Accessible & Inclusive Design Systems
Every design system should be a work in progress, and that includes its accessibility.
You're building your design system so that you can ship products at scale.
You're building it so that you can spend time on the creative things, not the mundane and solving problems that have already been solved multiple times before.
You're building it so that you can scale accessibility, and keep up with shipping pace.
What you might not be counting on is people going rogue and not using the components, or not understanding the documentation, or that accessibility issues arise from composition of accessible components.
And your executives keep asking "if our components are accessible, then why do we keep getting customers reporting accessibility barriers in our products?"
Accessible components are the foundation
Accessible design system components are the foundation, not the entire building. You can't just take bricks, stack them up and expect them to collectively function as a building just because they're... near each other. You've got to arrange the materials in a certain way. You've got all kinds of fasteners and other materials that hold it all together. And if you don't follow the right principles, your building will topple over.
Why is this? Every component comes with its own instructions on accessibility. But if the overall blueprint doesn't take into account accessibility as part of the process of building, it's literally nothing more than a pile of accessible bricks.
How we'll work together
Before we scope any work, I need to understand what's going on with your system and the teams who build with it. Then I find where the leverage is breaking down and fix what can be fixed, with you and your team.
Yes, we'll review and test components. We'll also spend more time than you think we need to on the documentation of each component; not with generic accessibility details, though... we'll spend that time on detailed accessibility guidance that works for both human and AI consumers of your design system.
Our goal is a design system your teams can build accessible products with, and a clear answer when your executives ask why customers still hit barriers.
Finally, we'll be really clear on how we measure success. We'll talk about that more in our discovery call. I've got an unexpected answer to this question, and I'm going to leave it for us to discuss in person.
Why me
In addition to 27 yrs of accessibility and disability inclusion experience, I've worked with dozens of teams on their design systems over the last decade.
I've got strong opinions about accessibility and design systems, the value it brings, and how organizations should work on and prioritize accessibility within their design system.
One thing almost every team has told me during our design systems engagements? "I wish we'd known this earlier and started much sooner."
If you're building a design system or rethinking one, book a call or tell me what you're working on.