Arizona Quickstart
The University's Web Development Framework
Develop robust websites with branding, accessibility, security, and flexibility. Built by campus, for campus through Arizona Digital.
Quickstart 2.13 has launched! 🎉
Content editors: This site has all the documentation, training and resources you need
Developers: Technical documentation can be found on Arizona Digital and on our GitHub repository. Review the update announcement for upgrade details.
Quickstart Builds Accessibility Into Everything
Not all users can use a mouse—many navigate using keyboards, switches, or screen readers. Accessibility starts by ensuring everyone can move through and interact with your content using just a keyboard.
- Every interactive element in Quickstart (menus, modals, links) is reachable and usable with Tab, Enter, and Space.
- The tab order is logical and intuitive— it matches the visual layout, and avoids unexpected jumps or traps.
- Visible focus styles are provided so users can see which element is currently active.
Headings are like a table of contents for your page. They help all users—especially those using screen readers—understand the structure and jump to the content they need.
- Pages and elements have been thoughtfully and logically structured to use appropriate headings by default, with one
<h1>
as page titles, page element headings using<h2>
, card titles using<h3>
, and so on. - Heading styles are provided for site editors to use when they want to use larger text that doesn't contribute to the hierarchical structure of the page.
Content Editor Responsibilities
Quickstart gives content editors a lot of flexibility for how to build their pages, so they are ultimately responsible for using accessible headings when creating content.
- Logical hierarchy: Ensure that there is one
<h1>
as your page title even if you choose to exclude the default page title, then nest sections under<h2>
, subsections under<h3>
, and so on—just like an outline. - Consistent structure: Don’t skip levels (e.g., going from
<h2>
directly to<h4>
). Headings should reflect the visual and conceptual grouping of your content. - Well-structured pages help assistive technology, search engines, and all users navigate quickly and efficiently.
A helpful test: Can you understand the page organization by skimming the headings alone?
Low contrast text is one of the most common barriers for users with low vision or color blindness—and one of the easiest to fix.
- Quickstart uses strong contrast between text and background within the University of Arizona color palette.
- Color contrast ratios: body text needs at least a 4.5:1 ratio; large text needs 3:1. All Quickstart elements will automatically use text color with appropriately high contrast color against either light or dark backgrounds.
- Media elements provide light and dark color overlays that ensure appropriate levels of contrast when adding text over photo or video backgrounds.
- Links stand out from body text using more than just color. They are underlined and use a heavier font weight.
Multimedia and documents must work for all users, including those who are blind, deaf, or using assistive tech. Ensure everyone can access your content no matter the format.
- Images: Quickstart requires the use of
alt
text to describe the purpose or content of an image. Screen readers read this aloud so users understand the visual meaning. - If an image is decorative (adds no important information), use
alt=""
so it's skipped by screen readers. - Video: Quickstart includes controls to pause all auto-play video backgrounds.
Quickstart is designed to be accessible by default, but site editors must still be intentional about making accessible choices when creating content. Review accessibility best practices to learn more.
Need support?
What is Quickstart?
What brings you to Quickstart today?
I’m a new content editor
Most campus websites are built using Quickstart. Sign up for a training session and review the documentation on this website to get started.
We need a website that fits in our unit's budget
Most units will see between a 48% and 68% savings on the time and money to build a new website when using Quickstart.
I need to build a landing page
Quickstart allows you to easily create engaging landing pages including media, photo galleries, card decks, and other design elements.
We need an accessible website
We partner with the Disability Resource Center to ensure that Quickstart exceeds IT Accessibility guidelines.
We need a website that reflects the UArizona brand
Arizona Quickstart incorporates all of our Brand assets from colors and typography to logos and layouts.
We don't want our website to get stale
Quickstart is built for continuous improvement. We constantly add new features to enhance design, branding, accessibility, and security.
Who's using Quickstart?
Our flagship site: Arizona.edu!
Plus hundreds of other labs, conferences, offices and programs.
Testimonials
What's New
Ready to build a new website?