7 ways to improve website usability and accessibility

Usability is mostly about removing friction

Good accessibility work rarely looks impressive in a portfolio. It looks like a site that simply works, for more people, more of the time.

Start with contrast and structure

• Check text contrast against its actual background, not the one in the mockup

• Use real headings, not just bold text that looks like one

• Label every form field, even the ones that seem obvious

Then test with a keyboard

Unplug the mouse for ten minutes. Every place you get stuck is a place a keyboard or screen reader user gets stuck too.

None of this takes long. It just needs to happen before launch, not after a complaint.