Introduction: The Cost of Waiting In the world of software development, there is a concept called “Shift-Left.” It simply means moving important tasks—like security, testing, and accessibility—to the earliest possible stage of a project. Most companies treat accessibility like a “coat of paint” that you slap on at the very end. At Aditya Catalyst, we’ve seen how painful that can be. If you wait until a website is fully coded to check for accessibility, fixing a single button can cost 30 times more than if you had caught the issue during the design phase.
Designing the Skeleton, Not Just the Skin
Accessibility isn’t just about colors; it’s about structure. When a designer sits down with a tool like Figma or Adobe XD, they are creating the “map” that a user will follow.
- The Navigation Flow: If a designer doesn’t decide the order in which a user “tabs” through a page, the computer will just guess. Usually, the computer guesses wrong, leading to a confusing experience for keyboard users.
- The Legend: Designers need to define what is a “Heading 1” versus a “Heading 2.” This isn’t just about font size; it’s about creating a Table of Contents that screen readers can announce.
Tools for the Modern Designer
You don’t need to be a coding expert to be an accessible designer. There are incredible plugins today (like Stark or Adelee) that allow you to check color contrast and simulate color blindness while you are still drawing circles and squares. By the time the design reaches the developer, the “accessibility blueprint” is already included. This makes the developer’s job easier, the project cheaper, and the end result much more inclusive.