Category: Accessibility

7 Tips for Successful Discoveries

Summary:  Discovery is challenging; it can be hard to know what to research, how to do discovery as a team, and how to get buy-in. Follow these 7 tips for smoother discovery efforts. Discovery is one of the most challenging parts of the design process because it’s filled with unknowns. The problem you want to… Continue reading 7 Tips for Successful Discoveries

Your Browser May Be Having a Secret Relationship with a Screen Reader

This is the final installment of my three-part saga on the technical details of how screen readers communicate with other software. Part 1 introduced accessibility APIs (application programming interfaces) and the accessibility tree, and Part 2 provided a history lesson of how screen readers learned to cope with graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Although I thought… Continue reading Your Browser May Be Having a Secret Relationship with a Screen Reader

Accessible Images For When They Matter Most

<div class=”logo”> <a href=”/” title=”Back to the homepage”> <picture> <source media=”(min-width: 1350px)” srcset=”…/images/logo-full.svg”> <img src=”…/images/logo/logo.svg” alt=”Smashing Magazine”> </picture> </a> </div> Hearing both the phrase “back to the homepage” and “Smashing Magazine” in one feature is OK since each phrase is unique and connected to a different purpose. For more complex alternative text phrases, conduct the… Continue reading Accessible Images For When They Matter Most

European Accessibility Act (EAA) – Kiosks, touch screens and physical devices

Issues I face personally I’ll begin with some personal experiences. I use a wheelchair, and face issues with reaching devices all the time. Here are some photos I’ve taken when grocery shopping! By the way, if you’re just looking for what the actual law says, skip ahead to What are the actual requirements? This is… Continue reading European Accessibility Act (EAA) – Kiosks, touch screens and physical devices

How to make interactive charts accessible

Interactive charts can transform data into compelling stories, offering valuable insights at a glance. But what happens when these visual tools are inaccessible to those with visual impairments? In this post, we’ll show you how to ensure your interactive charts are accessible to all users, regardless of their abilities. Before digging deeper, let’s establish what… Continue reading How to make interactive charts accessible

UX Conference December Announced (Dec 7 – Dec 13)

  How will the Virtual Event work? Meetings will take place using the video conferencing tool Zoom, collaboration tools (such as group document editing and whiteboarding tools), and the social discussion tool Slack. You’ll also be able to use Slack before, during, and after the event to participate in social events and network with other… Continue reading UX Conference December Announced (Dec 7 – Dec 13)

School to Prison Pipeline is Still Very Real – and Impacts Hundreds of Thousands of Disabled Students

According to the NCD (National Council on Disability) Report Issued on School-to-Prison Pipeline, 85% of incarcerated youth have learning and/or emotional disabilities. As a result, these kids leave school in far higher numbers than their non-disabled peers and are at far greater risk of incarceration. The heartbreak of so much unrealized human potential is tragic… Continue reading School to Prison Pipeline is Still Very Real – and Impacts Hundreds of Thousands of Disabled Students

Accessible SVGs – Perfect Patterns For Screen Reader Users

While Scalable Vector Graphics (SVGs) were first introduced in the late 90s, they have seen a massive resurgence in popularity in the last decade due to their extreme flexibility, high fidelity, and relative lightness in a world where bandwidth and performance matter more than ever. Advancements in JavaScript and the introduction of CSS media queries… Continue reading Accessible SVGs – Perfect Patterns For Screen Reader Users

Introducing the new axe DevTools Extension’s User Flow Analysis feature

Today, we’re announcing the beta release of User Flow Analysis, a new feature of the axe DevTools Extension that lets you test entire customer journeys and create a single report with accessibility issues automatically deduplicated. Try it now: New users can sign up for a 14-day free trial, expired trial users can reactivate, and customers… Continue reading Introducing the new axe DevTools Extension’s User Flow Analysis feature

7 Tips for Memorable and Easy-to-Understand Imagery

Summary:  A few relevant, high-quality visuals placed next to associated text can boost users’ comprehension of your content and its memorability. When implemented strategically, visuals can enhance users’ ability to understand and remember products. Here are seven best practices for memorable visuals. #1 Choose or Create Relevant Visuals Visuals exist alongside other content, and users… Continue reading 7 Tips for Memorable and Easy-to-Understand Imagery

Designing Accessible Color Palettes in Figma: A Guide for Web Accessibility

In today’s digital age, creating inclusive designs that cater to all users is paramount. Accessibility in web design ensures that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can access and interact with digital content seamlessly. One crucial aspect of accessible design is color contrast, which plays a significant role in making content legible for all users, including… Continue reading Designing Accessible Color Palettes in Figma: A Guide for Web Accessibility

Deque adds IntelliJ and WebStorm plugins to axe DevTools Linter

We’ve just tripled our Integrated Development Environment (IDE) support! In addition to a VS Code extension, Deque now offers axe DevTools Linter as a plugin for paid IntelliJ IDEA and WebStorm editions. A quick refresher on axe DevTools Linter Axe DevTools Linter is a powerful tool for your software development team. We provide a mini-linting-toolbox… Continue reading Deque adds IntelliJ and WebStorm plugins to axe DevTools Linter

Distinguishing between ARIA and native HTML attributes

As a developer, you want to create more inclusive and accessible digital experiences for your users. Great! It’s possible, however, that you might be feeling a bit confused or overwhelmed by the element attributes that can affect the usability for users of assistive technology. ARIA (or WAI-ARIA, Web Accessibility Initiative-Accessible Rich Internet Applications) defines some… Continue reading Distinguishing between ARIA and native HTML attributes

Deque’s fourth annual axe-con does it again with nearly 30k digital accessibility champions in attendance

Axe-con is a digital accessibility conference that took place virtually February 20-22, 2024. Over 75 experts from companies such as Adobe, ADP, Amazon, GitHub, Hilton, HSBC, PNC, Proctor and Gamble, Ubisoft, and more shared their expertise on what it takes to build and expand upon digital accessibility efforts in this rapidly expanding space. During the… Continue reading Deque’s fourth annual axe-con does it again with nearly 30k digital accessibility champions in attendance

Design Systems Teams: Understand Your Users So They Can Serve Theirs

Welcome to the next edition of my Design Strategy blog series. Today, I’ll be sharing a story from some recent client visits that will help y’all recognize WHY you should do things differently to mature and scale your digital accessibility program quickly. I will once again skip the “how-to” dry laundry lists of tactical “do… Continue reading Design Systems Teams: Understand Your Users So They Can Serve Theirs

Making Waves in India 2023: Why Accessibility Deserves a Spot on Tech Giants’ Radar

India has a new rising economy that is catching everybody’s attention with its development, innovation, and growth. But we won’t be talking about what’s out there on the internet. We will be diving deep into a topic that’s making waves and deserves a prime spot on the radar of tech giants – Web Accessibility. Now,… Continue reading Making Waves in India 2023: Why Accessibility Deserves a Spot on Tech Giants’ Radar

1 Billion Downloads later, axe-core is the source of truth for automated digital accessibility testing

Open-source digital accessibility testing rules library axe-core achieves incredible milestone HERNDON, VA – Dec 5, 2023 –  Today, Deque Systems, the trusted leader in digital accessibility, marked an important landmark in accessibility history with its open-source accessibility rules library, axe-core, surpassing 1 billion downloads. “We’re incredibly proud and fortunate for so many reasons; the community… Continue reading 1 Billion Downloads later, axe-core is the source of truth for automated digital accessibility testing

3 Common Color Accessibility Issues One Can Easily Avoid

Color is often used to evoke emotions and emphasis. That’s one of the reasons why designers see color as an important element in their work. Colors communicate messages on both psychological and visual level. The importance of color is undeniable, but is basing the message solely on color the right thing to do? This post… Continue reading 3 Common Color Accessibility Issues One Can Easily Avoid

Name/Role/Value – Whose Role Is It Anyway?

Welcome to the next edition of my Design Strategy blog series. Today, I’m sharing a client story with the hope that y’all will focus on thinking about WHY you should do things differently so that your program can rapidly mature and scale quickly. I will once again skip the “how-to” article formula and dry laundry… Continue reading Name/Role/Value – Whose Role Is It Anyway?

Housing, It’s a Human Right (Part 3)

A 3-Part Series on the digital accessibility of the housing process experienced by people with disabilities. In this 3-part series, we will look at the challenges and rewards of the entire experience surrounding the process of acquiring housing for people who live with a disability.  We will look at: Buying an existing home Leasing an… Continue reading Housing, It’s a Human Right (Part 3)

Housing, It’s a Human Right (Part 2)

A 3-Part Series on the digital accessibility of the housing process experienced by people with disabilities. In this 3-part series, we will look at the challenges and rewards of the entire experience surrounding the process of acquiring housing for people who live with a disability.  We will look at: Buying an existing home Leasing an… Continue reading Housing, It’s a Human Right (Part 2)

Enhancing Accessibility with AI and ML

There has been a lot of buzz recently about Artificial Intelligence, with some people speculating that we are approaching the long-awaited AI revolution. This hype has been chiefly generated by recent advanced algorithms powering ChatGPT and other language-related models. While I believe that these models are still a far cry from general AI (AI which… Continue reading Enhancing Accessibility with AI and ML

Give Your Site Some Focus! Tips for Designing Useful and Usable Focus Indicators

What Are Focus Indicators? Have you ever noticed the blue outlines that sometimes show up around buttons or form fields? What about when you click on a menu item? Have you ever tried to make those outlines disappear? Here’s a hint: by default, browsers use the :focus css pseudo class to give outlines to form… Continue reading Give Your Site Some Focus! Tips for Designing Useful and Usable Focus Indicators