Bridging the Gap: Why Good Designers Still Create Inaccessible Websites

Introduction

Accessibility remains one of the most critical aspects of web design, yet it is often overlooked even by well-intentioned designers. This article explores why this paradox exists and offers a practical approach to help designers integrate accessibility naturally into their workflow. You will find actionable insights rather than just theory—consider it a set of homework designed to improve your practice.

The Paradox: Good Designers, Bad Designs

Designers are generally caring people. Rarely will you hear a designer admit, “I don’t care if someone cannot read this text,” “It’s not my fault if someone cannot use this device,” or “Who cares if this interface is confusing?” Yet, despite these good intentions, many designs still exclude users. You have likely witnessed someone struggling to read text on a website, unable to interact with a physical device, or completely lost while navigating a service. This disconnect between intention and outcome raises an important question: why does this happen?

The Stakes Are Higher Than You Think

Some may ask, “Is this really life-or-death?” The answer is a resounding yes. In his influential essay This Is All There Is, Aral Balkan argues that nearly everything we design can influence life and death events. For instance, a poorly designed bus timetable app might cause someone to miss their daughter’s fifth birthday party—a life event. Worse still, it could prevent someone from reaching a dying relative in time—a death event. Accessibility is not a luxury; it is a fundamental requirement.

Why Do We Still Exclude People?

Given that we know not everyone sees, hears, thinks, or moves in the same way, why do exclusionary designs persist? The most frustrating answer is that there is simply too much to remember. Designers are expected to keep track of a vast array of guidelines: usability heuristics, accessibility standards, visual design principles, interaction patterns, and more. This cognitive overload makes it nearly impossible to recall every relevant rule at the moment of creation.

A Solution: Recognition Over Recall for Designers

Jakob Nielsen’s 10 Usability Heuristics, introduced in the mid-1990s, offer a timeless framework. His sixth heuristic, “Recognition rather than Recall,” suggests that users should not have to remember information; it should be visible or easily retrievable. Let us adapt this principle for designers: the information required to produce an inclusive design should be visible or easily retrievable when needed. In other words, we need to make accessibility issues recognizable during the design process, not after the fact.

Practical Steps to Embed Accessibility

One excellent resource is the book A Web for Everyone: Designing Accessible User Experiences by Sarah Horton and Whitney Quesenbery. It provides clear, applicable guidance. Additionally, designers can:

• Create checklists that align with common accessibility requirements (e.g., color contrast, keyboard navigation, screen reader support).
• Use design tools that offer built-in accessibility checks or integrate with auditing plugins.
• Develop mental models that automatically trigger when certain design decisions might create barriers. For example, when choosing a font size or color, immediately ask: “Can this be easily read by someone with low vision?”

By embedding these practices into daily workflow, designers reduce reliance on memory and increase the likelihood of catching exclusionary patterns early.

Conclusion: Making Accessibility Second Nature

Good designers do not intentionally exclude users, but the complexity of modern design often leads to oversights. By shifting from recall to recognition—making accessibility cues obvious during the design phase—we can bridge the gap between good intentions and inclusive outcomes. The homework is simple: start using a few key resources and self-check questions until they become automatic. Your users—including those who might miss a birthday or a final goodbye—will thank you.