You want to ship accessible websites. So do I. But it doesn't mean you can't be practical. My advice is to know when to compromise and when to stand your ground.
Here's the thing.
Some accessibility issues are minor. They won't significantly move the needle when you solve them. They might even create too much hassle for your product team to fix. In short, they're not worth fighting for.
One example from this week.
A slightly lower colour contrast on an icon. It was decorative (mostly) and it was accompanied by explanatory text anyway.
Yes, I could have pushed the designer to increase the contrast. That meant redesigning about 40+ icons, re-exporting and re-optimising each. Then the content team re-uploading each. A lot of hassle. I could have won that battle, but on the long run I would have lost a lot of good will.
I decided that having the contrast slightly off wasn't something I wanted to push the designers for. By letting this, and other issues like it, slide, I think I built goodwill with the team.
On the other hand, I have a few principles I'd never compromise on.
On that list, among others, are:
- keyboard navigation
- screen reader compatibility
- clear content structure
- form accessibility
These are essential for many users and can make or break their experience on the site.
This week's 1%: choose your battles wisely and save your influence for when it really matters. Because when you do need to push back on an inaccessible design, your team will be more likely to listen because you've shown flexibility in the past.
Making these smart compromises can build a positive working relationship with the product team. And that, on the long run, matters more than the small stuff.
Don't sweat the small stuff.