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UX-STD-001v1.0.0MANDATORYUXstandard

Accessibility and Assistive Technology

Purpose​

This standard defines MANDATORY accessibility and assistive technology requirements across all user interfaces. It guarantees that applications remain fully usable by individuals with visual, auditory, motor, cognitive, or speech impairments. Adherence is required to achieve compliance with global accessibility regulations including EN 301 549, Section 508, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Normative language (MUST, MUST NOT, SHOULD, MAY) follows RFC 2119 semantics.

Rules​

R-1: WCAG 2.2 Level AA Compliance​

All digital products MUST achieve and maintain full compliance with W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA criteria.

  • Crucial user-flow pathways (e.g., login, payment, account recovery) SHOULD conform to WCAG 2.2 Level AAA requirements where feasible

R-2: Keyboard Accessibility and Focus Control​

All interactive components MUST be usable without a pointing device (mouse or touch screen).

  • Users MUST be able to navigate to and activate all interactive controls using only standard keyboard inputs (e.g., Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, Spacebar, Arrow keys)
  • Keyboard focus MUST NOT become trapped in any UI component or overlay; the user MUST be able to exit all elements using keyboard navigation
  • Focus indicators MUST be highly visible and have a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 against their background
  • Focus order MUST follow a logical visual and structural progression
  • Dialog boxes and modal overlays MUST trap focus inside the container while active, and MUST restore focus to the triggering element when dismissed

R-3: Sensory and Color Adjustments​

Color MUST NOT be used as the single method to convey status, select options, or prompt actions.

  • Text contrast ratios MUST meet a minimum of 4.5:1 against the background (3:1 for large text at least 18pt or 14pt bold)
  • Non-text elements (icons, borders, visual state boundaries) MUST maintain a minimum contrast ratio of 3:1 against adjacent colors
  • Audio and video media MUST provide synchronous text alternatives (closed captions, transcripts)

R-4: Document structure and Semantics​

Content MUST be formatted using standard, semantic structural elements to facilitate assistive technology interpretation:

  • Pages MUST contain exactly one <h1> element representing the primary page heading, followed by a logical hierarchy of <h2> through <h6> headings
  • Visual landmarks (headers, navigation, main sections, footers) MUST utilize native semantic tags (e.g., <header>, <nav>, <main>, <footer>) or appropriate ARIA roles
  • All form inputs MUST be programmatically coupled with their descriptive text labels via the HTML for and id attributes
  • Custom UI components (e.g., accordions, tabs, switch controls) MUST implement WAI-ARIA states, roles, and properties (e.g., aria-expanded, aria-controls, role="tablist") following W3C design patterns

Examples​

Programmatic Form Label Association​

<!-- Valid: Explicit pairing using 'for' matching input 'id' -->
<label for="user-email-input">Email Address</label>
<input type="email" id="user-email-input" name="email" required />

<!-- Invalid: Text element adjacent to input without programmatic binding -->
<span>Email Address</span>
<input type="email" name="email" required />

Landmarking and Layout Hierarchy​

<!-- Valid: Structural layout utilizing native landmark tags -->
<header>
  <h1>User Dashboard</h1>
</header>
<nav aria-label="Main Navigation">
  <ul>
    <li><a href="/home">Home</a></li>
  </ul>
</nav>
<main>
  <h2>Recent Activity</h2>
  <!-- Content here -->
</main>

References​

Rationale​

Why align with ISO-9241-171 and EN 301 549? Designing digital tools requires meeting global legislative baselines. EN 301 549 forms the legal foundation for the European Accessibility Act (EAA), while Section 508 governs public sector software in the United States. Following these standards ensures products can be procured globally without compliance re-engineering.

Why prohibit single-mode sensory cues? Users with color vision deficiencies or visual impairments cannot perceive color shifts (e.g., green borders for success, red borders for error). Supplementary cues (icons, inline messages, semantic markup) ensure that the message is transmitted regardless of sensory capability.

Version History​

VersionDateChange
1.0.02026-06-16Initial definition; gold standard