Universal Principles of Design, Updated and Expanded Third Edition

002 Accessibility

Things should be designed to be usable, without modification, by as many people as possible.

Historically, accessibility in design meant providing accommodations for people with disabilities; however, it has become clear that accessible design benefits everyone. The principle of accessibility asserts that designs should be usable by people of diverse abilities, without modification.1

There are four characteristics of accessible designs:

1. Perceptibility — Achieved when everyone can perceive the design, regardless of sensory abilities. Guidelines for improving perceptibility are: select typeface size and color so that text is legible to all readers, including older and color-blind readers; position controls and information so ...