Accessibility: Best Practices in Digital Product Code

12 Minutes of reading.

Por Redacción Aguayo

Discover how to improve the accessibility of your digital products through best practices in code. Learn strategies and tools to ensure an inclusive experience for all users.

Accesibility-ux — **CAPTION:** Photo taken from Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Introduction to Accessibility in Digital Product Development

Accessibility in digital product development is a fundamental aspect to ensure that all individuals, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities, can use and access information effectively. In this digital age where much of our interactions and transactions take place online, it is essential that digital products are accessible to all.

Importance of Accessibility in Digital Products

Accessibility in digital products is not only about complying with legal or regulatory requirements, but also about providing an inclusive and equitable experience to all users. By ensuring that people with disabilities can access and use digital products effectively, equality of opportunity is promoted, and the audience reach is expanded.

Benefits of Accessibility in Digital Product Development

Improving accessibility in digital product development brings a number of benefits for both users and businesses:

Audience Expansion: By making digital products accessible to people with disabilities, the market is opened to a broader segment of the population, resulting in an increase in the user base and greater business opportunities.
Regulatory Compliance: Compliance with accessibility standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) not only helps to avoid potential discrimination lawsuits but also demonstrates the company's commitment to inclusion and social responsibility.
Enhanced User Experience: Greater accessibility leads to a better user experience for everyone, not just those with disabilities. Features designed to improve accessibility, such as good color contrast or clear navigation, can benefit all users by making the interface more intuitive and easy to use.
Brand Reputation: Being perceived as a company that values accessibility and inclusion can enhance brand reputation and generate greater loyalty among existing and potential customers.

Importance of Accessibility in Digital Product Development

Accessibility should be considered from the early stages of digital product development, integrating it into the design and coding process. By taking a proactive approach to accessibility, companies can avoid costly rework and ensure that products are accessible from the outset.

In summary, accessibility in digital product development is essential for promoting inclusion, expanding the audience, and enhancing the user experience. By prioritizing accessibility from the outset and adopting best development practices, companies can create digital products that are accessible to all.

Fundamental Principles of Accessibility in the Code

Accessibility in the code of digital products is essential to ensure that all people can use and access them effectively, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities. Below are some of the fundamental principles to consider when developing accessible code:

Proper HTML semantics: The proper use of semantic HTML tags is crucial for accessibility. This involves using appropriate tags to structure content, such as <header>, <nav>, <main>, <article>, <section>, <aside>, and <footer>. These tags not only help users with visual impairments understand the content structure but also improve indexing and interpretation of content by search engines.
Proper use of ARIA attributes: ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes allow developers to add additional accessibility information to HTML elements, especially those that do not have clear semantics. It is important to use ARIA attributes appropriately and consistently to enhance the accessibility of digital products.
Adequate color contrast: Color contrast is crucial to ensure that text is readable for all people, including those with visual impairments or difficulties seeing. Color combinations that make reading difficult should be avoided, and adequate contrast between text and background should be ensured.
Keyboard accessibility: It is important to ensure that all functionalities of a digital product are accessible via the keyboard, as many people with motor disabilities rely solely on the keyboard to navigate the web. This involves ensuring that all interactive elements are navigable and accessible via the "Tab" key and providing clear visual feedback on keyboard focus.
Progressive enhancement: The progressive enhancement approach involves designing and developing digital products so that they work correctly across a wide range of devices and browsers, including those with limited capabilities or assistive technologies. This means using technologies and techniques that are backward-compatible and ensuring graceful degradation in case some features are not supported.
Comprehensive testing: It is essential to conduct comprehensive accessibility testing throughout the development process to identify and address potential accessibility barriers. This includes manual testing with assistive technologies such as screen readers and keyboard navigation devices, as well as using automated accessibility evaluation tools.

Tools and Resources to Evaluate Code Accessibility

Evaluating code accessibility is essential to ensure that digital products are inclusive and can be used by all people, regardless of their abilities. There are various tools and resources available that can help developers assess code accessibility and identify potential issues. Below are some of the most popular tools and useful resources for this purpose:

Lighthouse: Lighthouse is an open-source tool developed by Google that allows evaluating the overall quality of a website, including its accessibility. This tool performs automatic audits and provides specific recommendations to improve code accessibility, such as fixing color contrast issues, ensuring that HTML tags are properly structured, and ensuring that interactive elements are keyboard accessible.
Axe DevTools: Axe DevTools is a browser extension developed by Deque Systems that provides tools for evaluating code accessibility directly in the browser. This extension allows real-time accessibility audits of a web page and offers detailed suggestions for fixing accessibility issues.
Wave Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool: Wave is a free online tool that allows scanning web pages for potential accessibility issues. This tool highlights elements that may present accessibility barriers and provides suggestions for fixing them. Wave also offers a simple user interface that makes it easy to understand identified accessibility issues.
Pa11y: Pa11y is an open-source tool that allows performing accessibility tests on websites and web applications automatically. Pa11y can be easily integrated into development workflows and provides detailed reports on found accessibility issues, along with suggestions for fixing them.
Screen Readers: Screen readers are essential tools for evaluating code accessibility for people with visual impairments. Software like NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) and VoiceOver (built into Apple devices) allows users to navigate web content using only the keyboard and hear descriptions of the content read aloud. Developers can use screen readers to test navigation and understand how their code is interpreted by users with visual impairments.
WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines): The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are a set of guidelines developed by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) that provide criteria for improving web content accessibility. Developers can use WCAG as a reference to evaluate the accessibility of their code and ensure it meets internationally recognized accessibility standards.

Practical Improvements in Coding to Improve Accessibility

Improving accessibility in the code of digital products is essential to ensure that all people, regardless of their abilities, can access and use content effectively. Below are some best practices in coding to improve accessibility:

Semantic use of HTML: Using HTML semantically is crucial to improve the accessibility of a website or application. This involves using appropriate HTML elements for their intended purpose, such as header tags (<h1> - <h6>), paragraph tags (<p>), lists (<ul>, <ol>, <li>), and other semantic elements like <nav>, <main>, <article>, etc. Proper use of these elements not only enhances content comprehension for users but also facilitates navigation for those using assistive technologies.
Accessibility attributes: Using accessibility attributes in HTML elements is an important practice to enhance the user experience for people with disabilities. Some common attributes include "alt" for image descriptions, "aria-label" to provide custom labels to interactive elements, "aria-hidden" to hide elements that are not relevant for accessibility, among others. These attributes help assistive technologies interpret the content correctly and provide an enhanced user experience.
Color contrast: Proper color contrast is crucial to ensure that content is readable for all users, including those with visual impairments or vision difficulties. It is important to ensure that there is sufficient contrast between text and background for it to be easily readable. Accessibility guidelines recommend a minimum of 4.5:1 for the contrast between normal text and background. Using color contrast checking tools can help identify and address contrast issues in design.
Keyboard and navigation: Ensuring that all functions of a website or application are accessible via the keyboard is essential for users who cannot use a mouse or other input devices. This involves ensuring that all interactive elements are focusable and actionable using only the tab key and other shortcut keys. Additionally, it is important to provide clear visual indications of the current focus and maintain a logical tab order for smooth navigation.
Accessibility testing: Regularly conducting accessibility testing during the development and maintenance of a digital product is crucial to identify and address potential accessibility issues. This may involve using automated accessibility evaluation tools as well as manual testing performed by people with disabilities to assess the actual user experience. The combination of automated tools and manual testing can help ensure that the product is truly accessible to all users.

Strategies to Integrate Accessibility into the Development Process

Integrating accessibility into the development process of digital products is essential to ensure that accessibility standards are met and inclusive experiences are provided for all users. Below are some effective strategies for integrating accessibility into the development process:

Awareness and training: It is crucial that all members of the development team are aware of the importance of accessibility and are trained in best practices for its implementation. This may include training sessions on accessibility guidelines, demonstrations of accessibility evaluation tools, and hands-on exercises in accessible coding.
Incorporating accessibility from the outset: Accessibility should be considered from the early stages of the development process, from planning through design and implementation. By integrating accessibility from the beginning, accessibility issues can be identified and addressed more effectively and cost-efficiently.
Establishing accessibility standards: It is important to establish clear and specific accessibility standards within the development team. These standards may include guidelines for accessible coding, criteria for accessibility evaluation, and requirements for compliance with internationally recognized accessibility standards such as the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).
Continuous accessibility testing: Integrating accessibility testing continuously throughout the development cycle allows for timely identification and correction of accessibility issues. This may include conducting automated accessibility audits, manual testing by users with disabilities, and design and code reviews by the accessibility team.
Multidisciplinary collaboration: Promoting collaboration among different teams, including designers, developers, accessibility testers, and users with disabilities, is critical to ensuring effective implementation of accessibility. By working together, teams can proactively identify and address accessibility issues at all stages of the development process.
Feedback and continuous improvement: Regularly collecting and analyzing feedback from users with disabilities and other stakeholders helps identify areas for improvement in accessibility and drive continuous evolution of the development process. This feedback can be used to adjust accessibility standards and practices, as well as prioritize improvements in future iterations of the product.

Testing and Validation of Accessibility in Code

Testing and validation of accessibility in code are critical stages in the development process of accessible digital products. These tests ensure that the code complies with accessibility standards and that users with disabilities can access and use the product effectively. Below are some strategies and tools for conducting accessibility testing and validation in code:

Automated evaluation tools: There are numerous automated evaluation tools that can help identify potential accessibility issues in the code. These tools scan the code for violations of accessibility guidelines and provide detailed reports on the issues found. Some of the most popular tools include Axe, Wave, Lighthouse, and Pa11y.
Manual testing: In addition to automated tools, it is important to conduct manual testing to validate the accessibility of the code. Manual testing allows for detecting issues that automated tools may overlook and evaluating the actual user experience for people with disabilities. This may include keyboard navigation testing, color contrast verification, screen reader testing, and navigation testing with screen readers.
Standards compliance verification: It is crucial to verify that the code complies with internationally recognized accessibility standards such as the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). The WCAG provide detailed guidelines on how to make web content accessible to people with disabilities and are widely accepted as the accessibility standard in the industry. It is important to ensure that the code follows these guidelines to ensure an inclusive user experience.
Cross-browser validation testing: Performing cross-browser validation testing on different browsers and devices is crucial to ensure that the product is accessible to all users, regardless of the device or assistive technology they use. This may include testing on desktop browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, as well as on mobile devices and tablets with different operating systems and accessibility settings.
Collaboration with users with disabilities: Involving users with disabilities in the testing and validation process is essential to ensure a truly inclusive user experience. These users can provide valuable feedback on the accessibility of the product and help identify potential issues that may have been overlooked during development. Feedback from users with disabilities is essential for improving the accessibility of the product and ensuring that their needs and expectations are met.

Accessibility Considerations on Different Platforms and Technologies

Accessibility considerations vary depending on the platform and technology used in the development of digital products. It is important to understand how different platforms and technologies impact accessibility and what measures can be taken to ensure an inclusive experience for all users.

Web: In the case of web applications, accessibility considerations often focus on meeting web accessibility guidelines such as the WCAG. This involves ensuring that HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code is structured accessibly, that user interface elements are operable via keyboard, that there is sufficient color contrast for readability, and that textual alternatives are provided for non-text content such as images and multimedia.
Mobile applications: For mobile applications, it is important to consider accessibility on both iOS and Android platforms. On iOS, this may involve using built-in accessibility features such as VoiceOver and Magnifier, and ensuring that the user interface is compatible with zoom mode and high-contrast mode. On Android, similar techniques can be applied, such as using TalkBack and implementing accessibility settings in the user interface.
Desktop platforms: Desktop applications must also be accessible to people with disabilities. This may include providing keyboard shortcuts for easy navigation, ensuring that the user interface is compatible with screen readers, and offering user interface customization options to accommodate individual user needs.
Emerging technologies: With the advent of new technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), there is also a need to consider accessibility on these platforms. For example, in VR applications, it is important to ensure that controls are accessible and that visual information can be interpreted audibly for users with visual impairments.
IoT devices: Internet of Things (IoT) devices must also be accessible to people with disabilities. This may involve providing intuitive and accessible user interfaces, as well as alternative control options for those who cannot interact with devices in a traditional manner.

Conclusions and Recommendations to Promote Accessibility in the Development of Digital Products

Accessibility in digital product development is crucial to ensure that all individuals, regardless of their abilities or disabilities, can access and use products effectively. In this chapter, we will summarize the main conclusions and provide recommendations to promote accessibility in digital product development.

Conclusions:

Importance of accessibility: Accessibility is a fundamental aspect of inclusive and user-centered design. Ensuring that digital products are accessible not only meets legal and ethical requirements but also extends the product's reach to a wider audience and enhances the user experience for everyone.
Positive impact on society: Promoting accessibility in digital product development has a positive impact on society as a whole by enabling people with disabilities to fully participate in the digital life, access education and employment opportunities, and engage in the online community.
Business benefits: In addition to meeting accessibility standards, businesses can benefit by improving customer satisfaction, increasing user retention, enhancing brand reputation, and complying with legal and regulatory requirements related to accessibility.
User-centered approach: The key to developing digitally accessible products lies in adopting a user-centered approach from the early stages of the development process. Listening to the needs and experiences of users with disabilities and designing solutions that address their challenges is essential for success.
Multidisciplinary collaboration: Promoting accessibility requires close collaboration among different teams and disciplines, including designers, developers, accessibility testers, product managers, and stakeholders. Working together from the outset can ensure that accessibility is effectively integrated throughout the development process.

Recommendations:

Education and awareness: Provide training and awareness on accessibility to all members of the development team so they understand the importance of designing digitally accessible products and how to do so effectively.
Use of tools and standards: Use accessibility evaluation tools and follow recognized standards, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), to ensure that digital products meet accessibility requirements.
User involvement: Involve users with disabilities in all stages of the development process, from planning and design to testing and implementation, to ensure that their needs and experiences are considered and addressed appropriately.
Thorough testing: Conduct comprehensive accessibility testing at all stages of development, using a combination of automated and manual methods, as well as testing with real users with disabilities.
Iteration and continuous improvement: Adopt an iterative approach to accessibility, identifying areas for improvement over time and making adjustments as needed to ensure that digital products become increasingly accessible and user-centered.