Accessibility checklist and guidance for designers
This checklist contains information and guidance on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) success criteria. It can be used to help carry out an initial evaluation of your service.
| Success criteria | Level | Description | What this affects | Severity | Who is responsible | Knowledge to test | Time to test | Test procedure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) | A | A transcript is provided for audio only content (such as a podcast) |
|
Blocker |
|
Easy | Quick |
|
| 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) | A | Essential content that is communicated visually in videos is also available as audio or text | Screen reader | Blocker |
|
Easy | Quick |
|
| 1.2.2 Captions (prerecorded) | A | Captions are provided for video with audio |
|
Blocker |
|
Easy | Quick |
|
| 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded) | A | When there is audiovisual content (video) you can work out what is going on from the audio or an audio description is provided | Screen reader | Blocker |
|
Easy | Quick |
|
| 1.2.4 Captions (Live) | AA | Captions are provided for video with audio |
|
Blocker |
|
Easy | Quick |
|
| 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded) | AA | When there is audiovisual content (video) you can work out what is going on from the provided audio description | Screen reader | Blocker |
|
Easy | Quick |
|
| 1.3.1 Info and Relationships | A | Font icons are not used | Contrast | Moderate |
|
Medium | Medium |
|
| 1.3.1 Info and Relationships | A | Inline CSS is not used |
|
Minor |
|
Medium | Medium |
|
| 1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics | A | Instructions provided for understanding and interacting with content does not solely rely on shape, size, sound, visual location or orientation | Screen reader |
|
|
Easy | Quick |
|
| 1.4.1 Use of Colour | A | Colour has not been solely used as the only visual means of conveying information |
|
|
Designer | Easy | Quick | |
| 1.4.2 Audio Control | A | Audio is not played automatically | Screen reader |
|
Designer | Easy | Quick |
|
| 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) | AA | There is decent contrast for reading text (minimum 4.5:1 ratio for standard text, 3:1 for large text) | Contrast | Moderate | Designer | Easy | Medium |
|
| 1.4.5 Images of Text | AA | Graphics are not used for text (except logos) | Magnification |
|
|
Medium | Quick |
|
| 1.4.10 Reflow | AA | You can zoom in 400% without losing content/functionality or horizontal scrolling | Magnification |
|
|
Easy | Quick |
|
| 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast | AA | There is decent contrast for graphics (that don't have text) and inputs/controls/focus styles | Contrast |
|
Designer | Medium | Medium |
|
| 2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts | A | Keyboard short cuts are not used, unless the user can override them | Keyboard | Blocker |
|
Medium |
|
|
| 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable | A | There is time to read and act on things | Cognition | Blocker |
|
Medium | Medium |
|
| 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide | A | Any distracting flashes or movements are under user-control | Cognition | Blocker | Designer | Medium | Medium |
|
| 2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshhold | A | Flashing content does not flash more than three times in any one second period, or the flash is below the general flash and red flash thresholds | Photosensitive seizure | Blocker | Designer | Medium | Medium |
|
| 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks | A | There is a mechanism to skip to content, or skip past navigation | Keyboard |
|
|
Easy | Quick |
|
| 2.4.3 Focus Order | A | The focus order is logical and intuitive | Keyboard | Moderate |
|
Easy | Quick |
|
| 2.4.4 Link Purpose | A | Ambiguous link phrases have not been used. The purpose of the link can be determined from the link text alone or it has been programmatically defined. |
|
Moderate |
|
Medium | Quick |
|
| 2.4.5 Multiple Ways | AA | More than one method is available to locate a Web page within a set of Web pages | Cognition | Moderate | Designer | Medium | Quick |
|
| 2.4.7 Focus Visible | AA | The location of the keyboard focus is visually obvious | Keyboard |
|
|
Easy | Quick |
|
| 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) | AA | A focus indicator is not restricted in any way | Keyboard | Moderate |
|
Easy | Quick |
|
| 2.4.13 Focus Appearance | AAA | The focus indicator has a clear thickness and colour contrast |
|
Moderate | Designer | Medium | Medium |
|
| 2.5.1 Pointer Gestures | A | Touch gestures (e.g. swipe) are not relied on | Mobile | Blocker | Designer | Easy | Quick |
|
| 2.5.4 Motion Actuation | A | Motion sensors are not relied on for functionality (e.g. shake to undo) | Mobile |
|
Designer | Easy |
|
|
| 2.5.5 Target Size (Enhanced) | AAA | Touch targets are large enough to touch accurately (at least 44px x 44px) | Mobile | Moderate |
|
Easy |
|
|
| 2.5.7 Dragging Movements | AA | No click and drag function is required, or an alternative is provided |
|
Moderate |
|
Medium | Medium |
|
| 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) | AA | Components have a minimum target size | Mobile | Moderate |
|
Medium |
|
|
| 3.2.3 Consistent Navigation | AA | Navigation is consistently ordered across pages | Keyboard | Moderate | Designer | Easy | Quick |
|
| 3.2.4 Consistent Identification | AA | Terms used for functionality are consistently used | Cognition | Moderate |
|
Easy | Quick |
|
| 3.2.6 Consistent Help | A | Any help provided is done so consistently | Cognition | Moderate |
|
Medium | Medium |
|
| 3.3.1 Error Identification | A | Where an error occurs, the issue can be identified and is described to the user in text | Cognition | Moderate |
|
Medium | Medium |
|
| 3.3.3 Error suggestion | AA | Error messages are actually useful, e.g. provide a useful next step or way of entering valid data | Cognition | Medium |
|
Medium | Medium |
|
| 3.3.4 Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data) | AA | Legal and financial actions can be either reversed, checked or confirmed | Cognition | Severe | Designer | Medium | Medium |
|
| 3.3.7 Redundant Entry | A | Users do not have to enter the same information more than once | Cognition | Moderate |
|
Medium | Medium |
|
| 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum) | AA | Users are not required to complete a function test, except under certain conditions | Cognition | Severe |
|
Medium | Medium |
|
| 1.4.10 Reflow | Best practice | Magnification software users do not have to unnecessarily scroll horizontal to find content | Magnification |
|
Designer | Easy | Quick |
|