Designing for Accessibility: Tips and Best Practices
Abhra Ch.
40 replies
Creating designs that are accessible to everyone is crucial for an inclusive user experience. Share your favorite tools, tips, or personal experiences that have helped you in designing with accessibility in mind!
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Thomas Jackson@thomasjackson
Absolutely! Some key tips: 1) Use high contrast colors for text 2) Provide alt text for images 3) Structure content with clear headings 4) Make sure the site is fully keyboard navigable. The WAVE web accessibility evaluation tool is super helpful for catching common issues. And consulting with users who have disabilities during the design process is invaluable for truly inclusive design.
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Great topic, @abhra_ch - Designing for accessibility is so important. Here are a few tips and tools that have helped me:
1. Use Alt Text: Always add descriptive alt text to images for screen readers.
2. Color Contrast: Ensure sufficient color contrast for text and background using tools like Contrast Checker.
3. Keyboard Navigation: Design interfaces that can be easily navigated using a keyboard.
4. ARIA Landmarks: Use ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) landmarks to improve navigation for screen readers.
5. Accessible Fonts: Choose readable fonts and ensure text is scalable.
6. Accessibility Testing Tools: Tools like Axe, WAVE, and Lighthouse help identify accessibility issues.
7. User Testing: Include users with disabilities in your testing process for real-world feedback.
Implementing these practices has significantly improved the inclusivity of our designs.
@ashikhameed That's fantastic! These tips are all really crucial for making designs accessible to all users. Great job prioritizing inclusivity in your work!
Accessibility Beyond Vision! It's great this article covers visual impairments, but accessibility goes beyond that. Does it touch on designing for users with hearing impairments
Inclusive Design Wins! "Designing for Accessibility" is so important! This article sounds like a valuable resource for creating user experiences that cater to everyone, regardless of ability. Inclusive design benefits not only users with disabilities but also people using technology in different contexts (low light, noisy environments).
Want to share one of my favorite readings about accessibility: Guidelines for Accessible and Usable Web Sites: Observing Users Who Work With Screen Readers, by Mary Frances Theofanos and Janice (Ginny) Redish.
Accessibility is so important in product designs and I always make sure to test it before launch and use Figma plugins such as Stark and A11y to check my designs.
@kehui_guo That sounds like an interesting read. Would love t check it out and get some good insights about this. 😊
Here are some useful tools & resources you can check out; https://webcurate.co/c/accessibi...
One key tip for designing with accessibility in mind is to use high-contrast color schemes. This helps users with visual impairments distinguish between different elements on your site. Additionally, always provide alternative text for images and ensure that your site is navigable via keyboard. Tools like Axe and WAVE can be invaluable for checking your site's accessibility.
PS: We're launching SEOPro on Product Hunt on July 30th! It’s designed to optimize your Shopify store’s SEO and boost your traffic. Your support would mean a lot!
@b2bsulaiman Would keep that designing tip in mind for all my projects.
Also, best of luck with your launch!! You can count me in! I look forward to checking it out and spreading the word!
Use https://colourcontrast.cc/ — simple tool to check if colors have good contrast
Use UI colors https://uicolors.app/create to pick quality select of shades for your color palette
Check how elements & components are built in popular libs or templates like https://tailwindui.com/
If users recognise element right away it's a good think for accessibility
@kostyabolsh Thanks for the tips! Gonna try them all out.
Additionally, I also think consistency in layout and interaction across platforms will further enhance user recognition and accessibility. What are your thoughts on it?
Designing for accessibility is crucial to ensure that everyone can use your product effectively. Abhra Ch.'s tips are incredibly valuable and should be a cornerstone of any design strategy.
I provide multiple ways to access content, like text descriptions for audio files, and use Wave for checks.
I use high contrast themes and provide dark mode options, tested with Color Oracle.
I incorporate voice search and commands, testing with Siri and Google Assistant.
I ensure interactive elements have clear focus states, tested with FocusVisible.
I make our PDFs and documents accessible using Adobe Acrobat’s built-in checker
I failed to create a sense of urgency. Once we implemented limited-time offers, engagement increased.
Designing for accessibility is like adding extra sprinkles to your design sundae—makes it more enjoyable for everyone! Remember, a well-designed user experience is like a good joke: if you have to explain it, it might need some work! 🌟
Great insights, Abhra! Ensuring accessibility in design not only broadens your audience but also creates an inclusive experience for all users.
Absolutely! Some key tips: 1) Use high contrast colors for text vs background. 2) Provide alt text for all images. 3) Make sure your site works well with screen readers. 4) Allow users to easily adjust font sizes. 5) Provide captions/transcripts for audio/video content. The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) has great resources on this. It takes extra work but it's so important for inclusion!
@ethangabrielfitzgerald That's fantastic advice Ethan! I have tried to keep all of these in mind while creating my new project. Lets hope its work 🤞
Absolutely! Some key things for accessible design: 1) Use sufficient color contrast ratios, 2) Provide text alternatives for images, 3) Make sure the site is fully keyboard navigable, 4) Use semantic HTML for better screen reader compatibility. The WAVE accessibility evaluation tool is super helpful for catching common issues. And always test with real users whenever possible!
@josephwalkeri Great tips. Tried my best to use all of these in my new tool. 🤞
Your support and feedback would really mean a lot.
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