Skill Profile
Accessibility Design (WCAG)
"The observable action of designing and auditing digital interfaces against WCAG guidelines in order to ensure they are usable by people with visual, motor, cognitive, and auditory disabilities."
YOUR SKILLS
Problems This Skill Solves
- A screen reader user cannot complete a checkout flow because form fields lack labels — accessibility design fixes the interaction
- A government service must meet WCAG 2.2 AA compliance — an audit identifies the 14 failing criteria before launch
- A colour scheme fails contrast ratio requirements — a designer selects accessible palette alternatives that still match brand guidelines
- A video on the marketing site has no captions — adding captions makes it usable for deaf users and people in noisy environments
Roles That Use This Skill
1 total · 1 industryThis skill is concentrated in one industry.
UX/Product Design / Technology
"Accessibility compliance means meeting WCAG AA — once the automated audit passes, the site is accessible."
Automated audits catch approximately 30–40% of WCAG violations, primarily technical errors like missing alt text and insufficient contrast ratios. The remainder — logical reading order, focus management, keyboard navigation patterns, and whether assistive technology can actually complete key user journeys — requires manual testing with users and screen readers. A site that passes automated audit can still be unusable for a significant portion of disabled users.
"Automated tools will catch all accessibility problems."
Automated tools detect roughly 30–40% of WCAG violations. Manual testing with real assistive technology is required to catch the rest.
Research & Outlook
Accessibility legislation is tightening globally (EU Accessibility Act, UK PSBAR). AI code generation tools are beginning to include accessibility checks, but human review and user testing with disabled participants remain essential for compliance and genuine usability.
See This Skill In Action
Watch a professional demonstrate Accessibility Design (WCAG) in a real working environment — what it looks like, how it's applied, and why it matters.
Design / Inclusive Design
Accessibility Design (WCAG)
Also Known As
Growth Path
Understands WCAG 2.2 success criteria at a high level. Can run automated tools (axe, WAVE) and fix obvious issues: missing alt text, poor contrast, unlabelled form fields.
Conducts manual audits including keyboard navigation and screen reader testing. Integrates accessibility into design review and pull request processes. Advises teams on ARIA usage.
Defines accessibility standards across an organisation, trains designers and engineers, leads WCAG compliance programmes for high-traffic or regulated services, and contributes to accessibility tooling.
How to Practise
- 1.Run axe DevTools on a live website and work through fixing each violation in code
- 2.Navigate a product you've built using only a keyboard — identify every place the tab order breaks or focus is lost
- 3.Turn on VoiceOver (Mac/iOS) or TalkBack (Android) and attempt to complete a common user task on your product
- 4.Audit colour contrast across your design system and replace any failing combinations
How to Prove
- ·WCAG audit report authored for a real product with remediation recommendations and before/after screenshots
- ·Accessibility statement published for a live service (required by UK public sector law)
- ·IAAP CPACC or WAS certification (International Association of Accessibility Professionals)
- ·Pull requests addressing specific WCAG criteria with test evidence