Most accessibility issues aren’t related to flashy visual content. Instead, they start with missing meaning.
- A button that looks right but doesn’t “say” it’s a button.
- A modal that appears but doesn’t announce itself.
- A beautifully designed form that can’t be completed with a keyboard.
These are just a few ways digital content can fail users who rely on assistive technology. However, accessibility audits can help uncover these issues … but only if we look beyond surface-level visuals.
Taking inspiration from a recent TPGi webinar, let’s explore why semantics, design patterns, and attributes matter so much and how they shape the effectiveness of any accessibility audit.
Why Semantics, Design Patterns, and Attributes Matter
An accessible website, mobile app, or self-service kiosk means users can understand, navigate, and control digital interfaces. Semantics, design patterns, and attributes work together to create an accessible user experience that’s both perceivable and operable.
These elements give structure and meaning to the digital interface. Without them, users of screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, and other assistive tech are left guessing.
Semantics: Describing Purpose, Not Just Appearance
Semantics define what an element is and how it should behave. They help assistive technologies convey information like:
- “This is a button.”
- “This menu is currently expanded.”
- “This input field has an error.”
Using semantic HTML, like <button>, <header>, or <nav>, provides built-in accessibility benefits. When those native roles are misused or replaced by styled <div> or <span> elements, users lose crucial context.
A proper semantic foundation is the first step to building content that communicates clearly with everyone.
Design Patterns: Predictability Builds Confidence
Established ARIA design patterns provide a shared language between digital interfaces and assistive technologies, facilitating seamless communication and interaction. They define how interactive elements (like tabs, sliders, modals, or dropdowns) should behave and be structured.
Following consistent design patterns allows users to:
- Anticipate how components will work.
- Reduce the time it takes to learn a new interface.
- Feel confident navigating unfamiliar content.
Ignoring these patterns introduces guesswork, and guesswork is the enemy of accessibility.
Attributes: Providing Extra Meaning Where It’s Needed
HTML and ARIA attributes provide additional information about an element. They communicate state, purpose, and relationships between elements.
Examples include:
- aria-expanded=”true” for dropdowns
- aria-describedby for additional context
- aria-label or aria-labelledby for custom controls
Used correctly, attributes enhance accessibility. Used excessively or incorrectly, they can do more harm than good. A minimalist approach (only adding ARIA when native HTML can’t do the job) is ideal.
Conducting an Accessibility Audit
A comprehensive audit doesn’t just ask “Can the user see it?” It asks:
- Can users navigate and interact with it?
- Can assistive technologies interpret it correctly?
- Do semantic roles and attributes match visual expectations?
Audits break down the interface into functional units, such as buttons, modals, forms, and menus, and test each one against user needs. Therefore, each component should align with a specific goal, whether it’s a simple button or a complex user interaction.
Want a more comprehensive overview? Explore our Step-by-Step Guide to Conducting a Web Accessibility Audit.
Testing in Action
When testing content for accessibility, you need to step into the user’s experience. Imagine navigating a site using only a keyboard. Does the focus move in a logical order? Can you see where it lands?
Or try using a screen reader to test your content. Do the labels, roles, and states you hear match what’s on the screen? If a modal appears, does it announce itself clearly and trap focus until it’s closed?
These moments are telling. They reveal whether the semantics and attributes are performing their intended function, or whether the experience falls apart when visual cues are unavailable.
Even a quick check in browser DevTools, like the ARC Toolkit, can surface key gaps. If an element resembles a button but lacks the role=”button” attribute or a proper accessible name, it’s a red flag.
These small details can have a big impact. And when something as simple as a role or label is missing, it’s often a sign that the experience isn’t aligning with the intention behind it.
Audits help you identify where intent and implementation diverge, particularly for users who rely on assistive technologies. And often, the fixes are as straightforward as using the right HTML element or reviewing a component against a known design pattern.
Avoiding Familiar Traps
It’s surprisingly easy to fall into patterns that compromise accessibility, especially when deadlines are tight or component libraries seem to do most of the work. But sometimes, convenience comes at a cost.
Take interactive elements, for example. It might feel faster to use a <div> styled like a button. However, without the built-in behaviors of a semantic <button> element (such as keyboard support and focus handling), users get a fragmented experience.
Then there’s ARIA. While powerful, it’s not a magic fix. Overusing or misapplying ARIA can actually make things worse. A good rule of thumb? If semantic HTML does the job, let it. ARIA should fill in gaps, not compensate for poor structure.
And when building custom UI components, skipping over established design patterns often leads to inconsistent or inaccessible behavior.
The WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices exist for a reason. They reflect how people actually use assistive tech to interact with complex interfaces. Following these guides means you’re not reinventing accessibility from scratch. You’re aligning with what already works.
Building Toward Clarity and Trust
At the heart of every accessibility audit is a simple question: Does this experience make sense to someone who can’t see the screen, use a mouse, or absorb content in a typical way?
That’s where semantics, design patterns, and attributes do their heavy lifting. They shape how digital content is interpreted, and they’re often the reason a task feels easy or frustratingly out of reach.
As teams audit and improve their digital experiences, clarity should always be the goal. Not just clarity for developers reviewing code, but clarity for users navigating it. The good news? You don’t have to tackle this alone.
If you’re ready to move beyond checklists and toward real user impact, schedule a consultation. Let’s help you uncover the invisible barriers … and remove them.
Additional Resources
To learn more, explore these TPGi resources:
- Custom Element Semantics
- Headings & Accessibility
- The Road to Accessible Drag and Drop (Part 1)
- Mind The (Remediation) Gap
- Quick-and-Dirty Accessibility
