How do you ensure accessibility and usability of your front-end designs?

1 Use semantic HTML

Semantic HTML is the foundation of accessible and usable web design. It means using the right elements and attributes to describe the content and structure of your web pages, such as headings, lists, tables, forms, images, and links. Semantic HTML helps screen readers, search engines, and browsers understand and present your content in a meaningful way. It also makes your code easier to read and maintain.

2 Follow WCAG guidelines

WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, a set of best practices and recommendations for making web content accessible to people with disabilities. WCAG covers four principles: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. Each principle has several guidelines and success criteria that you can use to check and improve your web design. You can also use tools like WAVE or axe to audit your web pages for accessibility issues and fix them.

3 Design for different devices and scenarios

Usability means that your web design is easy and efficient to use for your target audience and their goals. One way to achieve usability is to design for different devices and scenarios, such as mobile, tablet, desktop, low bandwidth, slow connection, or offline mode. You can use responsive design techniques, such as media queries, flexible layouts, and fluid images, to adapt your web design to different screen sizes and orientations. You can also use progressive enhancement, which means starting with a basic, functional web design and adding features and enhancements for more capable devices and browsers.

4 Test with real users and feedback

The best way to ensure accessibility and usability of your web design is to test it with real users and feedback. You can use various methods and tools to conduct user testing, such as surveys, interviews, usability tests, or analytics. User testing helps you identify and solve problems, validate your assumptions, and improve your web design based on user needs and expectations. You can also use feedback tools, such as comments, ratings, or reviews, to collect and analyze user opinions and suggestions.

5 Keep learning and improving

Accessibility and usability of web design are not static or one-time tasks. They are dynamic and ongoing processes that require constant learning and improving. You can keep up with the latest trends, standards, and best practices by following blogs, podcasts, newsletters, or courses on web design and development. You can also join communities, forums, or events where you can share and learn from other front-end developers and web designers.