Visual website design patterns, UX decisions & layout examples for Canadian businesses
Accessible UI

Accessible Website UI Design

Design navigation, text, forms and components that remain usable with keyboard and assistive technology.

Accessibility starts with structure

Use semantic landmarks, one meaningful H1, real buttons for actions, real links for navigation and labels connected to form fields. Visual appearance cannot compensate for incorrect semantics when a visitor uses a keyboard or screen reader.

A page should also have a main landmark and a sensible heading order so people can navigate by regions and headings.

Contrast and focus must be visible

Text contrast should be checked across cards, hero overlays, dark sections and hover states. Focus indicators need to remain visible instead of being removed for aesthetic reasons.

Dropdown menus should work by keyboard, not only hover. Modal dialogs and mobile menus should not trap focus or leave hidden interactive elements reachable.

Forms need clear labels and errors

Placeholder text is not a replacement for a label. Validation should identify the specific field and explain what needs to change without relying on colour alone.

Accessibility improves ordinary UX too

Clear labels, large targets, readable text and predictable interactions help everyone. Many accessibility improvements are simply good interface design expressed with more discipline.

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