Accessibility is not a technical feature or an ethical gesture: it is a strategic capability of our products and, like any capability, it must be sustained from within, with structure, vision and shared responsibility. An accessible product is more adaptable, more robust, better prepared for real-world scenarios and diverse users.
The challenge is no longer technical; the tools exist and the standards are clear, but we are at a point where we need to take a step forward and not just “comply”. The W3C recommendations and recent updates to the European directive no longer talk only about technical compliance, but about building more resilient and universal environments from the design stage. Similarly, the WCAG are evolving in this direction. We can see in the draft WCAG 3.0 that it is specially designed to create inclusive experiences beyond a list of compliance criteria.
This positions the market for a real paradigm shift that requires a strategic approach to keep up. Are we designing products that adapt to people, or are we still waiting for people to adapt to what we design?
-Accessibility is not delegated, it is shared. It is not limited to removing barriers, but activates real capabilities within the product, the team and the service.-
From good intentions to real working frameworks
Accessibility is not a final layer or an external audit: it is a strategic direction. When you work from correction rather than design, you lose the transformative potential that inclusion has from the outset.
Integrating accessibility into design and development frameworks is not just a technical issue. It is not a decision exclusive to design, but a shared direction that must be embedded throughout the entire process. This is where the role of the Accessibility Champion becomes relevant. A figure who accompanies, drives, trains and inspires. It is not about imposing rules, but about cultivating a shared sensitivity. This profile not only detects barriers, but also makes opportunities visible, provokes conversations that are sometimes avoided and builds bridges between disciplines that often work separately.
They do not replace anyone, but they connect everyone. Their role is cross-cutting, helping to ensure that accessibility does not depend on individual enthusiasm, but remains alive and consistent within a structure that supports it. When this figure exists, processes become more coherent, decisions more thoughtful and solutions more humane. But for this to work, it is not enough to have one person driving it forward; an end-to-end framework needs to be created.
- Voices. This involves mapping out stakeholders, identifying who needs to be involved and when, and designing how each step of the process is communicated.
- Self-sufficiency. Providing teams with tools, a shared language and spaces to coordinate is not optional; it is the foundation for accessibility to stop depending on enthusiasm and start becoming part of how products are built.
- Automation. This is where another pillar comes in: automation and technology. There is a silent innovation, behind the scenes, that can transform workflows if we know how to integrate it well. Automating accessibility validations, semantic tagging, voice structure or contrast from the early stages of design not only saves time, but also reinforces consistency.
When compliance is not enough
Complying with WCAG can be a good start, but it does not guarantee a good experience. A mislabelled but ‘valid’ button is not useful. Neither is a menu that passes an automatic audit but makes no sense when listened to with a screen reader. It’s like handing out an incomplete manual: it’s there, but it doesn’t help.
Accessible design must be consistent, not just compliant. Consistent with actual usage flows, with the actions people perform, with what is expected from an accompanying interface.
Real-life case: designing to be heard
One of the first steps we took in television was to identify the most frequently used flows and prioritise them. When designing for screen readers, we understood that behind every navigation there is a structure: labels, roles and hierarchy, yes, but also context and logic. And that logic doesn’t start with a button, it starts with the entire journey.
Mapping journeys with the same criteria we use to prioritise any functionality allowed us to design complete experiences. Experiences that guide, accompany and speak with meaning. It’s not about adding technical attributes: it’s about building clear vocal narratives from the outset.
This conclusion led us to create our first accessible voice style guide.
A guide that is now part of the design system and complements the UX writing section. Because when there is no visual stimulus, content must be guided by logical structures and well-thought-out labels. This is what we define as ‘the accessible voice style guide’: a guide that provides clarity, consistency, style and inclusivity.
Designing for everyone doesn’t slow things down, it speeds them up
- Accessibility and innovation go hand in hand. Instead of seeing accessibility as a hindrance, we should see it as an opportunity to innovate. What if we used artificial intelligence to adapt interfaces in real time according to each person’s preferences and needs? What if products learned from different ways of navigating to offer more direct, flexible and human journeys?
- Voice assistants are already pointing in that direction. They have transformed the way many people interact with digital services, especially in situations where screen use or touch is not the primary option. Requesting content, controlling navigation or performing searches using voice began as an accessibility feature, and today benefits a wide range of people.
Accessibility can be the driving force behind new forms of interaction that are more adaptable, inclusive and efficient.
Designing for everyone means designing better
Accessibility is not a validation, it is a way of thinking that starts from real diversity.
Designing with this vision is not about making specific versions, it is about building stronger products from the start. Inclusion begins when we stop designing for an average profile and start taking into account different ways of navigating, understanding and interacting. When this happens, products are not only accessible: they work better for everyone.
When we stop seeing it as compliance and integrate it as a natural part of the process, accessibility becomes a structural advantage: it reduces friction, broadens reach and reinforces product robustness.
It is, in short, a way of designing with more judgement, more responsibility and more impact.
