In today’s digital landscape, creating inclusive and accessible designs is not negociable. As designers, it is our responsibility to ensure that our creations can be accessed and understood by everyone, including individuals with disabilities. One powerful tool that can help in achieving accessibility is Figma.

Understanding Accessibility

Accessibility refers to the practice of designing and developing digital products and services that can be used by people with disabilities. It involves considering various impairments such as visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive disabilities. By creating accessible designs, we can provide a more inclusive and equal experience for all users.

Figma’s Accessibility Components

Color Contrast Checker

Color contrast is so important for ensuring readability, especially for users with visual impairments. Figma includes a built-in color contrast checker that allows designers to evaluate the contrast between text and background colors. According to WCAG 2.1 standards, the minimum contrast ratio for normal text (smaller than 18pt or 14pt if bold) against its background should be 4.5:1. For large text (18pt or 14pt if bold), the minimum contrast ratio should be 3:1. Let’s consider an example:

<style>
  .content {
    color: #333333;
    background-color: #FFFFFF;
  }
</style>

<div class="content">
  <p>This is an example of accessible text with proper color contrast.</p>
</div>

Auto Layout and Responsive Design

Responsive design plays a significant role in creating accessible experiences across different devices and screen sizes. Figma’s Auto Layout feature enables designers to create flexible and responsive designs that adapt to various screen sizes, orientations, and content changes. This ensures that the interface remains usable and accessible, regardless of the device being used. Let’s take a look at an example:

<div class="header">
  <h1>Responsive Website</h1>
  <nav>
    <a href="#">Home</a>
    <a href="#">About</a>
    <a href="#">Contact</a>
  </nav>
</div>

Component Variants

Component variants in Figma allow designers to create reusable design elements with different states or variations. This is particularly useful for creating accessible interactive elements such as buttons, checkboxes, and dropdowns. By providing variants for different states, we can ensure that the interactive elements are properly styled and accessible. Here’s an example of a button component with different states:

<button class="primary">Submit</button>
<button class="primary disabled">Submit</button>
<button class="secondary">Cancel</button>

Accessibility Insights Plugin

Figma’s Accessibility Insights plugin is a powerful tool that helps identify and fix accessibility issues directly within the design process. The plugin scans the design for potential accessibility violations, such as missing alt text on images, improper heading structure, or incorrect color contrast. It provides valuable insights to ensure that the design meets accessibility standards. Let’s consider an example:

<img src="image.jpg" alt="A person using a smartphone">

Best Practices for Accessible Design in Figma

Use Semantic Markup

When designing user interfaces, utilize semantic HTML elements to provide meaningful structure and context. Use proper heading tags (e.g., h1, h2) to create a hierarchical structure, and employ lists (e.g., ul, ol) for organized content. This allows assistive technologies to understand and navigate the interface more effectively. Here’s an example:

<h1>Page Title</h1>
<nav>
  <ul>
    <li><a href="#">Menu Item 1</a></li>
    <li><a href="#">Menu Item 2</a></li>
    <li><a href="#">Menu Item 3</a></li>
  </ul>
</nav>

Add Alternative Text to Images

Always include descriptive alt text for images to provide an equivalent text alternative for users who cannot see the visuals. Alt text should be concise, descriptive, and convey the purpose or content of the image. This ensures that users with visual impairments can understand the information conveyed by the images. For instance:

<img src="graphic.png" alt="Illustration of teamwork">

Ensure Keyboard Accessibility

Design interfaces that can be easily navigated using a keyboard alone. This means ensuring that all interactive elements, such as buttons and links, can be accessed and activated using keyboard inputs. Proper focus states and keyboard navigation order contribute to a more accessible user experience. Here’s an example:

<button>Click Me</button>

Provide Clear and Concise Instructions

When designing forms or complex interactions, provide clear and concise instructions to assist users in completing tasks. Use descriptive labels, error messages, and tooltips to guide users through the interface. This helps users with cognitive disabilities or those using assistive technologies to understand and interact with the interface more effectively. Let’s consider an example:

<label for="name">Name:</label>
<input type="text" id="name">

Test with Assistive Technologies

Regularly test your designs with assistive technologies such as screen readers and keyboard-only navigation. This will help you identify any accessibility issues and make necessary adjustments to improve the user experience. By putting yourself in the shoes of users with disabilities, you can gain valuable insights and ensure that your designs are truly accessible.

By following these accessibility practices and leveraging Figma’s accessibility components, we can create designs that are inclusive, usable, and accessible to all users. Prioritizing accessibility not only benefits individuals with disabilities but also enhances the overall user experience for everyone.