Accessibility Audit Checklist

💎 Accessibility For Designers Checklist (PDF: https://lnkd.in/e9Z2G2kF), a practical set of cards on WCAG accessibility guidelines, from accessible color, typography, animations, media, layout and development — to kick-off accessibility conversations early on. Kindly put together by Geri Reid. WCAG for Designers Checklist, by Geri Reid Article: https://lnkd.in/ef8-Yy9E PDF: https://lnkd.in/e9Z2G2kF WCAG 2.2 Guidelines: https://lnkd.in/eYmzrNh7 Accessibility isn’t about compliance. It’s not about ticking off checkboxes. And it’s not about plugging in accessibility overlays or AI engines either. It’s about *designing* with a wide range of people in mind — from the very start, independent of their skills and preferences. In my experience, the most impactful way to embed accessibility in your work is to bring a handful of people with different needs early into design process and usability testing. It’s making these test sessions accessible to the entire team, and showing real impact of design and code on real people using a real product. Teams usually don’t get time to work on features which don’t have a clear business case. But no manager really wants to be seen publicly ignoring their prospect customers. Visualize accessibility to everyone on the team and try to make an argument about potential reach and potential income. Don’t ask for big commitments: embed accessibility in your work by default. Account for accessibility needs in your estimates. Create accessibility tickets and flag accessibility issues. Don’t mistake smiling and nodding for support — establish timelines, roles, specifics, objectives. And most importantly: measure the impact of your work by repeatedly conducting accessibility testing with real people. Build a strong before/after case to show the change that the team has enabled and contributed to, and celebrate small and big accessibility wins. It might not sound like much, but it can start changing the culture faster than you think. Useful resources: Giving A Damn About Accessibility, by Sheri Byrne-Haber (disabled) https://lnkd.in/eCeFutuJ Accessibility For Designers: Where Do I Start?, by Stéphanie Walter https://lnkd.in/ecG5qASY Web Accessibility In Plain Language (Free Book), by Charlie Triplett https://lnkd.in/e2AMAwyt Building Accessibility Research Practices, by Maya Alvarado https://lnkd.in/eq_3zSPJ How To Build A Strong Case For Accessibility, ↳ https://lnkd.in/ehGivAdY, by 🦞 Todd Libby ↳ https://lnkd.in/eC4jehMX, by Yichan Wang #ux #accessibility

Did you know design reviews can include accessibility? They should, but they often don't. A lot of accessibility issues get baked in early, during the design phase. And by the time a developer is building from that design, it's already too late to catch some of the easy stuff. That's why you should run a quick accessibility design review before handoff. Here's a checklist of some things to look for - contrast, headings, alt text guidance, and more. Let me know if there's anything that should be added! And if you prefer your content as text, read on.... 7 Checks Design Review Accessibility Checks for Every Design Review Catch common issues before handoff Check 1 – Check Color Contrast Can everyone read this? Make sure text stands out from the background. That trendy white on light grey? It has to go. Check 2 – Check Heading Structure Size isn’t everything Use annotations, styles, or naming conventions so it’s clear which level each heading should be, H1–H6. Check 3 – Check use of color Not everyone sees color in the same way Don’t rely on color alone – use underlines, icons, text labels, or patterns to show links, states, and status. Check 4 – Check form fields for labels Placeholders are not labels Every form field should have an always-visible and persistent label. Check 5 – Check for visible focus states Don’t make devs do design Designs should clearly show focus states for buttons, links, inputs, and other interactive components. Check 6 – Check for alt text guidance Don’t leave devs guessing about alt If an image or icon needs alt text, describe what it should be. Build that thinking into the design process. Check 7 – Check for animation options Not everyone loves autoplay Avoid excessive animation and motion-triggered effects. If motion adds value, make it optional or easy to pause. Great accessibility starts in design Save this checklist for your next project Juggling accessibility across multiple websites? We built AAArdvark just for you. Give it a try for free – no credit card required. a20y.com

Inclusive design is not just about the font you choose. It is about how your content behaves when it meets a different nervous system. Last week, we pruned your typography. This week, we are looking at the soil. We are auditing your media and structure. In our rush for "engagement," corporate communications often rely on visual shortcuts like flashing GIFs, color-coded alerts, and walls of emojis. Marketing calls these "hacks." I call them Barriers. When you rely on a color change to signal "danger," you lock out the colorblind. When you replace words with a string of emojis, you create chaos for a screen reader user (hearing "Face with tears of joy" five times in a row). When you post a video without captions, you tell the Deaf and Auditory Processing communities that they are not your audience. Accessibility is not a "feature" for a minority group. It is an indicator of Organizational Health. If your content requires perfect vision, perfect hearing, and neurotypical processing speed to understand... your content is flawed. Below is The Inclusive Content Audit (Part 2). We moved beyond fonts to look at media, structure, and interaction. Here are 9 Ways to Operationalize Inclusion in your content: 1. The Emoji Restraint ❌ Barrier: Emojis read aloud via screen readers as clunky descriptions. ✅ Fix: Use clear words to convey tone. Keep emojis at the end of sentences rather than in the middle. 2. The Caption Mandate ❌ Barrier: Audio/Video posted "naked." ✅ Fix: Burned-in open captions. (This helps ADHD brains like mine focus just as much as it helps Deaf users). 3. The Contrast Rule ❌ Barrier: Text over busy, semi-transparent backgrounds. ✅ Fix: Solid color backgrounds behind text blocks to reduce visual noise. 4. The "Color + Shape" Rule ❌ Barrier: Using only color to convey meaning (e.g., Red = Error). ✅ Fix: Pair color with a distinct shape or icon label. 5. The Alt-Text Discipline ❌ Barrier: Images with file names like "IMG_5920.jpg". ✅ Fix: Descriptive, concise Alternative Text. 6. The Header Hierarchy ❌ Barrier: Manually bolding text to look like a header. ✅ Fix: Using actual "Heading Styles" (H1, H2) so screen readers can navigate the structure. 7. The Motion Control ❌ Barrier: Auto-playing GIFs or flashing content. ✅ Fix: Static images or user-controlled "Play" buttons. (Protect your team from vestibular triggers). 8. The Data Summary ❌ Barrier: Complex charts with no text explanation. ✅ Fix: A simple text summary beneath the visual. 9. The Permanent Label ❌ Barrier: Form field labels that disappear once you start typing. ✅ Fix: Labels that remain visible above the field. (Reduces cognitive load and working memory strain). The Verdict: Low-friction content is high-impact content. Stop making your audience fight your design to get to your message. #Accessibility #InclusiveDesign #WCAG #Neurodiversity #Leadership #ClinicalStrategy

Happy Global Accessibility Awareness Day everyone! It's a great day to remind people, that, accessibility is the responsibility of the whole team, including designers! A couple of things designers can do: - Use sufficient color contrast (text + UI elements) and don’t rely on color alone to convey meaning. - Ensure readable typography: support text resizing, avoid hard-to-read styles, maintain hierarchy. - Make links and buttons clear and distinguishable (label, size, states). - Design accessible forms: clear labels, error help, no duplicate input, document states. - Support keyboard navigation: tab order, skip links, focus indicators, keyboard interaction. - Structure content with headings and landmarks: use proper H1–Hn, semantic order, regions. - Provide text alternatives for images, icons, audio, and video. - Avoid motion triggers: respect reduced motion settings, allow pause on auto-play. - Design with flexibility: support orientation change, allow text selection, avoid fixed-height elements. - Document accessibly and communicate: annotate designs, collaborate with devs, QA, and content teams. Need to learn more? I got a couple of resources on my blog: - A Designer’s Guide to Documenting Accessibility & User Interactions: https://lnkd.in/eUh8Jvvn - How to check and document design accessibility in your mockups: a conference on how to use Figma plugins and annotation kits to shift accessibility left https://lnkd.in/eu8YuWyF - Accessibility for designer: where do I start? Articles, resources, checklists, tools, plugins, and books to design accessible products https://lnkd.in/ejeC_QpH - Neurodiversity and UX: Essential Resources for Cognitive Accessibility, Guidelines to understand and design for Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Autism and ADHD https://lnkd.in/efXaRwgF - Color accessibility: tools and resources to help you design inclusive products https://lnkd.in/dRrwFJ5 #Accessibility #ShiftLeft #GAAD

There is an unexplored market worth £17.1 billion of 4.5 million disabled online shoppers. (Purple) Don't limit your audience. ⬇️ You need to wake up to the untapped potential of accessible web design. Search engines favor accessible websites. To an extent, accessibility = visibility. In 2024, accessible design is a smart business move with real financial benefits. Hostinger suggests 12 methods to make your website more accessible. 𝟭. 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗔𝗹𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 to allow users and search engines to understand the content that they can't see. 𝟮. 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 to make it easier for users to understand the organization of the page and find information more efficiently. 𝟯. 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗞𝗲𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗡𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 to help those with motor disabilities to access and use all interactive elements via keyboard. 𝟰. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀 to let users read the content comfortably. 𝟱. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 for users who are deaf or prefer reading over listening. 𝟲. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 so that all users can easily fill them out. 𝟳. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝗦𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗧𝗠𝗟 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘂𝗽 to help assistive technologies interpret and convey the content to users with disabilities. 𝟴. 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 for users with visual impairments to read comfortably. 𝟵. 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲𝘀 to help users who navigate with a keyboard or screen reader to see which element they are interacting with. 𝟭𝟬. 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗽 𝗡𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 to allow users to skip repetitive content, like navigation menus, and quickly access main page content. 𝟭𝟭. 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 to be intuitive and accessible, with clearly defined links, consistent layout, and support for screen readers. 𝟭𝟮. 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘀 to identify and rectify accessibility issues that may arise due to updates in content, structure, or technology. Apply these technical standards. Broaden your market reach. Improve user satisfaction. Which aspect of web accessibility do you find most challenging to implement? Comment below! 💬 #WordPress #webdevelopment #webdesign I talk about the latest in WordPress, SEO, Web Design, and Growth. Follow me for weekly updates!