Design for Accessibility: 7 Essential Principles for Inclusive UX Designs
Discover essential strategies for inclusive UX design in this comprehensive guide. Learn actionable steps for keyboard navigation, color contrast, accessible elements, ALT text, non-disruptive animations, captions, and clear language.
When we talk about UX design, there’s a powerful, often overlooked layer: accessibility and inclusivity.
It's not just some 'nice-to-have' feature.
It’s about fundamentally rethinking how we connect with our diverse range of users.
In today’s blog, I’ll dive deeper into the must-have principles in every UX Designer playbook to craft inclusive and accessible designs for all users, regardless of their abilities or circumstances.
If you believe every user deserves a seamless, enjoyable digital experience, let’s dive in 👇
1. Prioritise Keyboard Navigation
Consider this: not everyone has the ability to use a mouse.
This reality calls for designs that are fully navigable through keyboard commands:
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Audit Existing Interfaces:
Regularly review your designs to ensure all functionalities are accessible via keyboard.
This includes navigation menus, forms, and interactive elements.
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Logical Tab Order:
Ensure that tabbing through your website or application follows a logical order.
Making it intuitive for users relying on keyboards.
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Visual Focus Indicators:
Implement clear visual cues to show where the focus is when navigating with a keyboard
Like highlighted buttons or menus.
2. Embrace Sufficient Color Contrast
In design, colors do more than just please the eye; they convey meaning.
However, relying solely on colour can alienate users with visual impairments.
Here are some tips to make sure your colours palette is accessible for disabled users:
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Use Contrast Tools:
Utilize tools like WebAIM's Contrast Checker to ensure text and important graphics stand out against background colours.
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Avoid Coloru-Only Information:
Provide information using more than just colour (e.g., text labels or patterns) so it's accessible to colour-blind users.
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Visual Focus Indicators:
Regularly test your designs with color-blindness simulators to understand how your design appears to users with different types of color vision deficiencies.
3. Make All Interactive Elements Accessible
Accessibility isn't just about the big picture; it's in the details.
Interactive elements like buttons, links, and controls need to be screen-reader-friendly.
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Accessible Buttons and Controls:
Ensure all buttons and controls are large enough to interact with and have clear labels.
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Screen Reader Compatibility:
Use semantic HTML and ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles to ensure screen readers can interpret and read out your content correctly.
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Feedback for Actions:
Provide auditory or visual feedback for interactions so users know when their actions are successful or need correction.
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More actionable tips and fewer headaches:
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Avoid jargon and technical terms without clear explanations.
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Consistent Terminology:
Use consistent terms and phrases across your application or website to avoid confusion.
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User Testing:
Conduct user testing with diverse groups to ensure your language is understandable by people with various levels of reading proficiency and cognitive abilities.
Key Takeaways
7 key principles for accessible and inclusive UX Designs:
1. Prioritise Keyboard Navigation
2. Embrace Sufficient Color Contrast
3. Make All Interactive Elements Accessible
4. Always Include ALT Text for Images
5. Ensure Your Animations are Non-Disruptive
6. Create Transcripts & Captions for Multimedia Content
7. Use Clear, Simple Language in Your UI Copy
If you're reading this, take a moment to share this message.
Let's collectively commit to inclusive and accessible design.
By sharing these insights, we can spark a broader conversation and drive meaningful change in UX design.
Happy championing all users ❤️
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Whenever you're ready, there are 4 ways I can help you: