Accessibility Design Methods Flashcards

Question 1

What does accessibility mean in the context of design?

Accepted Answer

Accessibility in design means creating products, services, and environments that people with a wide range of abilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and use. It focuses on removing barriers that prevent access, so that a design works for people with disabilities as well as for everyone else.

Question 2

What are permanent, temporary, and situational disabilities, and how do they differ?

Accepted Answer

Permanent, temporary, and situational disabilities describe how long a limitation lasts and what causes it. Permanent ones last for life, such as blindness or deafness. Temporary ones last a limited time, such as a broken arm. Situational ones arise from context, such as holding a baby or working in bright sunlight.

Question 3

What are the four principles of accessibility in the WCAG guidelines?

Accepted Answer

The four principles are perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust, often shortened to POUR. Perceivable means users can sense the content. Operable means users can navigate and use controls without a mouse. Understandable means content and behavior are clear and predictable. Robust means content works with current and future assistive technologies.

Question 4

Why is accessibility considered a benefit for all users, not only people with disabilities?

Accepted Answer

Many accessibility features help everyone in common situations. Captions help someone in a noisy room or watching without sound. Keyboard navigation helps people who use a laptop without a mouse or are typing quickly. Clear headings and plain language help anyone scanning for information. This overlap is often called the curb cut effect.

Question 5

What is the difference between accessibility and usability?

Accepted Answer

Usability describes how easily a typical user can complete tasks with a product, measured by efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction. Accessibility describes whether people with a wide range of abilities can use the product at all. A product can be highly usable for one group and inaccessible to another. Good design aims for both qualities.

Question 6

What is assistive technology, and give two examples?

Accepted Answer

Assistive technology is any product or system that helps people with disabilities perform tasks they would otherwise find difficult. Examples include screen readers that speak on-screen text aloud, screen magnifiers, speech recognition software, switch devices, and alternative keyboards. Designers support assistive technology by using standard, semantic markup so these tools can interpret content correctly.

Question 7

What is the social model of disability, and how does it shape design?

Accepted Answer

The social model holds that people are disabled by barriers in society and environments, rather than by their impairments alone. Under this view, a step without a ramp disables a wheelchair user, while a captioned video removes a barrier for a deaf viewer. Designers applying the model focus on removing barriers.

Question 8

What is a barrier, and what are the common categories of barriers designers look for?

Accepted Answer

A barrier is anything in a product, service, or environment that prevents or limits someone from participating fully. Common categories include physical barriers such as steps and narrow doors, sensory barriers such as low contrast or missing captions, cognitive barriers such as confusing layouts or time limits, and attitudinal barriers, such as biased assumptions.

Question 9

What is inclusive design, and how does it differ from designing for a single user group?

Accepted Answer

Inclusive design is an approach that considers the full range of human diversity from the start of a project, including ability, age, language, culture, and circumstance. Instead of designing for an average user and adding accommodations later, inclusive designers involve diverse people throughout the process.

Question 10

What does equitable use mean as a universal design principle?

Accepted Answer

Equitable use is the principle that a design should be useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities. It means providing identical means of use for all users where possible, rather than separate or segregated versions. Privacy, security, and safety should be equally available to everyone.

Question 11

What is flexibility in use, and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

Flexibility in use is the principle that a design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities. Examples include letting users choose between left-handed and right-handed use, or offering both touch and keyboard input. It matters because people differ in preferences, not only abilities.

Question 12

What is perceptible information, and why should designers avoid relying on a single sense?

Accepted Answer

Perceptible information is content presented through more than one sensory channel, such as sight, hearing, or touch. Designers should avoid relying on a single sense because some users cannot perceive that channel. For example, a sound alone may be missed by deaf users, while adding a visible message helps everyone notice the alert.

Question 13

What is progressive enhancement, and how does it support inclusion?

Accepted Answer

Progressive enhancement is a strategy of building a basic version of content and functionality that works with minimal technology, then layering richer features on top for capable browsers. Users with older devices, slow connections, or assistive technology still receive the core content.

Question 14

What is redundancy in accessible design, and give one example?

Accepted Answer

Redundancy means presenting the same information through more than one format or pathway, so that users can rely on whichever works for them. For example, a form error can be shown as colored text, an icon, and a message announced to screen readers. This reduces the risk of missed cues.

Question 15

Why should designers avoid relying on color alone to convey meaning?

Accepted Answer

Color should never be the only way to convey meaning, because people with color vision deficiency may not distinguish the colors used. Required fields, errors, links, and chart categories often rely on color alone. Designers add shapes, labels, underlines, or patterns so meaning survives in grayscale or on a monochrome display.

Question 16

What does simple and intuitive use mean as a universal design principle?

Accepted Answer

Simple and intuitive use means a design is easy to understand regardless of the user's experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level. It avoids unnecessary complexity, arranges information consistently with its importance, and gives clear feedback during and after use.

Question 17

Why should disabled people be involved directly in accessibility research?

Accepted Answer

Disabled people are the experts on their own access needs, and their lived experience reveals barriers that designers and testers often miss. Direct involvement helps teams avoid assumptions, such as believing a feature is simple because they do not use assistive technology. Involving people early also prevents costly rework later.

Question 18

What is co-design, and how does it apply to accessibility?

Accepted Answer

Co-design is a collaborative approach in which people who will use a product take an active part in shaping it, rather than only giving feedback at the end. In accessibility work, disabled participants may help define problems, sketch options, and review prototypes alongside designers and engineers. Co-design shifts decision-making toward the people most affected.

Question 19

What is a persona, and how can disability be represented in personas responsibly?

Accepted Answer

A persona is a fictional but research-based profile that represents a group of users with shared goals and needs. Responsible disability personas draw on real research with disabled people, describe goals and contexts rather than only diagnoses, and avoid stereotypes such as portraying disabled people as inspirational or helpless.

Question 20

What is a contextual inquiry, and what does a researcher observe?

Accepted Answer

Contextual inquiry is a field research method in which a researcher watches and questions people while they perform real tasks in their own environment. For accessibility, this reveals workarounds, environmental barriers, and the assistive tools people already use. Observers note where people hesitate, what they adapt, and which steps feel tiring or confusing.

Question 21

Why should researchers pay participants for their time and expertise?

Accepted Answer

Participants who contribute their time, knowledge, and lived experience deserve fair compensation, just as any skilled professional would receive. Payment also makes participation possible for people who would otherwise face costs, such as transportation, support workers, or lost income. Recruiting should be inclusive, offering accessible locations, formats, and schedules.

Question 22

What is a screener in participant recruitment, and why use one?

Accepted Answer

A screener is a short set of questions used to check whether a potential participant matches the study criteria before they are invited. In accessibility research, screeners help recruit people with the specific experiences a study needs, such as using a particular screen reader. Screeners should ask what is necessary and respect privacy.

Question 23

What is ethical practice when recording sessions with participants?

Accepted Answer

Researchers should explain what will be recorded, why, who will see the recordings, and how long they will be kept, then obtain clear consent before starting. Participants should be able to pause, decline questions, or withdraw at any time without penalty. Recordings should be stored securely and shared only with the project team.

Question 24

What does it mean to make research materials accessible to participants?

Accepted Answer

Research materials should be available in formats participants can use, such as large print, plain language, screen-reader-compatible documents, captioned video, or easy-read versions. Offering choices lets people participate on their own terms. Teams should also ask participants which formats and communication methods they prefer.

Question 25

What is automated accessibility testing, and what are its limits?

Accepted Answer

Automated testing uses software tools to scan code or rendered pages for common technical issues, such as missing text alternatives, insufficient color contrast, or missing form labels. It is fast and repeatable, so it works well inside development pipelines. However, automated tools only detect a portion of barriers, so they cannot confirm full usability.

Question 26

What is manual testing with assistive technology, and why is it important?

Accepted Answer

Manual testing means a tester operates a product using only the keyboard, a screen reader, a magnifier, or voice control, checking whether every task can be completed. It reveals problems automated tools cannot detect, such as confusing reading order, unclear link purpose, or focus that disappears.

Question 27

What is a usability test with disabled participants, and how is it run?

Accepted Answer

A usability test asks participants to complete realistic tasks while an observer notes successes, failures, and points of confusion. With disabled participants, sessions should be planned around their access needs, such as providing their own devices, allowing extra time, and offering breaks. Facilitators should let participants explain their own methods.

Question 28

What is the purpose of a heuristic evaluation in accessibility?

Accepted Answer

A heuristic evaluation is an expert review in which evaluators check an interface against established usability and accessibility principles, such as visible status, consistent navigation, and error recovery. It is quick and inexpensive, and it can find issues early before users are involved. However, it works best alongside testing with real people.

Question 29

Why should testing include a range of disabilities, not a single group?

Accepted Answer

Different impairments create different barriers, and a fix that helps one group can fail another. For example, a larger font may help a person with low vision but break a layout that a magnifier user depends on. Testing across a range of abilities, devices, and assistive technologies reveals these conflicts early.

Question 30

What is a severity rating for accessibility issues, and how is it used?

Accepted Answer

A severity rating classifies an accessibility issue by how strongly it prevents someone from completing a task, such as blocking, serious, or minor. Teams use ratings to prioritize fixes, so issues that stop a core task, like an unreachable checkout button, are resolved first. Ratings should consider frequency and how many users are affected.

Question 31

What is regression testing, and why is it needed for accessibility?

Accepted Answer

Regression testing repeats earlier tests after changes to a product, to confirm that new updates have not reintroduced problems that were already fixed. Accessibility is vulnerable to regressions because a small change to a menu, modal, or component can break focus order, labels, or announcements elsewhere. Teams should retest known issues with every release.

Question 32

How can teams measure whether an accessibility fix actually worked?

Accepted Answer

Teams can compare task completion rates, error counts, and time on task before and after a fix, using the same tasks and participant groups where possible. They can also ask disabled users whether the barrier has gone. A fix succeeds when people complete the task independently, not only when a scanner reports no errors.

Question 33

How should accessibility be integrated into an agile or iterative workflow?

Accepted Answer

Accessibility should be part of every sprint or iteration rather than a final audit. Teams add accessibility criteria to the definition of done, include accessibility checks in design reviews, and assign responsibility for accessibility across roles. Early, small checks catch problems when they are cheap to fix.

Question 34

What is a design system, and how can it support accessible products?

Accepted Answer

A design system is a shared library of reusable components, patterns, and guidelines that teams use to build consistent products. When components such as buttons, form fields, and dialogs are built accessibly once, every product that uses them inherits those features. Documentation should also explain how to use them correctly.

Question 35

How should designers write alternative text for an informative image?

Accepted Answer

Alternative text should convey the purpose or information the image provides, not necessarily describe every visual detail. For a chart, the text might state the main trend, and for a button icon, it should name the action, such as search. Decorative images should have empty alternative text so screen readers skip them.

Question 36

Why does using semantic HTML matter for accessibility in web design?

Accepted Answer

Semantic HTML uses elements that describe their meaning, such as headings, lists, buttons, and navigation regions. Assistive technologies read these elements to build a structure users can navigate, for example jumping between headings or listing links. Using a styled div instead of a real button removes keyboard support and its announced role.

Question 37

How should focus be managed when a modal dialog opens and closes?

Accepted Answer

When a modal dialog opens, focus should move into the dialog. Keyboard focus should be trapped inside the dialog while it is open, so users cannot tab into the page behind it. When the dialog closes, focus should return to the element that triggered it, so users do not lose their place.

Question 38

Why should designers never remove visible focus indicators from interactive elements?

Accepted Answer

Keyboard users and many assistive technology users rely on the focus indicator to see which element is currently active. Without it, they cannot tell where they are on the page or what action an Enter key press would trigger. Designers should style focus clearly, with sufficient contrast against the background, rather than removing it.

Question 39

How can teams make error messages accessible in forms?

Accepted Answer

Error messages should be specific, placed near the field they describe, and announced to assistive technology, for example through a live region or by moving focus to the error summary. Each message should explain what went wrong and how to fix it, in text rather than color alone.

Question 40

What should a team do after launching a product to keep it accessible?

Accepted Answer

Teams should monitor the product for new barriers, since content updates and new features can introduce problems. They should provide a clear way for users to report accessibility issues, respond to reports promptly, and track fixes. Regular audits and periodic testing with disabled users help maintain quality over time.

Accessibility Design Methods Flashcards

1Foundations of accessibility

2Inclusive design principles

3Research with disabled people

4Testing and evaluation methods

5Applied design and implementation

Learning Resources