Accessibility Audit Results and Improvements

Accessibility is not an afterthought at One X Design — it is a fundamental design requirement woven into every project from day one. This quarter, we completed a comprehensive accessibility audit across all active client projects, measuring compliance against the latest WCAG 2.2 AA standards. The results are encouraging, and the improvements we have implemented set a new baseline for the quality of our accessible design work.

The audit covered 23 active projects spanning web applications, mobile apps, and hybrid platforms. Our team evaluated each project against all 50 success criteria in WCAG 2.2 at the AA level, using a combination of automated testing tools, manual evaluation, and assistive technology testing with screen readers, switch controls, and voice navigation. This multi-layered approach catches issues that automated tools alone miss.

Key Audit Findings

The audit revealed that 18 of 23 projects already met full WCAG 2.2 AA compliance, a significant improvement from the 14 of 23 that met WCAG 2.1 AA standards in our previous audit. The five projects with remaining issues required targeted fixes rather than fundamental redesign, indicating that our design processes are producing accessible outcomes by default.

The most common issues identified were related to new WCAG 2.2 criteria, particularly around focus appearance, dragging movements, and consistent help. These criteria address interaction patterns that have become more common in modern web applications and were not covered by earlier versions of the standard. Our team developed reusable solutions for each of these patterns that have been integrated into our component library for use across all future projects.

Screen Reader Experience Improvements

A major focus of this audit cycle was improving the screen reader experience beyond mere technical compliance. Compliance with success criteria ensures that content is accessible, but it does not guarantee that the experience is good. We conducted usability testing sessions with screen reader users to identify areas where the technically accessible experience was confusing, inefficient, or frustrating.

Accessibility compliance is the floor, not the ceiling. Our goal is not to pass audits but to create experiences that are genuinely enjoyable for people using assistive technology — experiences where accessibility feels native rather than bolted on.

Testing Methodology and Tooling

Our audit methodology combines three layers of testing. The first layer uses automated tools including axe-core, Lighthouse, and WAVE to identify programmatically detectable issues. The second layer involves manual expert review against every WCAG success criterion, catching issues that automated tools cannot detect such as meaningful reading order, adequate link context, and sensible heading hierarchy. The third layer is assistive technology testing with real devices and real users.

We have invested in building internal tooling that streamlines the audit process. Our accessibility dashboard aggregates results from automated scans across all projects, tracks issues through to resolution, and provides trend data that helps us measure improvement over time. The dashboard also generates compliance reports for clients who require accessibility documentation for regulatory purposes.

Ongoing Commitment and Next Steps

Looking ahead, we are expanding our accessibility practice in several ways. We are training all designers on our team to conduct basic accessibility evaluations, so that issues are caught during the design phase rather than after development. We are also developing an accessibility-focused design review checklist that will be integrated into our standard project workflow, ensuring that accessibility considerations are addressed at every design milestone.

We are also establishing partnerships with organizations that specialize in assistive technology user research, enabling us to conduct larger and more diverse usability studies with people who rely on assistive technology in their daily lives. These partnerships will deepen our understanding of real-world accessibility needs and inform the evolution of our design practices.