Designing for Accessibility: Tips and Best Practices
Abhra Ch.
38 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!
Replies
CY Zhou@lightfield
Vozo AI
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.
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@lightfield Thank you ๐
Vozo AI
Great insights, Abhra! Ensuring accessibility in design not only broadens your audience but also creates an inclusive experience for all users.
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!
Use https://colourcontrast.cc/ โ 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?
WebCurate
Here are some useful tools & resources you can check out; https://webcurate.co/c/accessibi...
@hosseinyazdi Wow. Thanks a ton man โค๏ธ
WebCurate
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.
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@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!
Creating accessible designs is essential for an inclusive user experience. Here are some tools (figma plugins) that have helped me:
1) A11y
2) Able
3) Stark
Apart from designing, user feedback and iterative testing is really important to ensure user experience is as accessible as we designed.
Designing for accessibility is like adding extra sprinkles to your design sundaeโmakes 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! ๐
@thestarkster ๐๐ That's one way to put it.
I ensure interactive elements have clear focus states, tested with FocusVisible.
@luke_wright1 Will keep that one in mind as well. Thanks Luke. ๐
I use high contrast themes and provide dark mode options, tested with Color Oracle.
@mitchell_marshall1 ๐๐Noted.
I provide multiple ways to access content, like text descriptions for audio files, and use Wave for checks.
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).
I make our PDFs and documents accessible using Adobe Acrobatโs built-in checker
I failed to create a sense of urgency. Once we implemented limited-time offers, engagement increased.
Although not mandatory, you should include an accessibility statement on your website or product.
It helps to reinforce your commitment to accessibility and keeps you accountable for holding to that commitment!
Here's W3's overview of why you should have a statement...
https://www.w3.org/WAI/planning/...
One additional thing is when designing button states or anything that changes, try not to limit state changes to just colors.
There are many color-blind users out there. When thinking of state changes, make distinct changes to shapes or the size of things to represent that change.
Just Scroll
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. ๐
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. ๐ค
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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.
@thomasjackson These are some really great ideas.