How can we balance website design and accessibility?

Resolve feasibility before approving the design by bringing developers into the creative process, not just the build. Developer Sergio Agosti argues that early involvement helps identify technical roadblocks before client sign-off and can reveal more ambitious alternatives, rather than simply ruling ideas out.

For intelligent automation provider Dematic, strategy work identified the need for an interactive tool or questionnaire. Designers and developers then worked together to establish how to bring the configurator landing page to life. For the page celebrating IBM's work in the UK and Ireland, developer involvement began at the start, covering practical implementation, colours and contrast, different devices, and mouse, touch and keyboard input.

Use design approval to resolve those questions together, rather than approving appearance separately from how people will operate the page. A 2026 Level Access survey of professionals in the US, UK and Europe found that 35% of organisations addressed accessibility during planning, compared with 28% in the preceding annual survey.

Keep design involved through development so designers can help ensure that implementation preserves the intended visual experience while supporting access. Designer involvement also creates an opportunity to learn about technical constraints and possibilities, informing future design decisions.

Give creativity and accessibility equal importance throughout implementation. Alternative text and image captions are practical ways to make visual content more understandable and accessible. Decisions about visual appeal should remain connected to how people can understand and use the finished experience.

Avoid treating inclusion as a final approval box. Tight deadlines can leave little room to retrofit accessibility, so collaboration needs to continue through development and execution. Keeping designers and developers open to technical advances, and to each other's expertise, makes inclusion part of delivering the design rather than a competing requirement at the end.