Inclusive Design: designing for seniors and disability

Accessibility is not a box to tick at the end of a project, it is a way of designing. Here is the WCAG framework and a testing method that makes a site usable by seniors and people with disabilities.

Take a real case: a public administration site must be usable by seniors and people with disabilities, with a target of WCAG 2.1 level AA conformance on key pages. How do you go about it concretely?

The four POUR principles

The WCAG 2.1 reference fits into four principles, summed up by the acronym POUR:

• Perceivable: sufficient contrast and text alternatives for any non-text content.
• Operable: navigation possible by keyboard and clear action feedback.
• Understandable: explicit instructions and specific error messages, not generic ones.
• Robust: guaranteed compatibility with screen readers and assistive technologies.

The audit tools

Part of the problems can be detected automatically with tools like Lighthouse, axe DevTools or WAVE. But automation is never enough: it must be completed by manual keyboard tests and a screen-reader check. The machine spots the contrasts, the human spots the broken journeys.

An accessible site is not one that passes an automated audit: it is a site you can actually use without a mouse and without seeing the screen.

A concrete test protocol

On a form, the target looks like this: a 7:1 contrast, persistent labels, a visible focus, a logical tab order, and errors announced aloud via aria-live. The test protocol holds in three moves:

1. Navigate the page by keyboard only, never touching the mouse.
2. Go through the screen with a screen reader like VoiceOver or NVDA.
3. Check the rendering under a filter simulating color blindness.

It is the direct extension of a technical audit: same tools, same rigor, in the service of real use.

What a real audit yields

On a guided case, the starting point was 36 WCAG non-conformities. After fixes, only 6 remained, minor ones, for a Lighthouse accessibility score of 98 out of 100. Proof that an existing site can be brought up to standard without rebuilding everything, provided you follow a method.

Frequently asked questions

Is level AA mandatory?

For many public and professional sites, yes. Beyond the obligation, aiming for AA guarantees real use by seniors and people with disabilities.

Is an automated audit enough?

No. Tools like Lighthouse spot part of the problems, but keyboard and screen-reader tests remain essential to validate the journeys.

Do you have to redo everything to be accessible?

Rarely. A real case went from 36 non-conformities to 6 minor ones after targeted fixes, with no full rebuild.

Florent DABERNAT · Art director and founder of IDSEED, based in Aix-en-Provence. I help my clients with branding, UX/UI and web, using a clear and documented method. Learn more ➞