Designing for Everyone: Understanding Accessibility Beyond the Buzzword
The Reality Check
Most of us have seen “accessibility” mentioned countless times while scrolling through Twitter/X — in heated debates, checklist threads, and passionate calls for inclusion. But beyond the buzzword, what does it actually mean to create truly accessible designs?
I used to think accessibility was just another checkbox on the QA list. Another constraint. Something that slowed down our release cycle.
I was wrong.
What Is Accessibility, Really?
At its core, accessibility means creating products that everyone can use, no matter their abilities. It’s not a feature to add later — it’s how we should approach design from the very beginning.
Let’s be clear: When we ignore accessibility, we’re shutting people out. Around the world, more than 1 billion people (15% of the global population) have some type of disability, according to the World Health Organization. That’s a huge number of potential users we might be excluding.
Accessibility isn’t charity. It’s about recognising that people interact with the world in different ways, and our designs should work for everyone.
Accessibility in Our World Today
The Physical World
Our physical spaces have slowly become more inclusive:
- Ramps and elevators give wheelchair users access to buildings
- Tactile paving (those bumpy strips at crosswalks) helps blind people navigate safely
- Low-floor buses with ramps make public transit more accessible
- Braille signs and audio announcements help people find their way in public buildings
- Adjustable desks and wide doorways make workplaces usable for more people
Here’s what’s cool: These changes help everyone. Parents with strollers love ramps as much as wheelchair users do. Clear signs help tourists just as much as they help people with cognitive disabilities.
The Digital World
As we spend more time online, digital accessibility has become just as important:
- Screen readers turn text into speech for blind users
- Captions make videos accessible to deaf people
- Voice control lets people use computers without keyboards or mice
- Simple interfaces help people with cognitive disabilities
- High-contrast modes make screens easier to see for many users
But despite all these tools, most websites and apps remain difficult or impossible for many people to use.
How Are We Doing? The Numbers
The stats tell a troubling story:
- 71% of websites have detectable WCAG failures, according to the WebAIM Million report (2023)
- Only 3% of websites fully meet accessibility standards, as found by AccessiBe’s research (2022)
- 98% of the most popular websites have at least one accessibility failure, according to the WebAIM Million report (2023)
- Over 60% of screen reader users feel frustrated when shopping online, based on a survey by the Nielsen Norman Group (2022)
When a blind person encounters an unlabelled button on your website, it’s not just annoying — it completely blocks them from using your product.
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As one user named Michael explained:
“During the pandemic, I tried to order groceries online, but I couldn’t complete my order because the checkout button wasn’t labeled for my. screen reader. I had to ask my neighbor to shop for me instead.”
Many countries have laws requiring accessibility, but legal requirements alone haven’t fixed the problem.
The POUR Principles: A Simple Framework
Accessibility experts use four principles (POUR) to guide their work:
1. Perceivable
Everyone should be able to perceive your content, regardless of how they sense the world.
What to do:
- Add alt text that explains images (“Chart showing sales increasing 20% in Q2,” not just “graph”)
- Include captions and transcripts for videos and podcasts
- Use colours that stand out from each other (at least 4.5:1 contrast ratio)
2. Operable
Everyone should be able to use and navigate your product, no matter how they interact with technology.
What to do:
- Make sure everything works with a keyboard only
- Don’t use time limits, or let people extend them
- Create simple, consistent navigation
3. Understandable
Everyone should be able to understand your content and how to use your product.
What to do:
- Use simple language (aim for an 8th-grade reading level)
- Keep layouts and interactions consistent
- Clearly label forms and provide helpful error messages
4. Robust
Your product should work with a variety of technologies, including assistive devices.
What to do:
- Test with actual screen readers and other assistive tech
- Use proper HTML elements (buttons for buttons, etc.)
- Follow standard patterns instead of creating unusual controls
Adding Accessibility to Your Design Process
Think of accessibility like building a city that works for everyone. A good city has well-lit streets, clear signs, multiple ways to get around, and buildings everyone can enter.
In Part 2, we’ll explore step-by-step methods to make your designs accessible. Follow me to see when it’s published. For now, here are three things to start with:
- Begin early — Think about accessibility from your first sketches
- Learn the basics — Get your team familiar with accessibility fundamentals
- Talk to users — Include people who use assistive technology in your testing
Remember: When we design for accessibility, we’re not just following rules — we’re fulfilling the true purpose of design: creating experiences that work for everyone.
