Why It Matters
Accessibility (a11y) isn't an edge case—it's a requirement. Roughly 15% of the world's population lives with some form of disability. Accessible design benefits everyone: curb cuts help wheelchair users and parents with strollers; captions help deaf users and people in loud environments. In design, this means sufficient color contrast, focus states, readable typography, and logical structure.
Examples
1
A button with 4.5:1 color contrast ratio meeting WCAG AA standards for readability.
2
Focus states on all interactive elements enabling keyboard navigation.
3
Form inputs with clear labels and error messages read by screen readers.
Related Terms
Component States
The different visual appearances a component can have based on user interaction or context, such as default, hover, active, focus, disabled, and error states.
Design Tokens
Named, platform-agnostic values that store design decisions like colors, spacing, typography, and shadows, enabling consistent styling across design tools and code.
Design System
A comprehensive collection of reusable components, patterns, guidelines, and design tokens that work together to ensure consistency and efficiency across product development.
Style Guide
Documentation that defines the visual language of a product, including color palettes, typography scales, spacing systems, and usage guidelines.
Explore More Design Terms
Browse our complete glossary of Figma and design systems terminology.