{
    "version" : "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1",
    "content" : "guides",
    "type" : "single",
    "title" : "Accessibility for product managers |Digital.gov",
    "description": "Accessibility for product managers",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/product-management/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"Accessibility for product managers","deck" : "","summary" : "","date" : "2018-07-09T09:00:00-05:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","topics" : {
        
            "accessibility" : "Accessibility",
            "product-and-project-management" : "Product and project management",
            "user-experience" : "User experience"
            },"primary_image" : { "uid" : "accessibility-for-teams-guide", "alt" :
  "Illustration of seven people in a meeting in office. One is standing, six, using laptops, are seated at a conference table. One employee is in a wheelchair.", "width" :
  "5800", "height" :
  "3379", "credit" :
  "", "caption" :
  "Color_life/iStock via Getty Images", "format" :
  "jpg" },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"product-management.md",
      
      "filepath" :"guides/accessibility-for-teams/product-management.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/guides/accessibility-for-teams/product-management.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/guides/accessibility-for-teams/product-management.md","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/product-management/","content" :"\u003ch2 id=\"getting-started\"\u003eGetting started\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProduct managers play a vital role in communicating accessibility requirements early in the project lifecycle, ensuring each team member knows their responsibility, and keeping the team accountable for building accessible products. Following these steps, you’ll make sure you’re not only following legal requirements, but making your product more usable for everyone.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"why-you-should-care\"\u003eWhy you should care\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAny product released by the government must conform to the standards of \u003ca href=\"https://www.section508.gov/\"\u003eSection 508\u003c/a\u003e (which aligns with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/quickref/?versions=2.0\u0026amp;currentsidebar=%23col_overview\u0026amp;levels=a%2Caaa\"\u003eW3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Level AA\u003c/a\u003e), a law that ensures all web content is accessible to anybody with a disability. Not following these requirements poses significant legal risks for any government entity.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you have project-specific questions, ask your agency’s accessibility team.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"accessibility-basics\"\u003eAccessibility basics\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLearn the basics of accessibility and what your team does to make content accessible.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"steps-to-take\"\u003eSteps to take\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFamiliarize yourself with the high-level accessibility roles for each member of your team:\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/front-end-development\"\u003eFront-end development\u003c/a\u003e: Ensure front-end code is written accessibly and conducts manual and automated testing.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/visual-design\"\u003eVisual design\u003c/a\u003e: Ensure that designs are accessible, pages are laid out in a logical order, and content meets color contrast requirements.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/ux-design\"\u003eUX design\u003c/a\u003e: Ensure that overall experience is built and designed in an accessible fashion, conduct usability testing with people who need accessibility features.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEnsure your team members know where to find the accessibility guidelines for their role and follow them from the start of a project. The guides are located here: \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/front-end-development\"\u003efront-end\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/content-design\"\u003econtent design\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/ux-design\"\u003eux design\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/visual-design\"\u003evisual design\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTake an introductory-level class to get a baseline knowledge of accessibility.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLearn how to \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/visual-design/#keyboard-access\"\u003enavigate a webpage using only your keyboard\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/visual-design\"\u003elearn how to use VoiceOver\u003c/a\u003e so you can spot check new features when necessary.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"resources\"\u003eResources\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/resources/an-introduction-to-accessibility/\"\u003eAn introduction to accessibility\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.section508.gov/training/\"\u003eSection508.gov accessibility training, tools, and events\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"diverse-users\"\u003eDiverse users\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsider how everyone will use the product.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"steps-to-take-1\"\u003eSteps to take\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDon’t assume that your users don’t have accessibility needs.\u003c/strong\u003e Even if your product serves a small subset of users, any one individual may experience disabilities that are situational (working in a loud environment) or temporary (having an arm in a cast), or develop a permanent one.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEngage with various perspectives\u003c/strong\u003e in your research and in usability testing, considering a range of experiences and abilities.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsider testing your product with people in their own context\u003c/strong\u003e, such as people who use alternative reading devices, have color blindness impairments, or motor impairments.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSet a regular cadence\u003c/strong\u003e for testing accessibility scenarios.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"resources-1\"\u003eResources\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://prod.rm.gfolkdev.net/a-web-for-everyone/personas-for-accessible-ux/\"\u003ePersonas for Accessible UX\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"project-workflow\"\u003eProject workflow\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBuild accessibility into your project workflow rather than retrofitting it at the end.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"steps-to-take-2\"\u003eSteps to take\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEncourage the team to account for accessibility when creating and estimating stories.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdd accessibility as an acceptance criteria or definition of \u003cem\u003edone\u003c/em\u003e for each story or new feature.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdd accessibility testing into each development sprint or quality assurance (QA) check.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWork with your front end developers to choose an \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/guides/accessibility-for-teams/front-end-development\"\u003eautomated testing plan\u003c/a\u003e.\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncluding automated accessibility testing throughout the development process can help quickly catch \u003ca href=\"https://accessibility.blog.gov.uk/2017/02/24/what-we-found-when-we-tested-tools-on-the-worlds-least-accessible-webpage/\"\u003emany accessibility errors\u003c/a\u003e, but can’t guarantee that your site is accessible. Always combine automated testing with ongoing manual testing.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhen a new accessibility issue arises that you may have missed, prioritize those issues appropriately against other development concerns:\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConsider whether the error is \u003ca href=\"https://pages.18f.gov/accessibility/checklist/\"\u003ecritical, less critical, or minor\u003c/a\u003e.\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCritical issues will cause serious problems and/or stop most users of assistive technology from using the site.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLess critical issues may cause problems or increased frustration for certain users.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMinor issues will cause problems or frustration for a small number of users.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConsider prioritizing the issue if it appears on high-touch pages, critical user paths, or site-wide templates.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"final-review\"\u003eFinal review\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRequest a final review from an accessibility expert.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"steps-to-take-3\"\u003eSteps to take\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIn most cases, you may request a manual accessibility review from the accessibility team at your agency at least two weeks before a public launch. This ensures there’s enough time to conduct the review and make necessary changes. Since you\u0026rsquo;ve been manually testing throughout the project, this should be quick.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDepending on your project’s requirements, you may also choose to hire an outside firm to conduct testing as part of your QA.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003ch3 id=\"resources-2\"\u003eResources\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.section508.gov/tools/program-manager-listing/\"\u003eFind your agency\u0026rsquo;s 508 Program Manager\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDisclaimer\u003c/strong\u003e: All references to specific brands, products, and companies are used only for illustrative purposes and do not imply endorsement by the U.S. federal government or any federal government agency.\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}