Contributing to Age-Inclusive-Web

Thank you for contributing to Age-Inclusive-Web. This project focuses on building a web experience that is accessible, readable, and usable for people of all ages and digital skill levels.

We welcome improvements, bug fixes, accessibility enhancements, and feature suggestions.

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Table of Contents

• Getting Started
• Contribution Workflow
• Branching Strategy
• Pull Requests
• Helpful Resources
• Design & Styling Rules
• Code of Conduct

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Getting Started

Installation

yarn

Local Development

yarn start

This starts a local development server. Most changes will update live in the browser.

Build

yarn build

This generates static files in the build directory.

Deployment

Using SSH:

USE_SSH=true yarn deploy

Not using SSH:

GIT_USER=<Your GitHub username> yarn deploy

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Contribution Workflow

All contributions should follow this process:

1. Create an Issue First

   • Describe the problem, improvement, or feature clearly
   • Include screenshots or examples if helpful
   • Explain expected behavior

2. Wait for Discussion / Approval

   • Ensure the issue is valid and aligned with project goals

3. Create a Feature Branch

   • Branch from main

   • Use descriptive naming:

     • feature/...
     • fix/...
     • chore/...

4. Implement Changes

   • Keep changes focused and minimal
   • Follow accessibility and design rules
   • Write clear, readable commit messages

5. Open a Pull Request

   • Link the related issue
   • Provide a clear summary of changes
   • Include testing notes if relevant

6. Review Process

   • PR must pass review before merging into main
   • Feedback should be addressed before approval

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Branching Strategy

• main → stable production branch
• feature/* → new functionality
• fix/* → bug fixes
• chore/* → maintenance tasks

Keep branches small and short-lived where possible.

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Pull Requests

A good pull request should:

• Clearly reference an issue
• Keep changes scoped to a single purpose
• Include screenshots for UI changes
• Not include unrelated refactoring
• Pass all checks and tests (if applicable)

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Helpful Resources

These resources support building accessible and inclusive web experiences:

• WCAG accessibility guidelines
• Plain language writing principles
• Semantic HTML best practices
• Responsive design fundamentals
• Keyboard navigation patterns
• Screen reader compatibility guidance
• Docusaurus documentation and plugin guides

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Design & Styling Rules

All contributions must follow these principles:

• Use clear, simple, and direct language
• Prioritise readability over decorative styling
• Maintain strong colour contrast for text and UI elements
• Do not rely on colour alone to convey meaning
• Ensure consistent spacing and layout structure
• Support full keyboard navigation
• Maintain screen reader compatibility (ARIA where appropriate)
• Use familiar UI patterns and avoid unexpected interactions
• Keep forms simple, clearly labelled, and forgiving of user error
• Ensure responsive design across mobile, tablet, and desktop

These principles are intended to support broad accessibility and usability expectations used in public-facing digital services.

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Code of Conduct

• Be respectful and constructive in all interactions
• Assume positive intent
• Focus feedback on ideas and code, not individuals
• No harassment, discrimination, or abusive language will be tolerated

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Thank you for helping improve Age-Inclusive-Web.