How to Design Accessible UX Text for Everyone.

I want to talk to you about something really important when it comes to designing digital experiences: the words we use. You know, our world online has so much potential, but for a lot of people, it’s still a really hard place to navigate. Imagine trying to get around a store where all the signs are blurry, or the directions are whispered, or the important stuff just isn’t there. That’s what it’s like every single day for millions of us encountering digital experiences that aren’t accessible.

We spend so much time thinking about flashy visuals and cool interactions, but often, the humble word – the very core of how we communicate – gets completely overlooked. And yet, words have this incredible power to either include or exclude. Making our UX text accessible isn’t just a friendly suggestion; it’s a fundamental human right in the digital age. It’s about making sure that everyone, no matter their ability, can truly participate and thrive online. I’m going to break down the confusion and give you some practical ways to write UX text that genuinely speaks to everyone.

The Invisible Walls: Why Accessible Text Is More Than Just a Rule

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s really understand how much inaccessible text impacts people. It’s not just about screen readers, though they’re definitely a part of it. It’s about how much effort your brain has to put in, how tired your eyes get, and that constant frustration you feel when information isn’t clear and inclusive.

• For Folks Who Can’t See Well: Screen readers need text that’s put together logically and semantically. If an image doesn’t have alternative text, it’s like a invisible wall for someone using a screen reader. Vague link text gives no clue where it’ll take you. And if the contrast is bad, the text is just unreadable.
• For Folks with Learning Differences or Cognitive Disabilities: Overly complicated jargon, terms that change all the time, or information presented without a clear structure can be completely overwhelming and disorienting. If you have short-term memory challenges, long, winding sentences are a huge obstacle.
• For Folks with Physical Disabilities: While it might seem less direct, unclear instructions or frustrating error messages can make it even harder to interact with the interface.
• For Folks Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: Text itself is usually pretty accessible for them, but if captions are poorly transcribed or if there’s no text version for sounds, that still creates barriers.
• For Anyone, Anytime: Think about it – sunlight glaring on your screen, being super tired after a long day, or even having a broken arm. These “temporary” or “situational” disabilities can turn perfectly “normal” text into an impossible challenge.
• The Benefit for All of Us: When text is clear, to the point, and well-structured, everyone benefits. It makes things easier to understand, reduces mental strain, and just creates a nicer, more efficient user experience for absolutely everyone. Picture it like a well-lit path instead of a dimly lit maze.

Accessible text isn’t some niche concern. It’s the foundation of good design for everyone. Prioritizing it truly makes the whole user experience better.

Clarity is King: The Core of Accessible Language

The most beautiful design will fall apart if the language is confusing. Clarity is the absolute bedrock of accessible text. It goes beyond specific disabilities and benefits every single user.

• Embrace Plain Language: This isn’t about “dumbing down” what you’re saying; it’s about being incredibly smart with your communication. Aim to write for a 7th or 8th-grade reading level. Stay away from jargon, technical terms, and acronyms unless you absolutely have to use them, and if you do, explain them clearly the first time.
  • Bad Example: “Leverage our robust API integrations to foster enhanced interoperability across disparate organizational silos.”
  • Good Example: “Connect our tools to your existing systems easily, sharing information between different departments.”
  • Actionable Tip: Run your text through readability checkers like Flesch-Kincaid. You want lower scores here.
• Be Concise, Not Short: Every single word needs to earn its spot. Get rid of anything repetitive, qualifiers, or filler words. Just get straight to the point.
  • Bad Example: “We kindly request that you please enter your email address into the designated field located just below this message in order to proceed with the registration process.”
  • Good Example: “Enter your email address to register.”
  • Actionable Tip: Read your text out loud. Does it sound natural and efficient? Cut any words that don’t add actual meaning.
• Use Active Voice: Active voice is direct, strong, and much easier to grasp. Passive voice can be vague and roundabout.
  • Bad Example: “The agreement was signed by the client.”
  • Good Example: “The client signed the agreement.”
  • Actionable Tip: Look for phrases with “by” and forms of “to be” (is, am, are, was, were) combined with past participles.
• Keep Your Language Consistent: If you call it a “shopping cart” on one page, don’t suddenly switch to “basket” or “bag” on another. Inconsistency just confuses people and forces them to re-figure out something they thought they knew.
  • Bad Example: “Click ‘Buy Now'” on the product page, but on the checkout page, “Proceed to Purchase.”
  • Good Example: Stick to “Buy Now” or “Proceed to Checkout” consistently throughout the whole process.
  • Actionable Tip: Create a list of key terms for your product or service and stick to it.
• Talk Directly to the User (Using “You”): Using “you” or “your” makes the text feel personal and actionable, really guiding the user through the interface.
  • Bad Example: “Users should click the submit button.”
  • Good Example: “Click the submit button.” or “Submit your changes.”
  • Actionable Tip: Go through your sentences. If you see references to “users,” try to rephrase them using “you” where it makes sense.

Structuring for Scannability: Helping the Eye and the Ear

Even the clearest language falls flat if it’s presented in one big, impenetrable block. Structure isn’t just about how things look; it’s a crucial accessibility feature.

• Use Clear and Descriptive Headings (H1, H2, H3, etc.): Think of headings as signposts. They let people quickly scan content and understand its hierarchy. For screen reader users, headings are their main way to navigate.
  • Bad Example: A long page of text with no headings, or headings like “Section 1” or “Details.”
  • Good Example: “About Your Account,” “Payment Methods,” “Shipping Information.”
  • Actionable Tip: Make sure your headings accurately summarize the content that follows. Keep them short – just a few words. And definitely use actual heading tags, not just bolded text.
• Break Up Long Paragraphs: Aim for paragraphs that are about 3-5 sentences long. Big blocks of text are intimidating and hard to digest, especially for people with cognitive or visual challenges.
  • Bad Example: A 10-sentence paragraph explaining a complex feature.
  • Good Example: Break it into several shorter paragraphs, maybe with a clear transition sentence between them.
  • Actionable Tip: Read through your content. If you see a paragraph stretching more than 5 lines on a typical screen, find natural places to break it up.
• Use Bullet Points and Numbered Lists: Lists are incredibly easy to scan. They highlight key information and simplify complex instructions.
  • Bad Example: “You need to do three things: first, register your account; second, verify your email address; and third, set up your profile preferences.”
  • Good Example:
    • Register your account.
    • Verify your email address.
    • Set up your profile preferences.
  • Actionable Tip: Turn any series of items or step-by-step instructions into lists. Make sure the items in your list are short and have a similar structure.
• Use White Space Generously: White space (or negative space) isn’t just empty; it’s a really important design element. It makes things look less cluttered, easier to read, and draws your eye to the important stuff.
  • Bad Example: Text crammed right up against images, buttons, or other text with no breathing room.
  • Good Example: Enough padding around blocks of text, plenty of space between lines within paragraphs.
  • Actionable Tip: Look at the visual layout. Are there areas that feel squished? Push for more spacing.
• Use Bold and Italics Smartly (and Sparingly): These text styles grab attention, but if you use them too much, they lose their power and can just make things look messy. Use bold for emphasizing keywords or really important information. Use italics for titles or foreign words. Never rely only on the visual style to convey meaning.
  • Bad Example: Whole sentences bolded, or critical instructions only highlighted by italics without any other visual cues.
  • Good Example: “Click Confirm Order to complete your purchase.”
  • Actionable Tip: If you find yourself bolding more than 10% of a paragraph, rethink your message. Is that information truly that critical, or can you just say it more clearly?

Accessibility in Action: Real-World UX Text Scenarios

These principles are universal, but how you apply them changes depending on the specific part of the UX.

1. Button and Link Text:

• The Problem: Vague, generic text like “Click Here,” “Learn More,” “Submit.” This offers no context for screen reader users or for anyone just scanning a page. They don’t know where “here” leads or what they’ll “learn more” about.
• The Solution: Make links and buttons descriptive. Tell the user exactly what will happen or where they will go. The text itself should give enough context.
  • Bad Example: “To see our privacy policy, click here.”
  • Good Example: “Read our Privacy Policy.” or “View Privacy Policy.”
  • Actionable Tip: Go through all your generic calls to action. Rephrase them to be specific and actionable. If a link is part of a sentence, make sure the link text still makes sense on its own (for instance, if a screen reader reads only that link).

2. Form Labels and Instructions:

• The Problem: Labels that disappear when you start typing, using placeholder text instead of real labels, confusing error messages, or overly complicated instructions.
• The Solution:
  • Always use visible, persistent labels: Labels should always be there and connected to their input fields using proper HTML (like <label for="inputId">).
  • Don’t use placeholder text as a label: Placeholder text vanishes as soon as the user types and screen readers often can’t access it. Only use it for hints or expected formats.
  • Provide clear, concise help text: If an input field needs a specific format (e.g., “DD/MM/YYYY”), give a hint right below or beside the field.
  • Write helpful and actionable error messages: Don’t just say “Error.” Explain what went wrong and how to fix it.
    • Bad Error: “Invalid entry.”
    • Good Error: “Email address is missing the ‘@’ symbol.” or “Password must be at least 8 characters and include a number.”
  • Actionable Tip: Review every single form field. Does it have a clear, permanent label? Are instructions concise and error messages specific and helpful? Test it with a screen reader.

3. Alternative Text (Alt Text) for Images:

• The Problem: Missing alt text, generic alt text (“image,” “photo”), or repetitive alt text that just repeats text already visible in a caption.
• The Solution: Alt text gives a text description of an image for people who can’t see it (screen readers, or if the image doesn’t load, or if they have slow internet).
  • Functional Images (like icons, buttons): Describe the action or purpose of the image.
    • Bad Alt Text: <img src="magnifying_glass.png" alt="magnifying glass">
    • Good Alt Text: <img src="magnifying_glass.png" alt="Search">
  • Informative Images (like charts, graphs, photos that convey meaning): Describe the content and purpose of the image concisely. If the image is purely decorative, use alt="" (an empty alt attribute).
    • Bad Alt Text: <img src="graph.png" alt="a graph">
    • Good Alt Text (for a simple graph): <img src="sales_trend.png" alt="Line graph showing a 20% increase in sales during Q3.">
  • Actionable Tip: Every image needs an alt attribute. If it’s informative, write a descriptive alt text. If it’s just for decoration, leave it empty (alt=""); never leave the attribute out completely.

4. Transcripts and Captions for Multimedia:

• The Problem: No transcripts for audio, automatically generated captions that haven’t been checked by a person, or captions that are out of sync or incomplete.
• The Solution:
  • Provide full transcripts for all audio content: This lets people who are deaf or hard of hearing, or those in places where they can’t play audio, access the information.
  • Offer accurate, synchronized captions for all video content: Captions reviewed by humans are absolutely crucial. They should identify who’s speaking and include important sound effects (like [laughter]).
  • Actionable Tip: Make transcript and captioning requirements part of your content creation process. Budget for professional captioning or thorough manual review.

5. Error and Success Messages:

• The Problem: Vague error messages, system messages that disappear too fast, or success messages that don’t confirm what just happened.
• The Solution:
  • Be specific: Tell the user what went wrong and why.
  • Be actionable: Tell the user how to fix it.
  • Be polite and human: Don’t use blaming language.
  • Make them visible and persistent: Error messages should stand out visually and stay on the screen until they’re dismissed or fixed.
  • Confirm success: Clearly state what was done. “Your changes have been saved.” is much better than just “Success.”
  • Actionable Tip: Test your error paths. Can a user easily understand and solve the problem just from the message?

6. Microcopy and Tooltips:

• The Problem: Unhelpful tooltips, confusing small bits of text, or relying too much on visual cues like icons without actual words.
• The Solution:
  • Microcopy (labels, hints, tiny pieces of text): Make sure it’s clear, consistent, and provides the necessary context. Every single word here carries weight.
  • Tooltips: Use tooltips for extra information, not for critical instructions. The main content should make sense without needing the tooltip. Also, make sure tooltips are keyboard accessible and disappear predictably.
  • Actionable Tip: Read through your interface with fresh eyes, pretending you’re a brand new user. Are there any small pieces of text that are unclear or confusing?

The Technical Side: SEO and Semantic HTML (A Quick Look)

While I’ve focused on the text content itself, it’s really important to acknowledge the fundamental role of the code behind it. Good accessible text naturally leads to good SEO and relies on correct semantic HTML.

• Semantic HTML: Using <h1> for main titles, <p> for paragraphs, <ul> for lists, <button> for buttons, and <a> for links isn’t just about structure; it tells assistive technologies “what” an element is, not just “how it looks.” This is fundamental for navigation and understanding.
• SEO: Search engines prefer content that’s clear, well-structured, and easy for their crawlers to understand. Optimized, accessible text with clear headings, descriptive link text, and proper alt text is inherently search-engine friendly. There’s almost never a conflict between accessibility and SEO; they largely help each other.

The Ongoing Process: Testing and Feedback

Accessible text isn’t a one-time thing; it’s a continuous commitment.

• Review Manually: Just reading your text out loud can reveal awkward phrasing, unclear sentences, or things that aren’t consistent.
• Get Others to Review: Have colleagues look at your text. A fresh pair of eyes can spot issues you’ve become blind to.
• Use Readability Tools: Use online tools (like Hemingway Editor, Grammarly) to check grammar, conciseness, and readability scores.
• Test with Real Users, Diverse Users: The most valuable feedback comes directly from people with different abilities. Watch how they interact with your text. Do they get stuck? Do they misunderstand instructions?
• Screen Reader Testing: Regularly test your product with popular screen readers like NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver. Listen to how your text is read aloud. Are images descriptive? Are links clear? Can you navigate the page easily?
• Accessibility Checkers: Use browser extensions (like axe DevTools) to catch common technical accessibility issues. A lot of these relate directly to text (like missing alt text, or contrast problems).

Beyond the Screen: The Tone of Voice in Accessibility

While the technical aspects are absolutely critical, the overall tone of voice plays a subtle but powerful role in making UX text accessible and welcoming.

• Empathetic and Supportive: Acknowledge user frustrations gently, guide them through tough processes, and celebrate their successes.
• Clear and Direct: Avoid flowery language or overly casual slang that might be misunderstood by non-native speakers or people with cognitive differences.
• Respectful and Neutral: Don’t use gendered language, assume no one has prior knowledge, and maintain a respectful tone, even in error messages.
• Consistent in Brand Voice, Flexible in Application: While maintaining your brand’s personality is important, accessibility comes first. Sometimes, a slightly more formal or direct phrasing is necessary for clarity, even if your brand is usually playful. The goal is always understanding.

Accessible UX text isn’t about limiting your creativity; it’s about deeply enhancing it. It forces us to be more precise, more empathetic, and ultimately, more effective in how we communicate. By putting these principles into practice, you won’t just be ticking off a checklist; you’ll be building bridges, creating truly inclusive digital experiences that empower everyone to navigate, understand, and thrive online. The commitment to accessible text is a commitment to a better, more equitable digital future for all of us.