Designing for accessibility

All type of digital content—texts, images, video, audio, and more—should be accessible and understandable to everyone regardless of disability as outlined by World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

This is particularly important as global regulations requires organizations to comply with accessibility requirements for a wide range of digital products and services. In the EU for example, with the European Accessibility Act (EAA) taking effect in June 2025, accessibility will evolve beyond compliance. It will shape the future of inclusive and sustainable digital design.

1. Who is concerned by accessibility ?

Accessibility is a crucial consideration for people with disabilities, as previously
mentioned with W3C’s concerns. This includes individuals with physical or cognitive
disabilities that can be :

• permanent disabilities : such as blindness, deafness or mobility impairments
• temporary disabilities : such as broken arm or recovering from surgery
• situational limitations : such as being in a noisy environment, using a device in a bright sunlight

Accessibility also supports broader social inclusion for a wider range of people such as :

• Older people : who may experience age-related impairments such as reduced vision, hearing or mobility.
• People in rural areas : who might have limited access to high-speed internet or digital services.
• People in developing countries : where technological constraints or lower digital literacy can create additional barriers.

2. Why is accessibility important ?

One design never fits everyone, which is why we need to focus on different groups of users. When you don’t have enough diverse perspectives while designing a product, the outcome can unintentionally exclude certain users leading to stressful or even discriminatory experience. For example, if a website relies on visual content without alternative text, visually impaired users won’t be able to use it.

Remember that solving a challenge for one group, can also benefits to many others. For example, subtitles assist people with hearing loss but also benefit people in noisy environments. By focusing on accessibility, we create digital experiences that are more inclusive and equitable for all.

For broader inclusion in society, other social factors also need to be considered including race, economic status, age, gender, language or religion. Cultural minorities for example, often face additional barriers due to historical underrepresentation.

Solving all problems is challenging of course, however addressing accessibility in an intersectional way helps to better understand and meet the needs of a larger range of people.

3. How to design for accessibility ?

Accessibility should be a priority at every stage of the design and development process. Key approaches include :

• Asking many questions : do our users have disabilities ? how familiar are our users with technology ? How do they access digital services ?
• Balancing quantitative and qualitative research : data is important, but real user experiences provide valuable insights that numbers alone cannot capture.
• Conducting research with the users : expanding the sample by engaging with diverse participants helps identifying different barriers and avoid assumptions.
• Learning about local design : embracing cultural diversity improves accessibility for global users.
• Considering of line accessibility : ensuring that products work in low-connectivity environments.
• Providing multiple navigation options : users should have different ways to interact with content such as navigation, screen reader compatibility, and voice controls.
• Designing for different mediums : accessibility should be considered across all digital platforms.
• Implementing assistive technologies : to enhance usability for people with disabilities.

Accessibility must also be a priority during the development phase to ensure an inclusive experience for all users. Developers must ensure they adhere to specific standards so that websites and applications are usable by people with disabilities. This includes practices such as using semantic HTML elements to properly structure content, adding alternative text for images, and optimizing keyboard navigation. Additionally, it is essential to regularly test interfaces with accessibility tools and ensure they are compatible with assistive technologies, such as screen readers. By adopting these best practices from the development phase, we not only avoid obstacles for users but also improve the visibility and indexing of the site by search engines.

For more information on accessible design here’s some practical resources :

• WCAG standards (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) developed by W3C provide a global accessibility framework for making digital content.
• [Writing - Material Design provide >https://m2.material.io/design/communication/writing.html] information on how to write clear text that can be understandable by anyone.
• WebAIM : Web Accessibility In Mind provide tools like Contrast checker to test text and background contrast
• Checklist - The A11Y Project a checklist using the WCAG to help you start verifying the accessibility status of your project.

Conclusion

Accessibility is not an option anymore ; it’s a necessity. It is important to go through all aspects from design to development, to make sure the product is both accessible and fair to all abilities, while also considering intersectional factors. Furthermore, the design process itself should be accessible, welcoming input from diverse groups of people to create inclusive digital experiences.

As technology moves forward, new accessibility challenges will emerge in areas like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI). Organization that prioritizes accessibility today, will be better positioned for a long-term innovation.

At Fujitsu, we are committed to designing future-proof and reliable products that are accessible to users. We can help your organization to adopt an accessibility-first approach while implementing advanced technologies, to build trust with your audiences, expand market opportunities and drive long-term success.

More information : https://www.fujitsu.com/lu/

Article by Fujitsu