Scaling Accessibility Through Design Systems
Summary
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
"Empathy is how you can more safely acknowledge that failure comes for us all."
Steve PortigalWar Stories LIVE! Steve Portigal
March 30, 2020
"Our research power is our ability to influence change across organizations, not just gather insights."
Feyikemi AkinwolemiwaPlay to innovate: How curiosity and experimentation transform UX
March 11, 2026
"The phrase card sort may not require translation itself, but the activity it represents certainly does."
Shan ShenTranslating UX Terms into Business Contexts
November 29, 2023
"I found myself sitting in the street as the traffic light turned green, blocked by a non sentient being incapable of understanding the consequences of its actions."
Amber KnablEmpowering innovation: The critical role of inclusive product development in the AI era
June 4, 2024
"It’s not about the diagram, it’s about the dialogue."
Saara Kamppari-Miller"Prototype" vs "Prototype"--Breaking Down and Rebuilding Our Understanding of What We Do
October 24, 2019
"There’s no regulated professional support for user researchers dealing with trauma, which is deeply worrying."
Jane Reid Janice HannawaySelf-care in User Research
April 2, 2020
"Design ops job descriptions change every three to six months depending on the company’s needs."
Bria Alexander Meredith Black Tim GilliganState of DesignOps Panel
October 1, 2021
"Stop handing off your vision and start shipping it yourself."
Rikki TeetersConcept to code: Transforming ideas into functional products with Kiro
June 10, 2026
"FEMA is not going to stand up a UX department; it’s our responsibility to witness and find ways to help."
Emily Danielson“I mean, I can lift a shovel”: Design Skills in Disaster Response
June 9, 2022
