Checklist

Content: General, Document, Text, Links, Headings, Graphics, Tables.

The links in the individual checkpoints lead directly to the corresponding information in the implementation guide. There you will find specific guidance on how to implement the respective aspects. The order and categorisation are identical in both formats.

1. General

1. References to internal or external textual or graphical objects are made by explicitly naming them, not solely by describing their visual or auditory characteristics.
2. The use of colours is generally kept to a minimum.
3. Where colours are used to convey information, for example in charts or to highlight text, labels, symbols, or patterns also convey the same information.

2. Document

1. The main language of the document matches the language set for spell-checking.
2. The title is stored in the metadata, is meaningful and easy to understand, and corresponds to the first heading in the document.
3. Longer documents include a table of contents at the beginning.
4. The header and footer are created using appropriate styles and do not contain any relevant information, although page numbers are permitted.
5. Footnotes, endnotes, and references are created using the functions provided by Word under References.

3. Text

1. Text passages that differ from the main language are marked with the appropriate language (language change).
2. The font is sans serif, for example Arial or Helvetica, and neither too bold nor too thin.
3. Emphasis using capital letters, italics, bold, underlining, or text effects such as gradient fills, glow effects, or text outlines is used sparingly.
4. Line spacing is set to 150%.
5. The text is left-aligned.
6. Paragraphs are created using paragraph breaks rather than tabs or soft line breaks, that is, there are no blank lines in the document.
7. Page or column breaks are created using page or column break functions, not by inserting blank lines.
8. Columns are created via the Layout menu rather than with tabs. The spacing between columns is large enough for them to be visually distinct from one another.
9. Only content that genuinely constitutes a list or a bulleted list is presented as such. These are created using list or bullet formats.
10. Text has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against the background.

4. Links

1. URLs do not appear as plain text in the body text. Instead, hyperlinks are inserted, clearly labelled, and easy to understand.
2. If a link opens another program, for example a browser or an email program, this is indicated in the link text. Example: Contact address (opens email program).

5. Headings

1. Headings are created using styles.
2. The first heading uses the Title or Heading 1 style.
3. There are no headings below level 6.
4. If subheadings are used, each heading level is included without skipping a level.
5. Headings are numbered exclusively using Arabic numerals (1), not Roman numerals (I).
6. Headings, figure captions, and table captions appear only once, are meaningful, and are easy to understand.

6. Graphics

1. Graphics and text boxes are anchored in the appropriate place (anchored objects).
2. Graphics contain a short, concise alt text. Graphics with no informational value are marked as decorative.
3. Complex images, for example comics, SmartArt, or charts, have a detailed descriptive text alternative.
4. No images or WordArt are used to represent text (text graphics).
5. Graphic elements that convey information, for example lines or adjacent areas, have a minimum contrast ratio of 3:1 against the background.
6. No animated graphics (GIFs) are used.

7. Tables

1. Tables are created using the Insert Table function.
2. All column headings, that is, the first row, are marked as Header Row; all row headings, where present, are marked as First Column. The first row containing the column headings is repeated as a Header Row on every page.
3. In tables that span more than one page, page breaks within table rows are prevented.
4. Cells are not merged.
5. Complex tables are divided into several simple tables.