textkrav

Textkrav is a standardized framework of textual requirements intended to govern the presentation and structure of digital text content. It specifies guidelines for typography, document structure, semantics, accessibility, and localization to improve readability, navigability, and consistency across platforms. While not a universal law, it is used by publishers, government portals, and educational sites as a common reference for creating and evaluating online text.

Origin and development: The concept originated in Sweden in the early 2010s as a collaboration among publishers, accessibility advocates, and public digital services. It has been refined through community input and periodic revisions, with notable editions focusing on WCAG compatibility, responsive design, and multilingual support.

Key components: Structural guidelines require logical heading hierarchy, semantic markup, and consistent navigation. Typography rules cover font choices, sizes, line height, and contrast. Content rules emphasize concise language, active voice, and short paragraphs. Accessibility provisions mandate descriptive link text, alt text for images, keyboard navigation, and language attributes. Localization considerations address regional variants and translations.

Implementation: Many content management systems incorporate textkrav through templates, style guides, and automated checks. Typical rules include a single H1 per page, maximum paragraph length, sufficient color contrast, alt attributes for images, descriptive link text, and explicit language tags. Compliance is commonly assessed during content audits and accessibility testing.

Reception: Proponents credit textkrav with improving readability and accessibility and enabling consistent branding. Critics argue that rigid rules can hinder creativity and place a burden on small teams, prompting adaptations or partial adoption.

See also: accessibility guidelines, plain language, WCAG, readability studies.