Like all other content published on GOV.UK, spreadsheets must be accessible.
Government Digital Service (GDS) guidance defers to the Government Statistical Service (GSS) who are experts in this area.
In July 2021 GSS published comprehensive guidance about accessible spreadsheets. We have summarised some of the key points below, and added further information that has developed as we have worked on various products.
GSS have also produced a checklist which explains each step you need to take to make your spreadsheet accessible. It is available as a static web page and in downloadable format (see checklist section: ‘accessibility checklist template to download’).
It can be difficult to explain the changes that are required. You may find it easier to watch the video tutorial Making Spreadsheets Accessible (GSS) which demonstrates how to make your spreadsheets accessible.
Spreadsheets are for data tables, not text
Spreadsheets are solely for data. A spreadsheet must not contain large amounts of text. If you wish to present large amounts of textual information, please publish as a separate HTML web page or attachment.
Title page (front sheet)
The title of every worksheet must be positioned in cell A1 and this includes the title of the spreadsheet itself. Style the title in heading 1, with heading 2 for any subsidiary title, then normal font for the rest of the text.
Font Arial 12 point.
Avoid colour or formatting.
Logos
Optimum accessibility mandates no logos (and no images, more generally)
If you must use a logo, put it on the right, opposite the title left justified in A1.
If the logo must go on the left, put it under the title in cell A1.
Logo must have alt text, for example, 'Public Health England logo'.
Worksheets
Each worksheet/tab must have a unique and meaningful title.
In cell A1 of every worksheet, write the title of the page and make it Heading 1. (To do this on the Home tab go to Cell Styles and select Heading 1. The GSS guidance explains how to modify Heading 1 away from Microsoft's default blue underlined to black and not underlined.)
Remove all empty rows or columns so that all text and tables are left justified and start in column A.
If space is required to emphasise that a row contains a heading, do not create this with empty rows above or below. Use the cursor to drag rows wider and the alignment buttons to position the text.
In cell A2 write an explanation of what the worksheet shows, for example: 'This worksheet contains one table and one graph.'
If there is important information about the table, for example the source or an explanation of any abbreviations used, these should be clearly explained in a few of the following rows, A3, A4 and so on.
Marking up tables
All tables should be clearly marked up as tables as follows:
Highlight all the cells in the table. On the Home tab go to Format as Table, select the top left option, a dialog box opens, tick the 'My table has headers' box and OK. the grid of cells is now properly marked up as a table. Usually it comes with filters, which are inaccessible. Go to the Data tab and untick the Filter button in the centre of the ribbon. Click Table tools in the green band above the tab ribbon and select the left-hand option to remove all styling from your table.)
Give each table a unique and meaningful title of its own. This makes it available in Excel's list of tables, which some disabled users use to navigate spreadsheets (click ‘Ctrl G’ to see this list).
Wrap text within cells so that all text is clearly spaced out and visible.
Do not merge cells
Merged cells are inaccessible and should not be used.
Try and find workarounds, for example, 1.
just one heading row and no merged cells.
Vital notes go above the table
Many tables require explanatory notes. The rule is, if information is vital for understanding a table, for example abbreviations, this should be explained above the table. Notes of secondary importance, for example, the status of some data, can be positioned after the table.
If the source varies from sheet to sheet, this should be indicated above the table.
Minimise footnotes, avoid asterisks
Many tables include footnote indicators such as asterisks or other symbols.
Best practice is to create a separate worksheet for notes (labelled ‘Notes’) and insert [note 1], [note 2] etc instead of a symbol in the appropriate place in the table, with a sentence above the table explaining that all notes are presented within the Notes worksheet.
However, taking users away from the context of the note is not ideal. There are other methods:
- indicate important information which is found throughout the table (such as abbreviations) in plain text directly above the table, from row 3 onwards (row 1 being the title, row 2 being the content explanation beginning 'The worksheet contains...')
- if the information applies to a particular row or column, include it - if possible - in that row or column header
- if the note applies only to some cells, it is best not to indicate this with asterisks (which some screen readers do not detect) or numbered notes, but with letters in square brackets, for example, 'Key results are indicated by a [K]'
- or notes for specific cells can be added in the row after the table ends - in an additional cell to the right: If you need to mention notes for specific data points, you should add a notes column to the table, on the right. You should describe which cell or cells the note applies to, for example: [note 1] This note applies to B10, C10 and D10.
In whatever format notes are indicated, an explanation should be given in the description text in the second or third row, for example: ‘This worksheet contains one table. Some cells refer to notes which can be found on the notes worksheet/at the end of the relevant row’.
Colour
Avoid all colour, for any reason. Everything should be back text on plain white background for maximum accessibility.
Note that text colour should be set to the ‘automatic’ black colour option.
The one exception is the use of red, amber, and green which is a universally accepted convention and has been widely used on COVID publications. Ideally, cells coloured this way should also contain a text indication such as [R], [A], [G] so that screen readers are notified of the difference .
Style guide
GOV.UK style applies to all text. For example, spell out abbreviations, do not using hyphens to indicate duration, avoid bold and italics.
Links must be embedded in meaningful text.
Metadata
Add metadata using the Properties dialogue box. (File > Info > Properties > Advanced properties: fill in the Title, Author and Keywords fields. Make sure the Author is Public Health England, not an individual)
File format
It is best practice to save and publish spreadsheets as Open Document Spreadsheet (*.ods) format.