A Practical Per-Feature Accessibility Checklist

A per-feature checklist turns accessibility from a vague goal into a few concrete things you verify before every ship. 📋

A practical checklist is short enough to run in minutes. If it takes an hour, people will quietly skip it under deadline pressure.

First item: unplug the mouse and use the feature with the keyboard alone. Everything you can click, you must reach by Tab.

As you tab through, confirm the focus indicator is always clearly visible and the order follows how the content reads.

Check that headings, lists, buttons, and links use the right elements, so the structure is correct before any ARIA is added.

Every input has a real label, and every icon button has an accessible name, so screen readers announce them clearly.

Informative images carry meaningful alt text, while purely decorative ones use empty alt so screen readers skip them.

Verify text meets the contrast minimums and that no information is carried by color alone, like a red-only error.

Run one quick pass with a screen reader to confirm the feature announces sensibly and nothing important reads as blank.

Zoom the page to 200 percent and check it reflows without losing content or forcing awkward two-direction scrolling.

Treat this as a starting list. Add items for the widgets and patterns your product uses most, and trim what never applies.

What makes a per-feature checklist actually get used?

A short per-feature checklist, covering keyboard, focus, semantics, names, alt, contrast, and a screen reader pass, keeps every ship accessible. 📋