How to Design Accessible Websites: A Step-by-Step Guide for Designers

Introduction

Every designer I know genuinely cares about users. They never say, “I don’t care if someone can’t read this text.” Yet, despite good intentions, many websites still exclude people. Why? Because there’s simply too much to remember. Between usability principles, visual trends, and accessibility guidelines, designers can easily overlook critical details. This guide turns the problem on its head: instead of forcing designers to memorize everything, we’ll use a simple heuristic to recognize accessibility issues during the design process. By the end, you’ll have a repeatable method to make your work inclusive without adding cognitive overload.

What You Need

• Basic knowledge of web design (wireframes, mockups, prototypes)
• Familiarity with Jakob Nielsen’s 10 Usability Heuristics (especially #6 “Recognition rather than Recall”)
• Access to a design tool (Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or even paper and pen)
• A checklist or reference card (optional, but helpful)
• Understanding that accessibility impacts life events (e.g., missing a bus to see a dying grandmother)

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Reframe Accessibility as Life-or-Death

Before diving into techniques, internalize one fact: inclusive design can affect life events and death events. As Aral Balkan writes in “This Is All There Is,” even a bus timetable app matters: poor design might cause someone to miss a daughter’s birthday or the chance to say goodbye to a dying grandmother. This isn’t hyperbole—it’s a reminder that every design choice has real-world consequences. Start each project by asking, “Could this interaction, if broken, harm someone’s life?” That question will keep you focused.

Step 2: Identify Common Exclusion Points

Designs exclude people when they assume a single “normal” user. Remember:

• Not everyone sees perfectly (low vision, color blindness)
• Not everyone hears perfectly (deafness, hearing aids)
• Not everyone thinks the same way (cognitive disabilities, neurodiversity)
• Not everyone moves the same way (motor impairments, temporary injuries)

During your design process, deliberately test your work against these four categories. For each element—text contrast, button size, audio cues, navigation logic—ask: “Would this work for someone who is blind/deaf/has ADHD/uses a keyboard only?” If you can’t answer yes, you’ve found an accessibility gap.

Step 3: Apply the “Recognition Rather Than Recall” Heuristic for Designers

Jakob Nielsen’s sixth heuristic states that users should not have to remember information from one part of the interface to another. We can flip this heuristic to help us as designers: the information required to produce the design should be visible or easily retrievable when needed. Instead of trying to memorize every WCAG guideline, make accessibility cues part of your design environment. For example:

• Pin a contrast ratio calculator next to your color palette.
• Add a note in your design file: “Check all images for alt text.”
• Create a reusable template with pre-set accessible styles (e.g., 4.5:1 contrast, 16px min font size).

By retrieving accessibility data when you’re actually designing, you reduce mental load and catch issues early.

Step 4: Use a Modified Heuristic Checklist

Take Nielsen’s 10 Heuristics and add an accessibility lens to each one. Here’s a sample modification for three heuristics:

1. Visibility of system status: Are loading indicators also perceivable by screen readers?
2. Match between system and the real world: Does your language avoid jargon that might confuse people with cognitive disabilities?
3. User control and freedom: Can users undo actions with both mouse and keyboard?

Print or pin this modified list next to your workstation. When you finish a wireframe or prototype, run through the list quickly. If something doesn’t match, fix it immediately—don’t wait for a later review.

Step 5: Build Accessibility Checks into Your Workflow

Designing inclusively isn’t a one-time step; it’s a habit. Integrate these three practices into your daily routine:

• Before you start: Review the project’s accessibility requirements (e.g., WCAG 2.1 AA) and set up your design system with accessible defaults.
• During design: Actively use “Recognition rather than Recall”—place accessibility notes, color-contrast warnings, and alt-text reminders directly in your artboards.
• After finishing: Run automated tools (like axe or WAVE) and manually test with a screen reader for 5 minutes.

This three-part rhythm ensures you never have to remember everything; the tools and environment do the remembering for you.

Tips for Long-Term Success

• Start small: Pick one heuristic (e.g., “Recognition rather than Recall”) and apply the designer’s twist for a week. Don’t try to overhaul everything at once.
• Share your checklist: Create a team resource based on Nielsen’s heuristics + accessibility. Collaboration makes the process easier and more consistent.
• Test with real people: Heuristics are a great start, but nothing replaces feedback from users with disabilities. Invite them to review your designs.
• Update your knowledge: Accessibility standards evolve. Bookmark resources like WAI and the book A Web for Everyone by Sarah Horton and Whitney Quesenbery.
• Forgive yourself: Every designer misses something. The goal is progress, not perfection. Use the heuristic process to catch oversights next time.

By following these steps, you’ll turn accessibility from a daunting checklist into a natural part of your creative flow. Good designers can—and should—build websites that work for everyone.