Accessibility Audit Skill
This skill produces a structured accessibility audit based on WCAG 2.2 guidelines. It covers visual, motor, cognitive, and screen reader accessibility — with prioritised remediation for each issue found.
Required Inputs
Ask the user for these if not provided:
- What is being audited (screen, component, full product, design spec)
- Description or image of the UI
- Target WCAG level (A / AA / AAA — default to AA, which is the legal standard in most jurisdictions)
- Known assistive technology users? (Yes/No — if yes, which: screen reader / switch access / voice control / magnification)
- Platform (Web / iOS / Android / Desktop app)
Output Structure
Accessibility Audit: [Component or Screen Name]
Target standard: WCAG 2.2 Level [AA] Platform: [Platform] Date: [Date]
Audit Summary
| Category | Issues Found | Critical | Moderate | Minor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perceivable | ||||
| Operable | ||||
| Understandable | ||||
| Robust | ||||
| Total |
Overall compliance status: ✅ Compliant / 🟡 Minor issues / 🔴 Fails AA standard
Perceivable
1.1 Text Alternatives
- All images have descriptive alt text (not filename or "image")
- Decorative images have
alt=""to be skipped by screen readers - Icons without visible labels have accessible names
- Complex images (charts, diagrams) have extended descriptions
Issues found: [List specific issues or "None"]
1.3 Adaptable
- Content structure uses semantic HTML (headings, lists, landmarks) — not just visual formatting
- Reading order in DOM matches visual order
- Form inputs have associated labels (not placeholder text as label)
- Data tables have proper headers and scope
Issues found:
1.4 Distinguishable
- Text contrast ratio ≥ 4.5:1 (normal text) or ≥ 3:1 (large text 18px+)
- UI component contrast ratio ≥ 3:1 against background
- Information is not conveyed by colour alone
- Text can be resized to 200% without loss of content
- No content that auto-plays audio
Issues found:
Operable
2.1 Keyboard Accessible
- All interactive elements are reachable by keyboard (Tab key)
- No keyboard traps
- Custom components have keyboard interactions (arrow keys for menus, Escape to close modals)
- Skip navigation link available for pages with repeated navigation
Issues found:
2.4 Navigable
- Focus is visible at all times (not removed with
outline: nonewithout replacement) - Focus order is logical and predictable
- Page/screen has a descriptive title
- Link text is descriptive (not "click here" or "read more")
- Headings are hierarchical (H1 → H2 → H3, no skips)
Issues found:
2.5 Input Modalities
- Touch targets are at least 44x44px
- No functionality requires complex gestures (pinch, multi-touch) without a simple alternative
- Motion or dragging interactions have button alternatives
Issues found:
Understandable
3.1 Readable
- Language of the page is set (
langattribute) - Unusual words, abbreviations, or jargon are explained
3.2 Predictable
- Navigation is consistent across screens
- Components behave consistently (same button does the same thing)
- No unexpected context changes on focus or input
3.3 Input Assistance
- Error messages identify the field and describe the error in plain language (not just "Invalid input")
- Required fields are labelled (not just with colour or asterisk alone)
- Forms provide suggestions for correcting errors where possible
Issues found:
Robust
4.1 Compatible
- HTML is valid and well-structured
- ARIA roles and attributes are used correctly (not to fix broken semantics)
- Status messages (success, error, loading) are announced to screen readers without focus change
Issues found:
Prioritised Remediation List
| Priority | Issue | WCAG Criterion | Fix | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🔴 Critical | [Issue] | [e.g. 1.4.3 Contrast] | [Specific fix] | [Low/Med/High] |
| 🟡 Moderate | [Issue] | |||
| 🟢 Minor | [Issue] |
Priority definitions:
- 🔴 Critical: Blocks access for users with disabilities. Legal risk. Fix before launch.
- 🟡 Moderate: Significant friction. Fix in next sprint.
- 🟢 Minor: Best practice. Address in roadmap.
Quick Wins (Fix in < 1 hour)
[List any issues that are trivially fixable — e.g. adding alt text, fixing contrast with a colour swap, adding a lang attribute. These are easy to ship immediately.]
Testing Recommendations
- Manual keyboard test: Tab through the entire flow. Can you complete every task without a mouse?
- Screen reader test: VoiceOver (Mac/iOS), NVDA or JAWS (Windows). Is every piece of content and every action accessible?
- Colour contrast check: Use Stark (Figma plugin) or WebAIM Contrast Checker
- Automated scan: Axe DevTools or Lighthouse accessibility audit (catches ~30% of issues automatically)
Quality Checks
- Issues are mapped to specific WCAG criteria
- Every critical issue has a specific fix recommendation
- Quick wins are separated from larger fixes
- Effort estimates are included for prioritisation
- Testing recommendations are included
Anti-Patterns
- Do not rely solely on automated scanning tools — automated checks catch ~30% of issues; manual keyboard and screen reader testing is required
- Do not label an issue "minor" simply because it only affects a small percentage of users — for those users it may block all access
- Do not add ARIA roles to fix broken semantics — use correct semantic HTML first; ARIA is a last resort
- Do not confuse colour contrast of text with colour contrast of UI components — they have different minimum ratios (4.5:1 vs 3:1)
- Do not audit only the happy path — error states, empty states, and loading states must also meet accessibility requirements
Example Trigger Phrases
- "Audit this design for accessibility"
- "Check WCAG compliance for [screen/component]"
- "Give me an a11y audit of [UI description]"
- "What accessibility issues does this design have?"