Heydon Pickering recently shared some "Principles of Web Accessibility," a set of twelve high-level guidelines on how to approach web accessibility.
I highly recommend reading the whole thing –it's a short text–, but here's a summary of them if you want a quick "too long; didn't read" version:
💎 Perfection is the enemy: nothing will be 100% accessible, but you can make a real difference by making it just a little bit better.
➡️ By default or death: accessibility is not something to be added later to a complete product. An inaccessible product is an incomplete product.
⚖️ Parity is paramount: the goal is not to create "better experiences" but "comparable experiences" for different people.
📐 Design for implementation: accessibility shouldn't be an afterthought in the development process, it should be there since the early stages.
📊 Structure first: an intuitive interface that is well-structured and easy-to-use is better than a poorly-structured interface with no discrete errors.
💬 Use your words: develop your writing and editing skills or include writers and editors in your process. What is written is as important as how it's written.
🛠️ Tools are not identities: disabilities are not uniform. Don't design for a single person or user, design to support the capabilities of the assistive software.
↕️ Less is less: don't overdo it! Reducing complexities –keeping things simple– not only reduces errors, it also improves comprehension.
💰 Get paid: accessibility is a job in itself. Include it in your role, be valued, and get recognized for it. Don't let people diminish its (your) importance.
🎣 Fishing, not fish: working on accessibility goes beyond solving specific problems. Set the stage and structure to facilitate it.
🏆 No points for performance: Companies tend to prioritize looking accessible over being accessible. Demand action and not only performance.
👿 Let evil rot: there is plenty of inaccessibility; protect your reputation and mental health, and prioritize working with receptive companies and projects.
What do you think? Anything that you would add or change?
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