Vitaly Friedman’s Post

New WCAG 2.2 Accessibility Guidelines, and what it means for you. Useful pointers with guidelines to comply with WCAG 2.2 A, AA and AAA ↓ ✅ WCAG 2.1 is a golden standard for digital accessibility. ✅ It comes with 3 conformance levels: A, AA and AAA. ✅ Each level comes with its set of “success criteria” (guidelines). ✅ Level AA is referenced in most laws and policies globally. ✅ Most websites aim to achieve WCAG A + AA compliance. ✅ WCAG 2.2 is the next version of WCAG, published in October 2023. ✅ It has 6 new Level A+AA success criteria, and 3 new Level AAA criteria. 🚫 Don’t obscure a focused element (e.g. with sticky headers, modals). ✅ Focus should always be visible: at least partially (AA) or fully (AAA). ✅ Use a focus outline of 2px, with a sufficient contrast (AAA). ✅ Help is presented and located consistently across all pages. ✅ Always offer UI controls for dragging movements (e.g. drag-n-drop). ✅ Allow users to click/tap on an item, “pick it up”, move it and "drop" it. ✅ Target size for click/pointer elements should be at least 24×24px. ✅ Otherwise, at least provide sufficient spacing around each target. ✅ Exception: it’s in a sentence, or there is a larger control on the same page. 🚫 Avoid redundant entry: don’t make users re-enter the same data. 🚫 Don’t block copy/paste and avoid CAPTCHAs or cognitive puzzles (AA). 🚫 Avoid object recognition (e.g. fire hydrants, bikes etc) (AAA). ✅ Auto-populate repeated content or allow previous input to be selected. ✅ Set up accessible auth: 2FA, magic links, passkeys, pass managers. It’s worth mentioning that designing accessible experiences goes way beyond compliance. Accessibility isn’t about ticking off checkboxes. It’s a result of involving users with temporary and permanent disabilities in the design process early on to avoid big surprises down the line. Test with a wide range of users early to avoid wrong assumptions and expensive last-minute fixes. And as a very minimum, aim for A + AA compliance, which makes websites widely accessible to everyone, including people with and without disabilities. Useful resources: What’s New In WCAG 2.2, by Patrick H. Lauke https://lnkd.in/ecHm4ia9 Understanding WCAG 2.2, by Gov.uk https://lnkd.in/eQQtCFzs WCAG Primer, by Léonie Watson https://lnkd.in/eHac3-hu WCAG 2.2 Map (PDF), by Intopia https://lnkd.in/eDJyY3Sh How To Make A Strong Case For Accessibility https://lnkd.in/e2E74Pjv Mobile Accessibility Target Sizes Cheatsheet https://lnkd.in/ePuc3mbJ Color Contrast Cheat Sheet PDF https://lnkd.in/ekE45bNq Giving a Damn About Accessibility, by Sheri Byrne-Haber (disabled) https://lnkd.in/eCeFutuJ #accessibility