Published: 17 July 2026

Designers want their work to be useful, usable and accessible. When a product is easier to understand, navigate and operate, it works better for more people — including people who use keyboards, screen readers, magnification, voice control, touch, or other assistive technologies.

But accessibility can still fall through the cracks between design and development. A screen may look polished in Figma, yet still leave developers guessing about heading structure, landmarks, focus order, component purpose, or interaction details. Those gaps often show up late in QA, when fixes are more expensive — or worse, after launch, when people are already struggling to use the product.

The problem: accessibility is often implied, not specified

A design file can communicate layout, colour, typography and spacing very clearly. It does not always communicate meaning. Developers may not know which text is intended to be a heading, which areas are landmarks, which elements are interactive, or how a component should be exposed to assistive technology.

When these decisions are left implicit, teams rely on assumptions. Sometimes those assumptions are correct. Often they are incomplete. The result can be avoidable rework, inconsistent implementation, and experiences that work for some people but not for everyone.

A designer draws a seaside house however a breakdown in communication means the builder builds a lovely tower. The new owners come with bags packed to move in and are shocked the tower isn't the house they hoped for.

The shift: make accessibility visible in the design file

The better approach is to build accessibility into the design workflow from the start. That means using accessible patterns, documenting intent clearly, and giving developers the information they need before implementation begins.

AccessUX DesignLint is a Figma plugin created to support that shift. It helps designers mark up key accessibility information directly in Figma, keep annotations visible on the canvas, and scan pages for WCAG 2.2 issues while the design is still being shaped.

Annotating an image component with accessible name options in AccessUX DesignLint
Image and icon: set an accessible name or mark decorative
Form field label auto suggestions and developer markup
Labels & markup: Designer nominates a form input component. Label is auto-suggested and HTML markup suggestions added for developer handover

What DesignLint helps you do

  • Mark headings so page structure is clear.
  • Identify landmarks so developers understand the intended regions of the interface.
  • Annotate interactive components so behaviour and purpose are easier to implement correctly.
  • Keep accessibility notes on the canvas where designers, reviewers and developers can see them.
  • Scan designs for WCAG 2.2 issues before handover.
Email field with a linked tag assignment 'Form input'
Tags: DesignLint canvas tags like 'Form input' identify components but can be toggled off where helpful
Design-stage automated WCAG accessibility scan results like 'Error: Skipped heading level' and 'Warning: Line height too tight'
Scan: handy automated WCAG 2.2 design checks even before developer handoff

This does not replace accessibility expertise, user research, usability testing or engineering checks. It does help teams catch more issues earlier, reduce ambiguity, and make accessibility part of everyday design practice rather than a late-stage review activity.

Why it matters

Accessibility is easiest to improve when teams can see it, discuss it and act on it early. By making structure and interaction intent explicit inside Figma, DesignLint helps designers and developers work from the same understanding.

That means fewer surprises in QA, clearer handover conversations, and a stronger foundation for products that more people can use with confidence.

Try DesignLint in public beta

AccessUX DesignLint for Figma is free to use while in public beta. Try it in your next design file, test it with your team, and share feedback to help shape the tool.

Learn more and try the AccessUX DesignLint plugin today.

Services

Digital Product Design: Learn how AccessUX helps digital product designers imagine accessible, inclusive design solutions.