Co-op Assignment, FA24

Accessibility Research and Guidelines Development

Employer
Nokia Design System

Year
Sep 2024 - Nov 2024

Supervisor
Raquel Pereira

Tool
Figma

Technical and Design Processes

Research:

  • Analyzed WCAG 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, and 3.0 draft guidelines.

  • Conducted comparative analysis of existing design systems (e.g., Material Design, IBM Carbon Design System).

Development:

  • Created accessibility checklists tailored for designers and developers.

  • Reviewed design system resources for accessibility compliance and best practices.

Tools:

  • Used Figma for synthesizing and documenting findings, checklist creation, and team feedback.

Presentation Delivery:

  • Delivered a presentation to a team of six, sharing research findings, accessibility checklists, and actionable recommendations to enhance accessibility guidelines. This fostered a deeper team-wide understanding of accessibility principles and set the stage for future improvements.

Project Summary

Objective:
To enhance the accessibility knowledge of designers and developers and ensure successful integration of accessibility guidelines through a comprehensive, actionable checklist aligned with the latest WCAG guidelines.

Outcome:

  • Delivered user-friendly accessibility checklists for designers and developers.

  • Identified gaps and provided improvement suggestions for the company's component documentation.

  • Presented findings to the team, sparking discussions and further actions for implementing accessibility improvements in our design system’s guidelines and within our products.

Problem Solved:
Bridged the gap in understanding accessibility standards and their practical application in design systems.

Process Images

Research (original sources)

https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/

Deep dive on touch target guidelines (+ proposal to improve accessibility)

I proposed and made edits to our components to improve their accessibility.
I educated designers in product teams how to use components to meet the accessibility criteria.

Final presentation delivery

https://webaim.org/standards/wcag/checklist

  • Acquired in-depth knowledge of WCAG guidelines and their role in ensuring accessibility in alignment with evolving technology.

  • Improved ability to translate complex information into actionable tools for designers and developers.

  • Gained a comprehensive understanding of how leading design systems implement accessibility to foster inclusivity.

  • Enhanced presentation and communication skills by effectively conveying technical concepts to a focused audience.

  • Built confidence in advocating for accessibility improvements within a collaborative team environment.

Main Takeaways