How to Build Accessibility into Your Design System

To ensure accessibility is seamlessly integrated into your design system, it should be considered at every stage of production—from the system’s overall framework to every component and pattern included. Here’s a breakdown of how to achieve this:

Colour Palette

Start by ensuring the colour combinations in your design system meet sufficient contrast requirements for both textual and non-textual content, such as text, graphics, diagrams, and interactive components. Adopting clear visual guidelines serves as a foundation for all other design elements.

Use tools that follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 contrast success criteria (specifically 1.4.3 and 1.4.11) which can help identify the best background and foreground colour pairings.

Typography

Selecting the right font for your digital projects can be challenging, as not all fonts are designed with accessibility in mind. Focus on fonts with legible features, such as clear character shapes, appropriate sizes, proper spacing, and balanced kerning.

Avoid fonts that are overly decorative, written in all uppercase letters, or have strokes that are too thin or too thick, as these can hinder readability.

Iconography

Icons are not always universally understood, especially when they imply an action, such as a menu item. To prevent confusion, pair icons with visible text whenever possible. This ensures users can easily understand their purpose and avoid misinterpretation.

Text and Content

Text matters—whether it’s in a link, an alternative text, or a button label. Content creators must convey the right tone and messaging while also providing critical information for screen reader users.

Links

Creating a descriptive link text can be an art. The destination of the link should be clear, ideally using the page title. If linking to a document, specify the format and size of the file (e.g., “Download PDF 2MB”) to provide all users relevant information about the document.

Images

Informative images, which convey relevant information, must include alternative text. This can be added in the code or as visible adjacent text. For images that are also links, the accompanying text should describe both the image and the destination of the link.

Custom Interactive Components

Interactive elements, such as buttons, must include descriptive text that clearly communicates their function. For instance, a button’s label should specify its purpose, whether it’s “Modify Address” or “Start Download.”

Naming and Usage of Components

A design system’s primary goal is to clarify how components should be used. Proper naming conventions help users understand the purpose of each component. For example, differentiating between buttons and links:

A link navigates to another page or document.
A button activates a function or triggers an action.

Each component should also include a dedicated section detailing accessibility considerations, including development and user experience guidelines. Documenting expected keyboard interactions and screen reader behaviour will further assist users in understanding how the components work.

Testing and Validation

Once components are created, user testing is essential. It will either validate the accessibility of the components or identify areas for improvement.

Accessibility of the Design System Itself

Finally, ensure the design system itself is accessible. At a minimum, it should comply with the same accessibility standards as the components it documents.