Inclusive design checklist

A checklist for making digital content that everyone can see, use, and understand.

@userpsych

Making a digital experience accessible and inclusive isn’t just about ticking boxes for compliance—it’s about creating a space where everyone feels welcome and can engage fully. This guide breaks down essential steps to ensure your content is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust, making it usable for people of all abilities and needs. Beyond meeting standards like WCAG, it’s a way to show your commitment to putting users first.

  • Start with accessibility goals
    • Define specific accessibility outcomes to guide design and development.
  • Embed accessibility in design & development
    • Include accessibility at each stage to ensure it’s a core part of your process.
  • Prioritize testing across devices & tools
    • Test frequently with real devices, screen readers, and assistive technologies to validate accessibility.
  • Involve users of assistive technologies
    • Include users who rely on accessibility tools in testing to gain practical insights.
  • Maintain and update regularly
    • Schedule accessibility reviews and adapt as guidelines evolve to keep content accessible over time.
  • Document and share learnings
    • Keep records of accessibility insights and improvements to guide future projects and foster awareness.

Perceivable content

  • Text alternatives: Ensure all non-text content (e.g., images, icons) has descriptive alt text.
  • Audio & video: Include captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions for multimedia.
  • Text resize & contrast: Allow text to be resized without breaking layout and ensure contrast ratios meet WCAG 2.1 AA (minimum 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text).
  • Adaptable layouts: Use responsive design, enabling content to be displayed correctly on various devices and screen orientations.

Operable interfaces

  • Keyboard accessibility: Make sure all interactive elements (buttons, links, forms) are usable via keyboard.
  • Focus indicators: Clearly highlight focused elements, especially for users navigating via keyboard.
  • Time limits: Avoid time restrictions or provide an option to extend or disable them if they are necessary.
  • Flexible navigation: Implement multiple ways to navigate (e.g., search, menu, sitemap) to support diverse user needs.

Understandable information

  • Clear instructions: Offer clear, concise instructions for tasks (e.g., form fields).
  • Readable content: Use plain language and avoid jargon where possible.
  • Predictable behaviour: Ensure consistent design patterns, and avoid unexpected changes in context or navigation.
  • Error prevention & correction: Provide suggestions for correcting errors in forms, and offer confirmations before submitting irreversible actions.

Robust and compatible content

  • Standards compliance: Ensure compatibility with ARIA standards, using semantic HTML and ARIA roles where appropriate.
  • Browser & device compatibility: Test accessibility across multiple browsers and devices, including screen readers.
  • Error-free code: Validate HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to ensure clean code, reducing the likelihood of accessibility issues.
  • Assistive technology testing: Test using various screen readers, voice recognition tools, and other assistive devices.

Inclusive design considerations

  • Multiple input methods: Support different input methods (e.g., touch, stylus, keyboard, voice).
  • Colour & visual accessibility: Avoid using colour alone to convey information and consider colourblind-friendly design.
  • Multilingual options: If possible, provide translations and localised versions to cater to a diverse audience.

Content structuring

  • Headings and landmarks: Use correct heading structure (H1, H2, H3) and landmarks (e.g., nav, main) to help users navigate easily.
  • Lists and tables: Structure lists and tables properly, using appropriate tags for readability and screen reader support.

User experience best practices

  • Feedback and support: Offer real-time feedback, and provide accessible help resources (chat, email, or phone support).
  • Accessible documentation: Ensure any user guides or help articles meet accessibility standards.
  • User testing: Conduct usability testing with people who use assistive technologies to gain direct insights into their experience.

Compliance and certification

  • Follow regional standards: Adhere to additional local standards such as the ADA (U.S.), AODA (Canada), and EN 301 549 (EU).
  • Stay updated on WCAG: Implement WCAG 2.1 and plan for updates to WCAG 2.2 and 3.0 for future-proofing.
  • Regular audits and improvements: Periodically review and update accessibility as part of your product’s lifecycle.

In any project, it's important to adapt to the specific context at hand. The following provides a general guide on how to formulate/use this resource.

Making a digital experience accessible and inclusive isn’t just about ticking boxes for compliance—it’s about creating a space where everyone feels welcome and can engage fully. This guide breaks down essential steps to ensure your content is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust, making it usable for people of all abilities and needs. Beyond meeting standards like WCAG, it’s a way to show your commitment to putting users first.

  • Start with accessibility goals
    • Define specific accessibility outcomes to guide design and development.
  • Embed accessibility in design & development
    • Include accessibility at each stage to ensure it’s a core part of your process.
  • Prioritize testing across devices & tools
    • Test frequently with real devices, screen readers, and assistive technologies to validate accessibility.
  • Involve users of assistive technologies
    • Include users who rely on accessibility tools in testing to gain practical insights.
  • Maintain and update regularly
    • Schedule accessibility reviews and adapt as guidelines evolve to keep content accessible over time.
  • Document and share learnings
    • Keep records of accessibility insights and improvements to guide future projects and foster awareness.

Perceivable content

  • Text alternatives: Ensure all non-text content (e.g., images, icons) has descriptive alt text.
  • Audio & video: Include captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions for multimedia.
  • Text resize & contrast: Allow text to be resized without breaking layout and ensure contrast ratios meet WCAG 2.1 AA (minimum 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text).
  • Adaptable layouts: Use responsive design, enabling content to be displayed correctly on various devices and screen orientations.

Operable interfaces

  • Keyboard accessibility: Make sure all interactive elements (buttons, links, forms) are usable via keyboard.
  • Focus indicators: Clearly highlight focused elements, especially for users navigating via keyboard.
  • Time limits: Avoid time restrictions or provide an option to extend or disable them if they are necessary.
  • Flexible navigation: Implement multiple ways to navigate (e.g., search, menu, sitemap) to support diverse user needs.

Understandable information

  • Clear instructions: Offer clear, concise instructions for tasks (e.g., form fields).
  • Readable content: Use plain language and avoid jargon where possible.
  • Predictable behaviour: Ensure consistent design patterns, and avoid unexpected changes in context or navigation.
  • Error prevention & correction: Provide suggestions for correcting errors in forms, and offer confirmations before submitting irreversible actions.

Robust and compatible content

  • Standards compliance: Ensure compatibility with ARIA standards, using semantic HTML and ARIA roles where appropriate.
  • Browser & device compatibility: Test accessibility across multiple browsers and devices, including screen readers.
  • Error-free code: Validate HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to ensure clean code, reducing the likelihood of accessibility issues.
  • Assistive technology testing: Test using various screen readers, voice recognition tools, and other assistive devices.

Inclusive design considerations

  • Multiple input methods: Support different input methods (e.g., touch, stylus, keyboard, voice).
  • Colour & visual accessibility: Avoid using colour alone to convey information and consider colourblind-friendly design.
  • Multilingual options: If possible, provide translations and localised versions to cater to a diverse audience.

Content structuring

  • Headings and landmarks: Use correct heading structure (H1, H2, H3) and landmarks (e.g., nav, main) to help users navigate easily.
  • Lists and tables: Structure lists and tables properly, using appropriate tags for readability and screen reader support.

User experience best practices

  • Feedback and support: Offer real-time feedback, and provide accessible help resources (chat, email, or phone support).
  • Accessible documentation: Ensure any user guides or help articles meet accessibility standards.
  • User testing: Conduct usability testing with people who use assistive technologies to gain direct insights into their experience.

Compliance and certification

  • Follow regional standards: Adhere to additional local standards such as the ADA (U.S.), AODA (Canada), and EN 301 549 (EU).
  • Stay updated on WCAG: Implement WCAG 2.1 and plan for updates to WCAG 2.2 and 3.0 for future-proofing.
  • Regular audits and improvements: Periodically review and update accessibility as part of your product’s lifecycle.

Can you help make this resource better or contribute to UX Repo? Reach out on X.