ThingLink Accessibility Best Practices

Overview

ThingLink can help create engaging and immersive learning experiences through interactive images, videos, 360° environments, and multimedia storytelling. To ensure all learners can successfully access and interact with ThingLink content, instructors and designers should follow accessibility best practices when creating activities.

This help page provides recommendations for designing ThingLink experiences that support usability, clarity, and inclusive learning.

For the specific "how-to's", view ThingLink's support page on Creating Accessible Content (opens in a new window).

Why Accessibility Matters

Accessible learning materials help ensure that students with different abilities, learning preferences, devices, and internet access needs can fully participate in course activities. Accessibility improvements also benefit all learners by making content easier to navigate and understand.

Best Practices for Accessible ThingLink Design

1. Use Clear and Descriptive Titles

Provide meaningful titles for:

• ThingLink projects
• Hotspots
• Buttons
• Embedded resources

Good Example

“Lab Safety Equipment Overview”

Less Effective Example

“Click Here”

Descriptive titles help students understand the purpose of interactive elements and improve navigation for screen reader users.

2. Add Alternative Text and Descriptions

When possible:

• Describe important images and visual content.
• Explain diagrams, charts, or maps in accompanying text.
• Include written context for visual-only information.

Recommendation

Avoid relying entirely on visuals to communicate essential information.

3. Provide Captions for Audio and Video

If your ThingLink includes:

• Narrated audio
• Embedded videos
• Voice instructions

Include captions or transcripts whenever possible.

Benefits

Captions support:

• Deaf or hard-of-hearing learners
• Multilingual learners
• Students in noisy or quiet environments
• Improved comprehension and review

4. Use Readable and Concise Text

Keep hotspot text:

• Short
• Clear
• Direct
• Easy to scan

Recommendations

• Use plain language when appropriate.
• Break long instructions into smaller sections.
• Avoid large blocks of text inside a single hotspot.

5. Maintain Strong Color Contrast

Ensure text and interactive elements are easy to distinguish from the background.

Tips

• Avoid light text on light backgrounds.
• Avoid relying only on color to communicate meaning.
• Use high-contrast combinations for readability.

6. Avoid Overcrowding the Experience

Too many hotspots or media elements can overwhelm learners.

Best Practices

• Focus on the most important information.
• Space hotspots appropriately.
• Organize content logically.
• Consider breaking large projects into smaller sections.

7. Provide Navigation Guidance

Not all students will immediately understand how to interact with ThingLink content.

Include Instructions Such As:

• “Click hotspots to explore.”
• “Use arrows to move through the virtual tour.”
• “Complete hotspots in numerical order.”

Brief directions improve usability and reduce confusion.

8. Support Keyboard and Screen Reader Access

When designing activities:

• Test navigation where possible using keyboard controls.
• Ensure linked resources are accessible.
• Use meaningful hotspot labels rather than symbols alone.

Recommendation

Avoid using only icons or emojis without accompanying text descriptions.

9. Offer Alternative Access to Critical Information

If a ThingLink activity contains essential course content:

• Provide supplemental written instructions or summaries.
• Include downloadable documents if appropriate.
• Offer alternative methods for completing the activity when needed.

This helps ensure students can still access learning materials if technical or accessibility barriers occur.

Accessibility Considerations for 360° and Virtual Tour Content

360° experiences can be highly engaging but may also create navigation challenges.

Recommendations

• Keep navigation simple and predictable.
• Avoid excessive movement or visual distractions.
• Clearly indicate where learners should click next.
• Provide orientation instructions at the beginning of the activity.

Accessibility Checklist

Before publishing a ThingLink activity, verify:

✔ Hotspots have descriptive labels

✔ Audio/video includes captions or transcripts

✔ Important visuals are explained in text

✔ Instructions are clear and concise

✔ Color contrast is readable

✔ The experience is not overcrowded

✔ Navigation guidance is included

✔ Essential information is available in alternative formats

Additional Recommendations for Instructors

• Test activities from a student perspective before publishing.
• View activities on both desktop and mobile devices.
• Ask colleagues or students for usability feedback.
• Keep accessibility in mind during the planning stage—not only after creation.

Designing accessible ThingLink experiences helps create more inclusive, flexible, and student-friendly learning environments for all learners.

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