Strategy & Innovation
Accessibility as a Competitive Edge
Accessibility in digital products is often treated like a box to check, meaning teams just tweak a few colors, bump up the font size, and call it a day. But true accessibility is far more than that. It’s about designing experiences that adapt to a range of abilities, technologies, and contexts.
During my time working on products built specifically for users with disabilities, accessibility wasn’t just an afterthought…it's a must. Every interface had to work seamlessly with screen readers, respond to native operating system settings, and function consistently across multiple platforms. These aren’t “nice-to-have” features. They’re the difference between whether someone can actually use the product or not.
Role
Director/VP of UX
Duration
Throughout 3 Years
Contribution
UX Strategy, Design Systems, Cross-Functional Alignment
Target Audience
Org facing compliance risks and usability challenges in an regulated environment
Unified design system
Consistent design system and practices were adopted across all 25+ products
WCAG Compliance
Core components WCAG AA-compliant, with AAA targets met where feasible
Streamlined delivery
Cutting our design-to-dev cycle time and reducing duplicative work with improved communication
Raised product maturity
Product and Engineering embracing a system-first development approach
PROBLEM
Uncovering the Stakes
The platform served a wide range of users but didn't neccisarily meet accessibility standards. This created risks: legal exposure, user frustration, and a brand that appeared out of touch. They needed more than quick fixes. We needed a design system that was accessible from the start and easy to maintain as the product evolved. The key issue was about how we would make all of this repeatable across multiple products without limitied functionality or drastically increasing development time.
Led UX strategy, built the accessibility-first design system, and aligned cross-functional teams on implementation.
APPROACH
How We Crafted a Systematic Solution
I started by reviewing commonly used design systems such as Material, Carbon, and Apple UI. I had built design systems in the past which made it easier to know what i was looking for but I was surprised when I didn't actually find a consistent manner in which they were put together in a way that was focused on people who needed these features. Contrasts weren't even at a AA level in most cases, fonts were difficult to read, and nothing was really apparrent on advanced needs such as screen readers.
Next was diving into a better understanding of WCAG and the requirements there between AA and AAA. I challenged my designers to work with me to aim for AAA while still making a consistent system that would be scalable over time. We started with an audit of our exisiting products and looked for every compentent we would need as well as building an icon library to stay consisent across products. This proved to be more difficult than we'd have thought due to how each product was developed.
01.
Set the Foundation
Set the Foundation
Set the Foundation
Established an accessibility-first design system that as 100% WCAG AA compliant into every component. Nearly 80% was AAA.
02.
Collaborated Across Teams
Collaborated Across Teams
Collaborated Across Teams
Worked with engineering and product management to integrate accessibility checkpoints into the development lifecycle.
03.
Validated with Research
Validated with Research
Validated with Research
Tested designs with users of varying abilities to identify issues early and ensure real-world usability.
04.
Operationalized for Scale
Operationalized for Scale
Operationalized for Scale
Delivered documentation, and governance to keep accessibility embedded in future product development.
Four of us designed components out, each testing contract ratios, prototyping how each worked in an actual experience, and we'd have design reviews and daily check-ins to determine progress. All of this was happening in between our other day-to-day duties. Actually pretty impressive how quickly we were able to get it up and running.
With the bones of a design system in place we were able to utilize it in our prototypes and get users to test it and give us feedback. We also ran it through testing platforms and optimized it based on feedback from both. Each component had documentation on it's usage, functionality, and use cases. This was done for future designers we'd hire and for the developers as they needed information.
OUTCOMES
NO ISSUES MEAN A SILENT SUCCESS
The results spoke for themselves. The platform achieved full WCAG compliance and reduced design-to-development handoff time by nearly 30%. Usability scores improved across all user groups, and accessibility became a standard part of how the team builds. Beyond compliance, the project shifted the company’s mindset and accessibility became part of its identity, not just a box to check.
The only miss, and not for lack of trying, is that we weren't able to get it built out in a repository such as Storybook for all the developers to call to. We were just too far along with many products and it would have slowed teams down and made signifcant rework. So we adjusted piece by piece as time allowed. Either way, this was a huge win overall for the company and our users.
Built documentation, governance, and training so accessibility remained embedded in the product expanded across 25+ platforms.
WHY IT MATTERS
BEING INCLUSIVE FOR YOUR USERS IS NEVER A BAD THING
Accessibility is more than compliance. It’s about designing products that include everyone and create a better experience for all users. This project proved that when accessibility is part of the process, not an add-on at the end, it delivers value on multiple levels.
Every product started with the same inclusive foundation. Teams gained confidence because accessibility checks were built into their workflow. The business avoided legal risk and strengthened its brand reputation as an inclusive leader in its space.
By making accessibility a core design principle, the company didn’t just fix a problem. It created a long-term advantage that continues to drive both user satisfaction and business success.
More Projects
Strategy & Innovation
Accessibility as a Competitive Edge
Accessibility in digital products is often treated like a box to check, meaning teams just tweak a few colors, bump up the font size, and call it a day. But true accessibility is far more than that. It’s about designing experiences that adapt to a range of abilities, technologies, and contexts.
During my time working on products built specifically for users with disabilities, accessibility wasn’t just an afterthought…it's a must. Every interface had to work seamlessly with screen readers, respond to native operating system settings, and function consistently across multiple platforms. These aren’t “nice-to-have” features. They’re the difference between whether someone can actually use the product or not.
Role
Director/VP of UX
Duration
Throughout 3 Years
Contribution
UX Strategy, Design Systems, Cross-Functional Alignment
Target Audience
Org facing compliance risks and usability challenges in an regulated environment
Unified design system
Consistent design system and practices were adopted across all 25+ products
WCAG Compliance
Core components WCAG AA-compliant, with AAA targets met where feasible
Streamlined delivery
Cutting our design-to-dev cycle time and reducing duplicative work with improved communication
Raised product maturity
Product and Engineering embracing a system-first development approach
PROBLEM
Uncovering the Stakes
The platform served a wide range of users but didn't neccisarily meet accessibility standards. This created risks: legal exposure, user frustration, and a brand that appeared out of touch. They needed more than quick fixes. We needed a design system that was accessible from the start and easy to maintain as the product evolved. The key issue was about how we would make all of this repeatable across multiple products without limitied functionality or drastically increasing development time.
Led UX strategy, built the accessibility-first design system, and aligned cross-functional teams on implementation.
APPROACH
How We Crafted a Systematic Solution
I started by reviewing commonly used design systems such as Material, Carbon, and Apple UI. I had built design systems in the past which made it easier to know what i was looking for but I was surprised when I didn't actually find a consistent manner in which they were put together in a way that was focused on people who needed these features. Contrasts weren't even at a AA level in most cases, fonts were difficult to read, and nothing was really apparrent on advanced needs such as screen readers.
Next was diving into a better understanding of WCAG and the requirements there between AA and AAA. I challenged my designers to work with me to aim for AAA while still making a consistent system that would be scalable over time. We started with an audit of our exisiting products and looked for every compentent we would need as well as building an icon library to stay consisent across products. This proved to be more difficult than we'd have thought due to how each product was developed.
01.
Set the Foundation
Set the Foundation
Set the Foundation
Established an accessibility-first design system that as 100% WCAG AA compliant into every component. Nearly 80% was AAA.
02.
Collaborated Across Teams
Collaborated Across Teams
Collaborated Across Teams
Worked with engineering and product management to integrate accessibility checkpoints into the development lifecycle.
03.
Validated with Research
Validated with Research
Validated with Research
Tested designs with users of varying abilities to identify issues early and ensure real-world usability.
04.
Operationalized for Scale
Operationalized for Scale
Operationalized for Scale
Delivered documentation, and governance to keep accessibility embedded in future product development.
Four of us designed components out, each testing contract ratios, prototyping how each worked in an actual experience, and we'd have design reviews and daily check-ins to determine progress. All of this was happening in between our other day-to-day duties. Actually pretty impressive how quickly we were able to get it up and running.
With the bones of a design system in place we were able to utilize it in our prototypes and get users to test it and give us feedback. We also ran it through testing platforms and optimized it based on feedback from both. Each component had documentation on it's usage, functionality, and use cases. This was done for future designers we'd hire and for the developers as they needed information.
OUTCOMES
NO ISSUES MEAN A SILENT SUCCESS
The results spoke for themselves. The platform achieved full WCAG compliance and reduced design-to-development handoff time by nearly 30%. Usability scores improved across all user groups, and accessibility became a standard part of how the team builds. Beyond compliance, the project shifted the company’s mindset and accessibility became part of its identity, not just a box to check.
The only miss, and not for lack of trying, is that we weren't able to get it built out in a repository such as Storybook for all the developers to call to. We were just too far along with many products and it would have slowed teams down and made signifcant rework. So we adjusted piece by piece as time allowed. Either way, this was a huge win overall for the company and our users.
Built documentation, governance, and training so accessibility remained embedded in the product expanded across 25+ platforms.
WHY IT MATTERS
BEING INCLUSIVE FOR YOUR USERS IS NEVER A BAD THING
Accessibility is more than compliance. It’s about designing products that include everyone and create a better experience for all users. This project proved that when accessibility is part of the process, not an add-on at the end, it delivers value on multiple levels.
Every product started with the same inclusive foundation. Teams gained confidence because accessibility checks were built into their workflow. The business avoided legal risk and strengthened its brand reputation as an inclusive leader in its space.
By making accessibility a core design principle, the company didn’t just fix a problem. It created a long-term advantage that continues to drive both user satisfaction and business success.
More Projects
Strategy & Innovation
Accessibility as a Competitive Edge
Accessibility in digital products is often treated like a box to check, meaning teams just tweak a few colors, bump up the font size, and call it a day. But true accessibility is far more than that. It’s about designing experiences that adapt to a range of abilities, technologies, and contexts.
During my time working on products built specifically for users with disabilities, accessibility wasn’t just an afterthought…it's a must. Every interface had to work seamlessly with screen readers, respond to native operating system settings, and function consistently across multiple platforms. These aren’t “nice-to-have” features. They’re the difference between whether someone can actually use the product or not.
Role
Director/VP of UX
Duration
Throughout 3 Years
Contribution
UX Strategy, Design Systems, Cross-Functional Alignment
Target Audience
Org facing compliance risks and usability challenges in an regulated environment
Unified design system
Consistent design system and practices were adopted across all 25+ products
WCAG Compliance
Core components WCAG AA-compliant, with AAA targets met where feasible
Streamlined delivery
Cutting our design-to-dev cycle time and reducing duplicative work with improved communication
Raised product maturity
Product and Engineering embracing a system-first development approach
PROBLEM
Uncovering the Stakes
The platform served a wide range of users but didn't neccisarily meet accessibility standards. This created risks: legal exposure, user frustration, and a brand that appeared out of touch. They needed more than quick fixes. We needed a design system that was accessible from the start and easy to maintain as the product evolved. The key issue was about how we would make all of this repeatable across multiple products without limitied functionality or drastically increasing development time.
Led UX strategy, built the accessibility-first design system, and aligned cross-functional teams on implementation.
APPROACH
How We Crafted a Systematic Solution
I started by reviewing commonly used design systems such as Material, Carbon, and Apple UI. I had built design systems in the past which made it easier to know what i was looking for but I was surprised when I didn't actually find a consistent manner in which they were put together in a way that was focused on people who needed these features. Contrasts weren't even at a AA level in most cases, fonts were difficult to read, and nothing was really apparrent on advanced needs such as screen readers.
Next was diving into a better understanding of WCAG and the requirements there between AA and AAA. I challenged my designers to work with me to aim for AAA while still making a consistent system that would be scalable over time. We started with an audit of our exisiting products and looked for every compentent we would need as well as building an icon library to stay consisent across products. This proved to be more difficult than we'd have thought due to how each product was developed.
01.
Set the Foundation
Set the Foundation
Set the Foundation
Established an accessibility-first design system that as 100% WCAG AA compliant into every component. Nearly 80% was AAA.
02.
Collaborated Across Teams
Collaborated Across Teams
Collaborated Across Teams
Worked with engineering and product management to integrate accessibility checkpoints into the development lifecycle.
03.
Validated with Research
Validated with Research
Validated with Research
Tested designs with users of varying abilities to identify issues early and ensure real-world usability.
04.
Operationalized for Scale
Operationalized for Scale
Operationalized for Scale
Delivered documentation, and governance to keep accessibility embedded in future product development.
Four of us designed components out, each testing contract ratios, prototyping how each worked in an actual experience, and we'd have design reviews and daily check-ins to determine progress. All of this was happening in between our other day-to-day duties. Actually pretty impressive how quickly we were able to get it up and running.
With the bones of a design system in place we were able to utilize it in our prototypes and get users to test it and give us feedback. We also ran it through testing platforms and optimized it based on feedback from both. Each component had documentation on it's usage, functionality, and use cases. This was done for future designers we'd hire and for the developers as they needed information.
OUTCOMES
NO ISSUES MEAN A SILENT SUCCESS
The results spoke for themselves. The platform achieved full WCAG compliance and reduced design-to-development handoff time by nearly 30%. Usability scores improved across all user groups, and accessibility became a standard part of how the team builds. Beyond compliance, the project shifted the company’s mindset and accessibility became part of its identity, not just a box to check.
The only miss, and not for lack of trying, is that we weren't able to get it built out in a repository such as Storybook for all the developers to call to. We were just too far along with many products and it would have slowed teams down and made signifcant rework. So we adjusted piece by piece as time allowed. Either way, this was a huge win overall for the company and our users.
Built documentation, governance, and training so accessibility remained embedded in the product expanded across 25+ platforms.
WHY IT MATTERS
BEING INCLUSIVE FOR YOUR USERS IS NEVER A BAD THING
Accessibility is more than compliance. It’s about designing products that include everyone and create a better experience for all users. This project proved that when accessibility is part of the process, not an add-on at the end, it delivers value on multiple levels.
Every product started with the same inclusive foundation. Teams gained confidence because accessibility checks were built into their workflow. The business avoided legal risk and strengthened its brand reputation as an inclusive leader in its space.
By making accessibility a core design principle, the company didn’t just fix a problem. It created a long-term advantage that continues to drive both user satisfaction and business success.