Designing for Accessibility

You’ve learned how to build interfaces that look great, respond quickly, and work across devices. But let’s take a moment to ask: Who are you building for?

If your answer doesn’t include everyone, then it’s time to talk about accessibility.

Accessibility — often shortened to a11y — is about designing products that work for all users, including those with disabilities. That includes people who:

Use screen readers because they’re blind or have low vision
Navigate with keyboards instead of a mouse
Can’t hear audio or rely on captions
Experience cognitive or motor challenges

Let’s dive into why accessibility matters, and how you can start making your interfaces more inclusive today.

🌍 Why Accessibility Matters

There’s a common misconception that accessibility is a “nice to have.” But in reality:

Over 1 billion people worldwide live with some form of disability
Accessibility helps everyone — captions in noisy places, high contrast in sunlight, keyboard shortcuts for power users
In many regions, it’s legally required (e.g., WCAG, ADA, EN 301 549)

But beyond compliance, it’s about empathy. As creators, we want people to enjoy our apps — not struggle with them.

“When we design for disability, we often solve problems for everyone.” — Microsoft Inclusive Design

📚 Also revisit our discussion on UI vs UX — accessibility is deeply tied to user experience, not just interface aesthetics.

🧰 Tools and Techniques

You don’t need to be an expert to start designing accessibly. Here are a few essentials to get you started:

📋 Semantic HTML

Use tags that describe meaning:

<!-- Good -->
<button>Submit</button>

<!-- Not so good -->
<div onclick="submitForm()">Submit</div>

This helps screen readers and other assistive tech understand your UI.

Make sure your app is usable with a keyboard:

Can you Tab through all interactive elements?
Do Enter or Space trigger buttons or links?
Are focus states visible?

🎨 Color & Contrast

Ensure sufficient contrast between text and background:

Use tools like WebAIM Contrast Checker
Don’t rely on color alone to convey information

🗣️ ARIA Attributes (Used Sparingly)

ARIA helps where HTML falls short:

<div role="alert">Form submission failed.</div>

But use built-in elements first — ARIA is a helper, not a crutch.

📱 Mobile Accessibility

Support dynamic text resizing
Don’t trap users in modal dialogs or swipe-only flows
Test with screen readers: VoiceOver (iOS), TalkBack (Android)

🧪 Your Challenge

Take one of your earlier projects — maybe the subscription form or habit tracker — and:

Add clear labels and instructions
Ensure keyboard accessibility
Check color contrast
Try navigating with a screen reader or Tab key only

Bonus: Add a “skip to content” link at the top of the page.

🔗 Further Reading & Tools

Accessibility isn’t a checklist — it’s a mindset. Every choice you make, from button text to layout structure, impacts someone’s ability to use your app.

By building inclusively, you’re building better for everyone.

Next up, we’ll continue our accessibility journey and talk about taking your app global!