Do
- Tables should be used for displaying data only.
- Assign a proper table style to your tables.
- Make sure it has a header row assigned and if using the first column as a header makes sure this is checked too.
- If you want to make something highlighted on the page, make use of the Borders tool under Paragraph in Word. This won’t affect screen readers like tables and text boxes do.
- Keep tables separate from each other
- Avoid merges cells
Do Not
- Use tables for formatting/design/layout purposes.
- Use text boxes.
- Have header rows in the middle of tables
- Merge separate tables together
- Have merged or blank cells
- Set Repeat Header Rows to the entire table
Screen readers keep track of their location in a table by counting table cells. If a table is nested within another table or if a cell is merged or split, it becomes very hard to navigate using assistive technology.
Blank cells in a table could also mislead someone using a screen reader into thinking that there is nothing more in the table.
How to format tables in Word
Go to Table > Table Styles > Choose a style to suit the table
Go to the Table Settings dropdown and choose which rows contain the headers. In this example it should be Header Row (for the top row) and First Column.
If you are using the Desktop version of Word, things will be slightly different. If you click on the table and go to Table Tools you can format your table here.
Using the Borders Tool
To highlight important content without using tables or text boxes you can use the Borders tool.
Repeating Header Rows
If your table runs onto another page, use the Repeat Header Rows button to automatically carry the Row Header to the next page while keeping the table as one item.
To set, click into the header row with your curser (ensure it is just the header row and not the full table) and then click the Repeat Header Rows button
Table Alternative Text
Every table needs an alternative text description to allow anyone using assistive technology to decide if they want to ‘read’ the data in the table or skip to the next content.
For a more detailed explanation please refer to the Microsoft guidelines on creating tables.