Design for everyone: What accessibility guidelines should you consider when designing user interfaces?

Getting Started

If you are a UI designer, it is essential to learn accessibility guidelines for inclusive user interfaces.

This knowledge will help you create designs that are accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities.

Additionally, designing for accessibility can improve the overall user experience and increase the reach of your product or service.

This guide is for UI designers who want to create inclusive user interfaces that are accessible to everyone, regardless of their abilities.

How to

1. Use descriptive and meaningful text for all images and icons.
2. Ensure that all interactive elements are keyboard accessible.
3. Provide clear and concise instructions for all forms and input fields.
4. Use color contrast to ensure that text and other elements are easily readable.
5. Provide alternative text for all non-text content, such as images and videos.
6. Ensure that all content is navigable using a screen reader.
7. Provide captions and transcripts for all audio and video content.
8. Test your design with assistive technologies, such as screen readers and keyboard-only navigation.

Best Practices

• Design with accessibility in mind from the beginning of the design process.
• Use clear and concise language throughout the design.
• Ensure that the design is consistent and predictable.
• Test the design with real users with disabilities to ensure that it is truly accessible.

Examples

Let’s say you are designing a website for a restaurant.

You want to ensure that the website is accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities.

One way to do this is to use descriptive and meaningful text for all images and icons.

For example, instead of using an image of a fork and knife to represent the menu, use the text “Menu” instead.

This ensures that people using screen readers can understand what the image represents.

Another way to ensure accessibility is to provide clear and concise instructions for all forms and input fields.

For example, instead of using placeholder text in a form field, provide a label that clearly describes what the user should enter.

This helps people with cognitive disabilities understand what they need to do.

By following these guidelines and best practices, you can create designs that are accessible to everyone, regardless of their abilities.