Using an unordered list, a couple of images, and a little CSS, we can create an accessible “image map” with pop-up tool tips that provide our readers more information on the links the map contains. There are several techniques out there for doing this, but, unlike some, the one outlined here has the advantage of working in older versions of Internet Explorer.
When designing a web site, it’s generally a good idea to keep your sites navigational elements text-based. This has several advantages, like being search engine friendly and easily accessible to screen readers and hand-held devices. Let’s face it, though, sometimes that’s not always practical and what the site design really calls for is a nice menu comprised of graphics in which the actual menu text is stylized. So, here’s a little trick that will give you the best of both worlds. We’re going to build a graphically-based navigation menu out of an unordered list.
We’re going to create a horizontal row of boxes containing link text. When we move the mouse over one of these boxes, it’s going to get taller and the text larger and bold. I’ll link to a finished example at the end of the tutorial.
