Accessibility is often treated like the final step.

Design the product.
Build the product.
Test the product.

Then someone asks:

“Wait… is it accessible?”

That’s the mental model this needs to change.

A UX lesson from France makes the point particularly well.

Accessibility Is Bigger Than UI

France’s RGAA provides a framework for evaluating digital accessibility. The current RGAA 4.1.2 includes 106 control criteria, with RGAA 5 being prepared for publication in late 2026. But the important UX lesson isn’t the number of criteria.

It’s the mindset. 

Accessibility affects the entire experience:

  • Research
  • UX
  • UI
  • Content
  • Development
  • Testing

The question isn’t simply whether an interface looks accessible.

It’s whether people can actually understand, navigate, operate and use the service. 

The Problem With the Old Workflow

The old mental model looks like:

Research → Design → Build → Ship → “Is it accessible?”

At that point, accessibility issues may require changes to components, interaction patterns, content, keyboard behaviour, structure and implementation.

Late accessibility can become expensive rework. 

Accessibility From Day One

A better workflow asks accessibility questions throughout the process.

Research:
Who might experience this differently?

UX:
Can they complete the task?

UI:
Can they perceive and operate it?

Content:
Can they understand it?

Build:
Is it implemented accessibly?

Test:
Does it actually work?

Accessibility moves with the project. 

It Changes Design Decisions

Accessibility also changes the questions designers ask.

Instead of:

“Does this look good?”

Ask:

“Can users perceive it?”

Instead of:

“Is this interaction clever?”

Ask:

“Can users operate it?”

Instead of:

“Does this copy sound nice?”

Ask:

“Can users understand it?” 

That’s a powerful shift.

Accessibility isn’t about restricting creativity.

It’s about expanding who can successfully use what we create.

Don’t Turn Accessibility Into a Checklist

Alt text matters.

Contrast matters.

Font size matters.

Automated accessibility checks matter.

But those things aren’t the entire experience.

The bigger question is:

Can people actually understand, navigate and use the service? 

Accessibility needs continuous attention:

Design → Test → Learn → Improve → Repeat.

It’s part of maintaining product quality, not a one-time task. 

The Takeaway

Accessibility doesn’t mean designing more screens.

It means designing experiences that more people can actually use.

So instead of asking:

“How do we make this accessible at the end?”

Ask:

“How do we design this accessibly from the beginning?” 

Design for more people. Not more screens.