Scaling Accessibility Through Design Systems
Summary
Incorporating accessibility can be seen as a daunting task, especially for products that have already been released. Alexis Lucio, Senior Accessibility Lead at Splunk, will share her journey in making accessibility a first-class citizen within Splunk Design System. Topics include: how to advocate for accessibility, utilizing use cases to optimize design and dev, how to utilize user input, and ideas on how to collaborate with cross-functional partners.
Key Insights
-
•
Accessibility should be integrated early ('shift left') in the design and development process to reduce tech debt and remediation costs.
-
•
Automation tools catch about 30% of accessibility defects and cannot replace human audits and discernment.
-
•
Accessibility is often mistaken as limiting creativity, but it is actually a driver of innovation and inclusivity.
-
•
Unique naming for components like message bars is critical to avoid confusion for assistive technologies when multiple instances exist.
-
•
Breadcrumb navigation must not rely on color alone to convey meaning; it should be accessible through keyboard and screen readers and consider interactive behaviors.
-
•
Documenting accessibility decisions in design systems helps maintain consistency and educates users of the system.
-
•
Accessibility requires ongoing education and advocacy to get buy-in from diverse teams including designers, engineers, and product managers.
-
•
Small incremental changes to accessibility are better than no changes; it’s an ongoing journey rather than a one-time fix.
-
•
Accessibility levels range from inaccessible to legally compliant, usable, and ultimately innovative; compliance alone does not guarantee good UX.
-
•
Cross-functional collaboration and shared resources like accessibility one-pagers and bug-triaging spreadsheets improve scalability of accessibility efforts.
Notable Quotes
"Accessibility is innovation and this statement could potentially be some unchecked ableism."
"Automation only catches maybe 30% of all your a11y defects and even then we still receive a lot of false positives."
"I help you unlearn and relearn patterns so that you can build better products."
"If you’d rather exclude a group of people from using your product than do accessibility, then think about the impact you’re making."
"You can have a single page that’s got inaccessible, compliant, and accessible experiences all in one."
"No design system will ever be fully accessible because new features and permutations are always being introduced."
"Accessibility is a key component of user experience that has been neglected and requires specialists to close the gap."
"Small incremental changes are better than no changes at all from both the process and technical view."
"We’ve been taught to build fast and break things, and we often play accessibility on the back burner."
"Unique names for components like message bars are crucial, especially when multiple instances are shown at once."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"A principal has built a boat on their own and rode it around the world—demonstrating autonomy and expertise."
Edward CuppsThe Principal Path: Journeying from Management to Individual Contributor
June 11, 2021
"AI cannot replace user research, usability testing, or domain expert validation."
Snehal PendharkarConducting pre-research with AI agent personas: Pressure-testing concepts for expert workflows
June 10, 2026
"Willingness to pilot is not the same as willingness to pay."
Todd Healy Jess GrecoDriving Change with CX Metrics
June 7, 2023
"At Fable, our platform lets you do generative and exploratory research with real assistive tech users remotely."
Sam ProulxUnderstanding Screen Readers on Mobile: How And Why to Learn from Native Users
October 2, 2023
"Stop just throwing AI at the end of the process; integrate it strategically across the whole product and content lifecycle."
Noz UrbinaRapid AI-powered UX (RAUX): A framework for empowering human designers
May 1, 2025
"Land acknowledgement done as a checkbox is performative; when embedded, it becomes a practice of respect and inclusion."
Zariah CameronStreamlining an Inclusive Design Practice
October 3, 2023
"I don’t know anyone who uses the configuration out of the box without customizing it heavily and extensively."
Sam ProulxEverything You Ever Wanted to Know About Screen Readers
June 11, 2021
"Private mode in Miro lets you get the most variety of input by making contributions anonymous."
Shipra KayanMake your research synthesis speedy and more collaborative using a canvas
January 24, 2025
"Sometimes the best answer isn’t a chart but a single number augmented with explanatory text."
Theresa NeilJust Build Me a Dashboard!
April 9, 2019
