We asked industry experts to share one digital accessibility consideration that they implemented in their UI design that had a noticeably positive impact — and how it impacted their users. Learn how small changes in design can make a big difference in creating inclusive digital spaces.
- Redesign UI for 200% Zoom Compatibility
- Boost Color Contrast for Better Visibility
- Implement Alt Text to Enhance User Engagement
- Add Text-to-Speech Functionality Across Platforms
- Enable Full Keyboard Navigation for Accessibility
- Redesign Form Validation with Inline Guidance
- Increase Text Contrast for Improved Readability
- Integrate Multiple Visual Cues in Data Visualization
- Improve Keyboard Navigation with Clear Focus States
- Add Clear Focus Indicators to Interactive Elements
- Optimize Typography for Dynamic Zoom Readability
- Enhance Booking Form with Accessibility Features
Redesign UI for 200% Zoom Compatibility
One of the most meaningful web accessibility changes we made was redesigning our UI components to flow seamlessly at 200% zoom, making them fully usable for people with low vision.
We found our carousel components were a mess at higher zoom levels. Content overlapped, navigation broke, and users relying on magnification were stuck.
Teaming up with engineering, we rebuilt the carousel from scratch. We focused on a clear content hierarchy and simplified navigation to collapse into a clean, single column, regardless of the zoom level.
The result? Accessibility testers told us they could finally use the feature without clunky workarounds. That felt like a win!
But the real surprise? Designing for accessibility boosted usability for everyone. The revamped carousel wasn’t just easier for low-vision users. It looked sharper and worked better on tiny mobile screens too.
It drove home a truth for our team: when you prioritize accessibility, you’re often making things better for all users.
Tej Kalianda
Big Tech UX Designer & Change Advocate, Thoughtful By Design
Boost Color Contrast for Better Visibility
One change I made that really paid off was improving color contrast and button visibility. At first, our designs leaned on light grays and subtle tones, which looked clean but made it tough for some people to read or spot actions. Once we boosted contrast and made buttons more distinct, navigation instantly felt easier.
The response was great — users said calls-to-action were clearer and forms felt less frustrating. What surprised me was that even people without accessibility needs noticed the difference. It reminded me that accessibility tweaks often just make the experience better for everyone.
Vin Thomas
Founder and Creative Director, Fixel Design Agency
Implement Alt Text to Enhance User Engagement
Alt text implementation on images completely transformed one of my healthcare client’s user engagement. When I was working on a HIPAA-compliant website for a medical practice, I noticed their original site had zero alt text descriptions on medical procedure images and infographics.
After adding descriptive alt text to all visual content, their organic traffic increased by 18% within three months. More importantly, the client started receiving feedback from visually impaired patients who could finally understand their service offerings through screen readers.
The breakthrough moment came when a patient with low vision called to thank them for making their website “finally make sense.” What we found was that proper alt text wasn’t just helping accessibility — search engines were indexing our healthcare content better, bringing in more qualified leads.
This taught me that alt text is essentially writing micro-copy that serves both humans and search engines. Every image becomes an opportunity to describe your value proposition in a way that’s inclusive and SEO-friendly.
Divyansh Agarwal
Founder, Webyansh
Add Text-to-Speech Functionality Across Platforms
Implementing text-to-speech functionality across our digital platforms was a critical web accessibility enhancement that yielded significant benefits for our users. As someone who personally navigates dyslexia, I recognized that people consume and process information in vastly different ways, making this feature essential rather than optional. After integration, we observed increased engagement metrics from users who previously struggled with text-heavy interfaces, particularly in our learning management systems and documentation portals. The feedback we received highlighted how this seemingly simple addition removed substantial barriers for team members with diverse learning needs. This experience reinforced our commitment to designing with digital accessibility as a foundational principle rather than an afterthought, ensuring our digital environments truly work for everyone.
Vivian Acquah CDE
Certified Inclusion Strategist, Amplify DEI
Enable Full Keyboard Navigation for Digital Accessibility
One key digital accessibility design consideration we implemented was the addition of keyboard navigability for our whole site. Initially, users with disabilities, especially screen reader users and keyboard-only users, faced challenges interacting with many of the important elements on our UI such as forms, buttons, and dropdowns.
We focused on addressing any interactive element that you could tab to interact with and ensure it was fully digital accessible via keyboard tabbing. In other words, we wanted users to be able to tab through buttons, select dropdown options, and submit forms without the need to use a mouse. This update had a dual effect — not only did it enhance usability for people with motor impairment, but it made the entire site more usable as well.
The results? User engagement increased by 25%. The users who had to struggle with navigation issues were finally able to get where they wanted to go and get involved with the content. Before finalizing the design, we received market research, usability and user experience feedback, not only from users with disabilities but also from users who appreciated a less frustrated interaction (faster, smoother). This indicates that improvements to accessibility do benefit all users — not just those with specific disabilities.
We also considered color contrast and legibility as part of our experience. The overall point is that we took an action beyond functionality and optimized the experience, which now gives us a tangible result. Accessible design does not always become a last consideration; design usually has some impact on user satisfaction and inclusivity to create a better engagement outcome.
Essentially, keyboard accessibility made a difference. Keyboard accessibility is a straightforward and simple concept, maybe little known, but adds to the notion of an inclusive user experience.
Sergio Oliveira
Director of Development, DesignRush
Redesign Form Validation with Inline Guidance
We redesigned form validation for a financial services client, replacing generic error popups with clear, inline guidance. Users had been abandoning applications after encountering vague error messages requiring multiple corrections. Our solution provided real-time checks and concise explanations of issues with direct suggestions for fixes. Success messages confirmed progress after each step, reducing uncertainty. These changes respected user time and reduced cognitive load.
Form completion rates improved by 42% in the first two months. Support requests related to application errors dropped dramatically. Customers reported the process felt supportive rather than frustrating. The financial institution’s conversion funnel became smoother at every stage. A single accessibility-driven change drove measurable business growth.
Marc Bishop
Director, Wytlabs
Increase Text Contrast for Improved Readability
One small but powerful digital accessibility tweak I implemented was increasing contrast and eliminating “pretty but unreadable” text colors. Initially, I was guilty of using sleek light grays on white or muted color palettes because they “looked modern.” The problem was that a significant portion of users—especially those with impaired vision or those using their phones outdoors — were struggling to read the content.
When I redesigned with proper color contrast (using darker text, larger font sizes, and ensuring buttons looked clickable), engagement metrics improved almost immediately. Bounce rates decreased, users spent more time on pages, and I received direct feedback such as, “Finally, I can read this on my phone without zooming in.” It wasn’t a massive rebrand, but rather a focus on legibility and accessibility that made the product more welcoming for everyone. Interestingly, the site ended up looking cleaner as well.
Accessibility is about respect. When you design for the extremes, everyone in the middle benefits.
Daniel Haiem
CEO, App Makers LA
Integrate Multiple Visual Cues in Data Visualization
One of the design techniques I used in an overhaul of a financial dashboard was integrating multiple visual cues. I didn’t only rely on color-coded bars to convey monthly performance; I added unique patterns and named all months below it. This aimed to avoid forcing users to constantly refer back to a legend and ensured that those with color vision deficiencies (8% of men and 0.5% of women) could interpret the data just as easily as everyone else.
The result was immediate and very evident. The task completion rate for discerning monthly trends increased by almost 20%, and user errors were significantly reduced when comparing results. Apart from being digital accessible, this method made reports faster and more accurate to read for all users. At a higher level, it demonstrated a solid best practice for design: addressing color accessibility also results in improved usability — when you add additional cues to your use of color, even more of your users benefit from being able to simply understand and use the application.
Jonathan Garini
CEO & Enterprise AI Strategist, fifthelement
Improve Keyboard Navigation with Clear Focus States
One digital accessibility feature we implemented that had a significant impact was improving keyboard navigation across our UI. Initially, we focused primarily on mouse and touch interactions, but after testing with keyboard-only users, we realized some key actions, such as toggling menus or submitting forms, weren’t fully accessible without a mouse.
We then went back and ensured every interactive element (buttons, dropdowns, modals) was reachable via the Tab key and usable with Enter or Space. We also added clear focus states, so users could visually track their location on the page. It was a minor update from a development standpoint, but the results were meaningful.
After launching the update, we received feedback from several users, some with mobility impairments and others who simply preferred keyboard navigation, stating that the site felt significantly easier to use. Even beyond accessibility, this change improved usability for power users and accelerated form interactions. It served as an excellent reminder that accessibility improvements often enhance the experience for everyone.
Mark Yeramian
Co-Founder, CEO, Moast.io
Add Clear Focus Indicators to Interactive Elements
We added clear focus indicators to all interactive elements. This small change helps keyboard users know exactly where they are on the page. Without it, moving through the site felt like guessing. Now navigation is much easier and more user-friendly for everyone who does not use a mouse. It brought back a basic part of accessibility that many websites overlook.
After the update, we saw an increase in form completions and fewer users dropping off during the process. It was a simple improvement with a big impact. We did not use any plugins or tools to achieve it. Sometimes making a website more web accessible is about doing the basics right. This proved that usability and simplicity can go hand in hand.
Sahil Kakkar
CEO / Founder, RankWatch
Optimize Typography for Dynamic Zoom Readability
We optimized typography for a client’s educational platform to remain clear at 200% zoom. Line lengths, spacing, and headings adjusted dynamically to preserve readability. Icons and controls scaled proportionally to maintain usability. We used relative units to future-proof designs across devices. The changes supported users with low vision while benefiting everyone.
Session duration in educational modules increased, as learners could read longer without fatigue. Digital accessibility-related complaints decreased significantly. Search rankings improved slightly from increased dwell time. Instructors reported fewer questions about “finding” or “reading” assignments. The typography overhaul enhanced the platform’s credibility in digital accessibility-conscious academic markets.
Jason Hennessey
CEO, Hennessey Digital
Enhance Booking Form with Digital Accessibility Features
Our booking form was completely inaccessible to customers with visual impairments until we made use of acceptable color contrast ratios and keyboard navigation. The magnitude of the problem was something I had not even previously considered; however, it actually affects people, as proven one afternoon during a phone call from a visually impaired customer. He had become infuriated after being unable to complete his online rental, despite being an experienced rider who had traveled around the world.
The big wake-up call was when this Portland customer told us he was using screen reader software on our site, but the labels were unclear on our form and it did not have a consistent tab order. He heard the information in the form at the beginning but did not know what information to enter where. Our available bikes page used red/green color coding to show availability (which was non-functional for colorblind users) — about 8% of our male customers could not distinguish between an available and booked motorcycle.
Visible Problems
We started by fixing the most visible problems: we added text labels for all the obvious form fields, implemented sensible keyboard navigation, and replaced color-based flags with text states. We did this, and the Portland customer ended up being an awesome multiple-purchase customer (buying 5 different tours). The unexpected larger impact, however, was that by making the site more accessible, it made it better to use for everyone — not just people with disabilities.
By making the labels clearer and improving navigation flow, all users were better able to understand the information we needed, resulting in a 23% increase in form completion rate. Surprise, surprise: designing with accessibility in mind makes better UX for all. Additionally, using a text CTA instead of “click here” and getting our heading structure in shape boosted our search engine rankings and increased our organic bookings by an ever-increasing percentage.
Carlos Nasillo
CEO, Riderly
