Designing with Web Accessibility in Mind
Today’s chosen theme: Designing with Web Accessibility in Mind. Accessibility turns good design into humane design—supporting dignity, independence, and delight. Explore practical steps, real stories, and friendly guidance. Share your experiences in the comments and subscribe for ongoing, hands-on inspiration.
Principles That Make the Web Work for Everyone
Start by listing core user tasks, then check each against POUR. If someone cannot perceive, operate, understand, or rely on it, redesign with intention.
Principles That Make the Web Work for Everyone
Beyond compliance, accessibility is respect at scale. Laws like ADA and EN 301 549 matter, but your choices shape dignity in tiny, daily interactions.
Typographic and Color Choices that Welcome
Aim for WCAG AA or AAA where practical. Test in sunlight, grayscale, and dark mode. Avoid conveying meaning by color alone; pair icons, labels, or patterns.
Typographic and Color Choices that Welcome
Use relative units, generous line height, and line length around 45–75 characters. Respect user zoom up to 200% without loss of content or functionality.
Semantic HTML and ARIA that Help, Not Harm
Use header, nav, main, aside, and footer to create reliable landmarks. Screen reader users jump between these regions quickly, saving precious time and effort.
Accessible Media and Motion
Alt Text that Tells the Right Story
Describe purpose, not pixels. What would a sighted user learn here? Convey function, mood, and data. Decorative images should be empty alt to stay silent.
Captions, Transcripts, and Audio Descriptions
Provide accurate captions and searchable transcripts. When visuals matter, add audio descriptions. You will broaden reach, boost SEO, and help multilingual audiences understand nuance.
Respect Motion Sensitivities
Honor prefers-reduced-motion. Offer reduced or no animation for people susceptible to motion sickness or distraction. Subtle fades beat parallax when comfort is the priority.
Testing, Tooling, and Real People
Try NVDA with Firefox, JAWS with Chrome, VoiceOver on macOS and iOS, and TalkBack on Android. Learn shortcuts, then ask readers which combinations they prefer.
Testing, Tooling, and Real People
Use axe, Lighthouse, and WAVE to flag contrast, landmarks, and names. Treat results as a to-do list, then verify behavior manually like a thoughtful, curious tester.
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