When discussing accessibility, the consequence of risking revenue dollars is often mentioned. Yes, every business wants revenue dollars behind its products and services. However, they’re overlooking a simple point: accessibility enhances the overall functionality and appearance of your digital experiences.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, the latest WCAG version, and the European Accessibility Act (EAA) are both related to accessibility and are essential for organizations to comply with. WCAG 2.2 is considered the best way to future-proof a business and comply with the EAA for three key reasons:
Alignment with EN 301 549 | WCAG 2.2 AA conformance ensures that digital products meet European accessibility and U.S.-based legal requirements. |
Enhanced user experience | Accessibility improvements benefit all users, not just those with disabilities. |
Future-proofing | WCAG 2.2 integrates requirements from previous versions of WCAG and accounts for new obstacles and considerations. |
[Learn more about the five disability categories in our Guide to European Accessibility Act Compliance.]
5 steps to achieve compliance
Conduct comprehensive accessibility audits and remediate. Do a manual assessment with the assistive technologies to pinpoint accessibility issues.
Supply role-based training to all relevant teams. Be your experts and work together to build knowledge around accessibility in-house!
Test across devices during development and testing. Different mobile devices have different configurations. Testing on one device does not ensure the accessibility for other devices.
Partner with accessibility experts. In addition to increasing accessibility knowledge within your own team, hire consultants to help point you in the right direction! Also, take the initiative and stay current on the latest accessibility news.
Maintain production, monitor remediation progress, and iterate to improve your accessibility program and processes. Start with accessibility - don’t treat it as a last step.
16 Helpful Accessibility Tips to Know
Design and Display
Designing with accessibility in mind is essential to ensure that all users, including those with disabilities, can effectively engage with your content.
Don't rely solely on color to convey information. Use text labels or patterns in addition to color.
If you choose color, maintain a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 between text and background.
Choose legible, such as Sans-serif fonts, of at least 16px.
Allow users to adjust text size without breaking the layout.
Ensure navigation is consistent across the app.
See how Airbnb ensures users can enlarge text size without breaking functionality.
Touch Targets
Touch targets are the areas of a screen that respond to user input, such as a tap or click, to interact with a specific element. Think of someone with a hand tremor who needs to use a mouse to click on a page number, for instance—increasing the spacing wouldn’t necessarily help as much as increasing the target size.
Ensure touch targets (e.g., buttons and links) are at least 44x44 pixels
Pointer inputs should be 24x24 pixels minimum.
Ensure touch targets are spaced far enough apart to prevent mis-taps
Provide visual and tactile feedback for touch interactions
For instance, a target should be clickable using the thumbpad, not the tip.
Screen Reader Compatibility
A screen reader is a software application that transforms visual content on a computer screen into spoken words or braille.
Use headings to help convey structure.
Use a consistent layout to keep viewers oriented with navigation from page to page.
Provide descriptive labels for all interactive elements, images, and icons.
Avoid communicating important information through images alone.
Ensure text is readable over images or video backgrounds.
Visual Elements
Rely more on text than images to communicate your information.
Include alt text (<img…alt=” alternative text”/>) descriptions for all images.
Every element should have an accurate content description that TalkBack reads aloud.
For a complete guide to mobile accessibility testing, check out our guide.
Automated testing tools to help you get started
The EU's aging population may struggle with vision and hearing loss, and the WHO estimates nearly 1.3 billion people globally have significant disabilities. WCAG principles guide organizations in creating accessible websites and apps with EAA compliance based on WCAG 2.2.
While perfect accessibility is nearly impossible, improving digital experiences is an ongoing journey, with automation being key. Sauce Labs and Deque have partnered to provide comprehensive and accurate accessibility testing at scale. It entails:
Mobile Accessibility Leadership - Sauce Labs’ extensive range of real Android/ iOS devices combined with Deque’s axe DevTools® Mobile can be leveraged by customers to get the most accurate accessibility scanning with a target of zero false positives.
Enterprise-Grade Scalability and Security—Sauce Labs' highly secure and scalable platform allows users to effortlessly scale test automation through parallel testing across real devices/ browsers while efficiently running accessibility scans with Deque as part of the same workflow.
Actionable Results and Remediation Guidance—Teams get actionable insights to resolve accessibility issues quickly. They also benefit from detailed remediation advice directly aligned with WCAG standards, including code samples and ‘remaining testing checklists.’
Unmatched Accuracy and Compliance—Deque’s deep expertise in WCAG and accessibility standards extends into the Sauce Labs integration, ensuring the most accurate compliance, an essential requirement for adhering to regulations like the EAA.
For a full demo on manual and automated browser testing, as well as mobile device testing, check out the video below:
