How to Design for Accessibility

WCAG 2.1 AA, color contrast, keyboard navigation - the accessibility decisions that include everyone and protect you legally.

Accessibility is not a feature to add at the end of a project. It is a design constraint that, when respected from the start, makes products better for everyone - not just for users with disabilities. This guide covers the specific design decisions that determine whether a product passes WCAG 2.1 AA compliance and works for all users.

No fluff. Real craft from designers who ship products people love using.

The Four Accessibility Principles Every Designer Must Know

WCAG 2.1 is organized around four principles (POUR): Perceivable (can users perceive all content, including with assistive technology), Operable (can users operate all controls with keyboard and not just a mouse), Understandable (is the interface clear enough that users know what is happening and what to do), Robust (does the UI work across different browsers and assistive technologies). Level AA is the legal standard in most jurisdictions. Most products fail on contrast ratios, keyboard navigation, and form label associations - three entirely design-side problems.

At Valletta Software, we focus on:

Color contrast: 4.5:1 ratio for body text 3:1 for large text (18px+ bold or 24px+) - check with Figma plugins

Focus states: visible keyboard focus indicator on all interactive elements - never remove outline without replacement

Touch targets: minimum 44x44px for all interactive elements - critical for motor impairment

Form labels: every input has a visible label - placeholder text is not a label

Error messages: specific and actionable - not just red border with no explanation

Alternative text: meaningful alt text for informational images - empty alt for decorative

Heading hierarchy: logical H1 H2 H3 order - screen readers use headings for navigation

The Figma Accessibility Workflow That Catches Issues Early

Accessibility bugs found in design cost 10x less to fix than accessibility bugs found in production.

We give you more than just people. We give you top performers who drive results.

Contrast checker: Figma plugins (Stark Able) on every color pair - run before handoff

Annotations: accessibility annotations layer in Figma - ARIA roles keyboard behavior focus order

Focus order: number the focus order for every screen - developers implement what is documented

Color-independent information: never use color as the only indicator of state - add icon or text

Mobile accessibility: iOS VoiceOver and Android TalkBack test with the physical device

ARIA landmark annotation: mark header nav main aside footer regions in every screen

Automated testing: axe DevTools in browser before final handoff - catches 30-40% of issues automatically

You lead the work. We handle the rest. From EUR 45/h.

EU-incorporated in Malta - NDA on day one, full GDPR compliance. Trusted by startups and enterprise teams across 12+ industries.

View UX/UI Designers

Generate moodboards and concept directions 5x faster with AI

Auto-check accessibility and contrast across every screen

Produce copy starters and microcopy variants in minutes

Run usability pattern analysis before the first user test

How to Design for Accessibility - With Designers Who Build It In from the Start

Lets keep it simple.

Our designers use AI to move faster without cutting corners - Figma AI, Midjourney for moodboarding, automated accessibility checks, and AI-generated copy starters - so the creative energy goes into decisions, not busywork.

Lets keep it simple.

Our UX/UI designers include accessibility annotations, contrast checks, and focus order in every Figma handoff - not as an audit afterthought

How we work