8 Ways to Spot Accessibility Issues Before They Happen: A Designer's Guide

Introduction

Designers are inherently good people—no one sets out to create a website that excludes users. Yet, as you’ve likely witnessed, even the most well-intentioned designs can leave people struggling to read text, navigate a page, or complete a task. This disconnect doesn’t stem from malice; it’s often because accessibility knowledge is buried under an avalanche of guidelines, best practices, and innovative trends. In this listicle, we’ll explore eight practical ways to recognize and fix accessibility issues while designing, drawing from a simple but powerful idea: making the information you need visible at the moment you need it. Let’s dive into a smarter approach to inclusive design.

1. Embrace the Designer’s Dilemma

You’ve never met a designer who said, “I don’t care if someone can’t read this text.” Yet exclusion happens all the time. The first step is acknowledging that good intentions aren’t enough. The designer’s dilemma is this: we want everyone to succeed, but we can’t remember every guideline. By accepting that accessibility gaps are not character flaws but cognitive overload, you free yourself to look for systemic solutions. Start by admitting that the problem isn’t willpower—it’s that there’s too much to recall. This honesty is the foundation for change.

2. Understand the Real-World Stakes

Is accessibility life-or-death? Absolutely. In his essay “This Is All There Is,” Aral Balkan illustrates how a simple bus timetable app can determine whether someone makes a daughter’s birthday party or says goodbye to a dying grandmother. When we design carelessly, we affect life events and death events. This isn’t hyperbole; it’s a call to see every design choice through the lens of real human impact. Recognize that the stakes are high, and let that urgency motivate you to reduce barriers.

3. Identify the Core Problem: Too Much to Recall

Why do designs still exclude people despite our best intentions? The answer is simple: cognitive overload. We know that not everyone sees, hears, thinks, or moves the same way. But remembering every accessibility guideline—from contrast ratios to keyboard navigation—is impossible. Designers are expected to juggle innovation, insight, and inclusion, and the sheer volume of information becomes paralyzing. The core problem isn’t ignorance; it’s that recall is an unreasonable demand. We need a different strategy.

4. Apply Recognition Over Recall for Designers

Jakob Nielsen’s 10 Usability Heuristics include № 6: “Recognition rather than Recall.” Originally meant for users, this principle can be flipped to help designers. Instead of forcing you to remember every accessibility requirement, make that information visible or easily retrievable at the moment you need it. When you design a button, for example, a tooltip could show contrast ratios or keyboard focus states. This shift from memory to awareness reduces errors and makes inclusive design more intuitive.

5. Make Accessibility Visible in Your Workflow

Now that you’ve embraced recognition over recall, the next step is to integrate accessibility checkpoints directly into your design process. Use checklists, plugins, or design tokens that surface issues as you work. For instance, color contrast analyzers can run automatically in your mockups. Keyboard navigation paths can be overlaid on wireframes. The goal is to turn abstract guidelines into tangible, visible cues. By doing so, you transform accessibility from a later-stage QA task into a continuous, real-time conversation.

6. Start with These Key Heuristics

While all ten heuristics matter, a few are especially powerful for accessibility. Focus on:

• Visibility of system status – ensure users always know what’s happening (e.g., loading indicators).
• Match between system and the real world – use language and patterns users understand.
• User control and freedom – allow undo and easy navigation.
• Consistency and standards – follow platform conventions to reduce confusion.
• Error prevention and recovery – help users avoid mistakes and fix them easily.

These heuristics, when combined with accessibility checkpoints, create a solid foundation for inclusive design.

7. Use Resources That Show, Not Just Tell

Books like A Web for Everyone by Sarah Horton and Whitney Quesenbery offer practical guidance, but the real power lies in examples. Seek out case studies, pattern libraries, and design systems that demonstrate accessible solutions. For instance, explore how the BBC’s Global Experience Language handles color and typography. When you see accessibility in action, it becomes easier to copy and adapt. Make these resources part of your design toolkit so you don’t have to memorize—just refer.

8. Commit to Continuous, Small Improvements

Finally, remember that accessibility is not a one-time fix. Designers should treat it as an evolving practice. After each project, conduct a quick audit using heuristics and accessibility checklists. Note what worked and what still needs attention. Over time, these small improvements compound. You’ll build a mental model that automatically flags potential issues. And when you encounter something new, you’ll know where to look for answers. The journey toward truly inclusive design is ongoing—but each step counts.

Conclusion

The unfortunate truth is that good designers can still create bad websites. But it doesn’t have to be that way. By recognizing that the problem is recall—not care—and by making accessibility information visible during design, we can bridge the gap between intention and outcome. Start with these eight strategies: acknowledge the dilemma, understand the stakes, reduce cognitive load, and embed visibility into your workflow. The result will be products that serve everyone, from that parent racing to a birthday party to the grandchild saying a final goodbye. Let’s design for all.