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Patricio Morales
Educational Guide

UX Accessibility
Best Practices

An inclusive digital experience is more than just a checkbox. It's about ensuring every user, regardless of their situational, temporary, or permanent disability, can perceive, understand, and navigate your interface.

palette

1. Color Contrast

Text and interactive elements must have sufficient contrast against their background. WCAG 2.1 requires a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

check_circle Correct (DO)

This text is high contrast

Ratio: 12.6:1 (Pass AAA)

Use dark text on light backgrounds or vice-versa. Ensure button labels are distinct and readable.

cancel Incorrect (DON'T)

Low contrast is hard to read

Ratio: 1.8:1 (Fail)

Avoid light gray text on white backgrounds or thin fonts that wash out against bright colors.

record_voice_over

2. Screen Reader Optimization

Screen readers rely on semantic HTML and ARIA labels to describe the page content to visually impaired users. Meaningful labels and alt-text are crucial for understanding.

Semantic Structure Example 
<!-- Good Semantic HTML -->
<nav aria-label="Main Navigation">
  <ul>
    <li><a href="/">Home</a></li>
  </ul>
</nav>
<img src="chart.png" alt="Quarterly revenue bar chart showing 20% growth">
task_alt

Descriptive Alt-Text

Describe the function or the content of the image. "User avatar" is better than "image 1".

warning

Redundant Phrases

Avoid starting alt-text with "Photo of..." or "Image of...". Screen readers already announce it's an image.

keyboard

3. Keyboard Navigation

Many users navigate the web using only a keyboard (Tab, Enter, Space). Every interactive element must be reachable and show a clear "focus state".

Try Tabbing Through This!

Interactive elements below have custom focus rings that meet accessibility standards.

Skip to Content Documentation Try it Now

Quick UX Audit Checklist

Use this to evaluate your designs during the prototyping phase.