UX Design
Accessibility
Accessibility (often shortened to a11y) is the practice of designing products that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, and use.
Why it matters
Roughly one in six people lives with a disability. Accessible design is both an ethical responsibility and, in many places, a legal requirement — and it improves the experience for everyone.
In depth
Accessibility spans vision, hearing, motor, and cognitive needs. Common practices include sufficient color contrast, keyboard navigation, semantic structure, and clear language. The WCAG guidelines are the widely used standard. Designing accessibly from the start is far easier than retrofitting it.
Real-world example
Adding descriptive alt text to images lets screen-reader users understand them, and captions on videos help deaf users and anyone in a noisy room.
Principle
Accessibility
Designed so everyone can perceive, understand, and use it.
Related terms