Essentials of UI Design XXVI: A Guide to Implementing Accessible Design in Digital Products
Great UX keeps the user front and center of the business strategy. True accessibility derives from a solid moral compass. If you’ve got even a hint of empathy, you can apply that to making your designs user centric. This is because you understand users and their needs and desires. This short guide introduces the basic aspects of accessible design and how you can make accessibility an integral feature of your product. You’ll also learn about the ADA accessibility guidelines and compliances that ensure your product’s accessibility qualities.
What is Accessible Design?
Accessibility is the assurance that individuals with disabilities have equal access to opportunities to acquire information, use services, and engage in activities with maximum utility.
By this token, web accessibility aims to eliminate all physical and cognitive barriers that prevent people with disabilities from interacting with a website or other digital products. Therefore, accessible designs enable individuals with disabilities to understand, navigate, interact with, and maximize digital products. This is a key feature of many of the screens and flows we offer on UILand.
Achieving Accessibility through ADA Accessibility Guidelines
Ensuring that your product accommodates many excluded user types increases the potential of attracting new users. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standard for Accessible Design requires all electronic information and technology to be accessible to individuals with disabilities. This applies to UI and UX designers.
In truth, there are no concrete guidelines for website compliance. However, sticking to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) should suffice. While WCAG isn’t a legal requirement, it can be a robust reference as you improve accessibility in your digital product.
WCAG offers 3 levels of ADA accessibility conformance:
Level A: Minimal Compliance
Level AA: Acceptable Conformance
Level AAA: Optimal Conformance
3 steps to Level AAA conformance
Achieving the highest level of conformance involves the following:
Being perceivable: Users should easily comprehend all your information, including images, videos, and text. Also, always provide information alternatives to fulfill accessibility.
Being operable: All users should be able to utilize your product’s features without obstruction.
Being understandable: Users must understand what they’re reading, hearing, or watching.
Being robust: Make your content compatible with a wide range of devices and platforms.
Every digital product deserves the benefits of accessible design. UILand curates inspirational app designs that you can make rapid accessibility tweaks to. Whether for healthcare, finance, or productivity, With UILand, you can discover new, innovative solutions that embrace all user types.
