Documents vs. Web Pages

First, ask yourself, "Does this have to be a document?"

"But that's how we've always done it." - Government employee

Many documents are shared online because word processing tools like Word or Google Docs are available and easy to use by all. It may be easier but it creates accessibility roadblocks and usability problems for people.

• PDFs and documents are only accessible if you make them accessible. They are not accessible by default.
• PDF is optimized for a printed page and not for screens. 
• Making a non-accessible PDF into an accessible PDF is time-consuming and may be technically challenging.
• Many browsers have save/print to PDF functionality.

Gather evidence to understand whether customers need and expect to print out a PDF. Don't use a PDF or document to present digital content that could be a web page. HTML is always the most accessible, mobile-friendly, easy-to-update, and user-friendly format.

The benefits of website content

• Easier to make accessible
• Predictable, consistent user experience 
• Responsive to different screen sizes
• Easier to apply accessibility and other online content guidelines
• Quicker to load

When to link to a document 

If you determine that a document is required, consider linking to a "gateway page" that provides a summary of the contents of the document in addition to the link (e.g., General Assembly bills pages). Make sure that you always include the format alongside the link to let people know what to expect. For example, 

• You’re required to make a document version of the content available by statute, policy, rule, and/or standard operating procedure. 
• The content is intended primarily for print. 
• A document is the only format accepted by a particular platform for hosting or submission. 
• It is a spreadsheet that conveys data.
• The content is exceptionally long and/or complex. For example, research papers or reports, (2019 Human Health Risk Assessment for Oil and Gas Operations in Colorado, PDF)
• The document is created and owned by a third party and the information isn't available on a webpage.
• Secure documents

The trouble with linking to PDFs and documents

According to an article titled, PDF: Still Unfit for Human Consumption, 20 Years Later, written by Jakob Nielsen, Ph.D., a usability pioneer, 

"Research spanning 20 years proves PDFs are problematic for online reading. Yet they’re still prevalent and users continue to get lost in them. They’re unpleasant to read and navigate and remain unfit for digital-content display."

User experience research done for various State of Colorado websites and applications has confirmed the challenges that people face when encountering a PDF, document, or document folder structure within the task flow. Here are some findings:

• People quickly backed out of PDFs

"It's just a document and not a page telling me how to do something. I disregard all documents."

"This looks like a government document. I don't belong here."

• The PDFs and Google Docs contained jargon and large blocks of text that made it difficult to search and scan for keywords. 
• People were disoriented when taken to a Google Drive with a list or grid of documents because the files were indistinguishable from each other.

"Wait a minute, I'm lost. Am I in my Google Drive trash folder? How did I get here?"

More information about webpages vs. documents

• Accessibility Newsletter: Documents vs. Web Pages
• Accessible Documents
• Page Structure Guide