

Accessible design windows#
Be sure to test light font weights on low and high PPI screens, on both Windows and Apple devices.

Very light weights (Inconsistently spaced words in justified text can make it difficult to read for some users, and the inconsistent left alignment of centered or right-aligned text is often mistaken for meaningful tab indentations. Left aligned text maintains consistent character and word spacing.Sans-serif fonts with line heights (leading) close to 1.5 and line lengths of less than 80 characters are usually easiest to read.Animations should be minimized or easily paused.Ample space should separate grouped elements.The design should minimize distractions and make it easy for users to focus on the primary content.This is especially critical for users with low vision and cognitive disabilities relevant to reading or focus. If an interface is defined by its visual layout (e.g., an interface has a set of filters that modify a results region), this structure needs to be explicitly labeled so it can be heard as well as seen.įont and layout choices should make it easy for users to recognize characters and track lines. Users relying on screen readers do not receive visual-only cues like relative position, borders and background colors.Users with reading and attention disorders may struggle to read content if distractions pull their focus from the content or font choices increases their cognitive load.Users with colorblindness and devices with "digital wellbeing" features that turn sepia/grayscale in the evening may not be able to differentiate color differences.Alerts placed far from a cursor may appear off their screen, and scrollable in-page elements may prevent them from scrolling the page without zooming back out.
Accessible design software#

Accessibility requirements relevant to visual design generally cluster around issues of legibility, color perception and device independence.Īccessible design is, at its heart, just "good" design: effective, highly usable visuals and interfaces to communicate with an audience.
