Member-only story
Designing with accessibility in mind
7 tips for creating an inclusive website experience
Accessibility is rising in importance when it comes to designing for digital experiences. Did you know a business can be sued if their website doesn’t meet accessibility standards?
If you’re new to design, you might think you can design and create a website in any you can imagine it to be. While that’s technically true, there are important factors to consider like the user experience, and most importantly, are you designing with accessibility in mind?
But what exactly does designing for accessibility mean? In this article, we’ll dive into what web accessibility is, some useful tools to help you check if you’re following the ADA-compliant rules, and how to make sure you’re designing with accessibility in mind from the start.
What is web accessibility?
Web accessibility refers to designing and developing websites, tools, and technologies that can be used by a wide range of people, including individuals who have visual, motor, auditory, speech, or cognitive disabilities.
Specifically, this means you’re designing a website in a way that people can understand, navigate, and interact with it regardless of disability. When websites are correctly designed and developed, all users have equal access to the information and functionality.
Web accessibility also helps people without disabilities. For example, people using smartphones with small screens, older people whose sight is beginning to decline due to aging, people with temporary disabilities like a broken arm, and also people using slow Internet connections or who have limited access to bandwidth.
When we design our websites for better accessibility, everyone in the world has a better chance to access the information we are sharing on our sites.
What is ADA?
ADA stands for the Americans with Disabilities Act. The most relevant sections of the ADA in regards to web accessibility are Title II and Title III.
