Accessibility often shows up at the end of a project, right before launch, when it’s too late to really fix anything. But accessibility isn’t a checklist you cram in at the eleventh hour. It’s a collaborative effort between design and development that starts on day one. It’s the difference between creating a site that “looks nice” and one that works well for everyone.

And if you're only thinking about accessibility from the design side or the dev side, you’re not getting the full picture.

Designers play a major role in accessibility. Some of the most common (and fixable) violations start here:

Tools like Stark and built-in accessibility checkers in Figma can help flag these issues before they become code problems.

Once a design hits development, a whole new set of accessibility opportunities and risks emerge:

Accessibility isn’t the job of just one team. When it’s only the designer’s responsibility, or left entirely to devs to "code it in," details fall through the cracks. And when it’s treated like a nice-to-have, users suffer.

It’s not harder; it just takes intention.

Accessibility overlays and widgets, those floating buttons that offer text resizing, contrast toggles, and other adjustments can seem like an easy fix. And to be fair, they’re better than nothing.

But here’s our POV: they’re not a substitute for doing the work.

Accessibility should be built into your design system and development practices. When you rely on a widget, you’re putting the burden on the user to make your site usable. Often, those overlays conflict with assistive technologies or override thoughtful UX decisions.

A truly accessible website doesn’t need a button that says "make this website accessible." It just is.

If you're not sure where your current site stands, we offer free preliminary accessibility reviews. We’ll take a look and let you know if a full audit makes sense and what steps you can take to improve.

We also offer full accessibility audits and remediation services, built to work collaboratively with both your design and development teams.

And while avoiding lawsuits shouldn’t be your only reason for making your site accessible, let’s be honest, it’s part of the conversation. Users trust us, designers and developers, to help them meet their legal and ethical obligations. Accessibility compliance isn’t optional, and it shouldn’t be framed as a choice.

Request a Free Accessibility Review

Accessibility isn't a trend. It's not just about compliance, either.

It’s about respecting your users and making sure everyone has a great experience on your site, regardless of how they access it.

And when you make it a priority from the start, it’s not only easier, it’s just better work.

Want to talk accessibility? Need help fixing a site or planning your next project? Let’s talk.