Accessibility materials for product designers
David Cox (he / him)
Hi, I’m David
I live in Toronto
I work on
design systems,
I work on
design systems,
digital accessibility
I work on
design systems,
digital accessibility
and product design.
Past design systems:
Current design system:
Note: opinions expressed are my own.
This talk does not represent the opinions or policies of any organization.
Slides and resources
Vibe check
Joining Lyft
Accessibility Specialist
↓
Product Designer
I wanted to keep working in digital accessibility.
“If you hire me, I’ll do accessibility work.”
I’m… hired?
I guess it’s time to do accessibility work.
I wanted to focus on long-term, sustainable improvements.
Building up, not tearing down
Additive
accessibility
work
Finding my place
I’m comfortable
in technical.
So, I started
with technical.
2 things became quickly apparent:
There was opportunity to improve the design-side foundations.
We could improve accessibility in the design phase, before it even gets to engineers.
Definitely the first one to ever think of this idea…
…right?
shift
left?
Yep,
shift
left!
Timeline
Beginning
End
start
early.
Early
Too late
Starting accessibility work early:
“Bugs are cheap when caught young.”
– Larry Smith, the Shift Left coiner
What’s on the left?
I chose to start with product design.
How much do product designers need to know?
Probably something.
Probably not everything.
What’s a product designer’s job?
Work with their team and other partners
Work with their team and other partners to create, iterate, and hand off designs to engineers,
Work with their team and other partners to create, iterate, and hand off designs to engineers, both quickly and accurately.
Luckily, Lyft product designers already had a great toolset.
But none of the materials fully met accessibility learning needs.
I had found my place;
the thing to add.
Meeting the needs
So many options
So many tensions to hold in balance
Product designers:
Early decision:
Sell it as part of the design system.
Make accessibility work part of your role.
Some tensions on scales
Well rounded
Fit for purpose
Breadth
Considerations
Base the decision on learners’:
Hot take 🌶️
Fit for purpose is a luxury
Off the shelf
Custom built
Specificity
Considerations
Base the decision on:
Hot take 🌶️
Try off the shelf, until proven unsuccessful
Existing workflows
New processes
Integration
Considerations
Base the decision on:
Hot take 🌶️
New processes usually require some luck or pain.
Part 1:
Figma annotation components
Fit for purpose
Adapted from other sources
Existing workflows
Part 2:
Foundational training
Fit for purpose
Custom built
Existing workflows
Part 3:
Reference material
Fit for purpose
Custom built
Existing workflows
Imagine there’s a screenshot of a boring internal web page.
Part 4:
Handoff guidance
Well rounded
Custom built
Existing workflows
Part 4:
Reference material
Fit for purpose
Custom built
Existing workflows
Imagine there’s a screenshot of a boring internal web page.
Part 5:
Handoff checklist
Fit for purpose
Custom built
Existing workflows
So, how much do product designers need to know about accessibility?
Enough to do their job, which involves making accessible products
How it’s going
Still just getting started!
The Figma annotation components are a hit.
Still waiting for the training to fully roll out.
What’s next
Engineering training?
More product designer tools?
We have an accessibility strategy for the design system team.
Hoping for tons of exciting improvements in 2025!
Final thoughts
It’s worth considering your accessibility material’s users.
It’s worth considering your accessibility material’s context.
It’s worth considering your accessibility material’s ecosystem.
Not everything has to be custom tailored.
But don’t underestimate the value of existing workflows.
Consider opportunities to transform non-accessibility roles and teams into accessibility champs.
P.S.
Come get a sticker!
Questions
and thank you!