Accessibility for Designers

Accessible design is essential for people with disabilities, and improves the user experience for everyone. Designing for a diverse user base challenges us to innovate, leading to stronger, more effective designs. Evaluating designs for accessibility early on in the project lifecycle also reduces the amount of issues encountered later on, saving effort overall.

Five items laid out horizontally with arrows pointing from left to right: Discovery, Design, Development, Testing, and Maintenance. Design is labeled with a 5-pointed star, the others with circles.

In the web development process, design is a key stage for accessibility.

How Designers Can Make an Impact

Explore best practices, resources, and methods for creating accessible designs.

Color

Measuring color contrast, building color palettes, and not relying on color for meaning.

Layout

Using layout to organize content and increase comprehension.

Typography

Maximizing typography for legibility.

Navigation

Supporting the many ways people navigate digital interfaces.

UI Elements

Creating interactive components with clear labels and consistent design.

Forms

Styling forms that are easy to understand and complete.

This guide is intended for designers

For guidance on applying accessible design principles in the content creation process, see Content Creator Essentials.