit card applications.

With auto-suggest plugins available for all the latest frameworks and libraries, implementation couldn't be simpler.

But what about accessibility?

This talk will look at what makes an accessible auto-suggest. You'll see examples that don’t work, and examples that do.

You'll go through:

  • Required ARIA roles, states and properties
  • Keyboard access
  • Marking up the input field
  • Announcing the suggestions
  • Navigating to the suggestions list
  • Making a selection
  • Closing the suggestions list

You'll leave with an understanding of how to make auto-suggest accessible - and some code to help you do it.

Adem Cifcioglu

Since 2001, Adem has worked professionally as an accessibility specialist / web developer on all kinds of web projects large and small for companies ranging from not for profits to insurance brokers and large corporates.

His focus has been on accessibility and best practice, he's a big fan of inclusive design, and he believes that the web has the power to change people's lives. It should be usable by all, regardless of ability.

Working with the W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Adem provides accessibility advice, and develops websites considering accessibility at all stages of development, from design right through to deployment.

Don't miss your chance to see Adem Cifcioglu and many other inspiring speakers at Respond 17.

Tickets start at $999, for an in-depth day with the world's leading Front End design experts.

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Australia's Front End design conference, now in Sydney and Melbourne.

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What is Respond?

Australia's Front End design conference, now in Sydney and Melbourne

Now in its fourth year, and curated by John Allsopp, cited by Ethan Marcotte as one of the originators of Responsive design, Respond goes beyond the technology, to address the myriad challenges we face in delivering modern, responsive Web experiences.

Featuring a mix of renowned international and local speakers, Respond is one of the World's leading events for the Web industry.

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Praise for past Web Directions events

Web Directions is the must-attend event of the year for anyone serious about web development.

Phil Whitehouse, General Manager, DT Sydney

I’ve been admiring the Web Directions events for years, and was honored to be part… What a fantastic event!

Ethan Marcotte, inventor of "responsive Web design"

Out of any conference, Web Directions is far and away our favourite

Dave Greiner, founder, Campaign Monitor

our audience watches intently

About Us

Co-founded and now run by John Allsopp, Web Directions has for over a decade brought together leading developers, engineers, visual, IxD, UX and product designers, Art and Creative Directors, indeed everyone involved in producing web and digital products to learn from one another, and the World's leading experts across this vast field.

We spend our lives thinking about what comes next, keeping up with trends in technology, practices and processes, and filtering the hype, to make sure you don't miss trends that matter, and don't waste time on hype that doesn't.

We promise attending one of our events will leave you significantly better versed in the challenges you face day to day, and in solutions for addressing them.

In 2017, we'll be organising Respond in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane Transform in Canberra, Code also in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and Direction in Sydney.

vignettes form our events, social, speakers and more. Includes Hannah Donovan skylarking.

John Allsopp

John Allsopp has been working on the Web for over 20 years. He's been responsible for innovative developer tools such as Style Master, X-Ray and many more. He's spoken at numerous conferences around the World and delivered dozens of workshops in that time as well.

His writing includes two books, including Developing With Web Standards and countless articles and tutorials in print and online publications.

His "A Dao of Web Design" published in 2000 is cited by Ethan Marcotte as a key influence in the development of Responsive Web Design, who's rightly acclaimed article in 2010 begins by quoting John in detail, and by Jeremy Keith as "a manifesto for anyone working on the Web".

Code of Conduct

For over a decade, we've worked hard to create inclusive, fun, inspring and safe events for the Web Industry.

As part of our commitment to these values, we've adopted a code of conduct for all involved: ourselves, our speakers, our partners and our audience.

If you have any concern or feedback, please don't hesitate to contact us.