Figma and the prototype kit

Figma

The handover process between designers and developers can often mean that context or understanding is missed with certain designs.

It can be useful for designers to annotate their designs. This ensures that essential accessibility context or semantics can be provided.

There are annotation kits like Intopia's accessibility annotation kit for Figma, which can be used to document essential accessibility information, such as:

  • hidden text for screen readers
  • heading levels
  • page regions and ARIA roles

These annotations ensure that developers understand and implement accessibility features correctly.

Prototype kit

Designing and creating prototypes is one of the primary roles as an interaction designer.

Prototypes should be throwaway ideas which are designed to test ideas, concepts or solutions to a problem or need. A prototype is not production-quality code and should not be treated as such.

Many DfE products and websites will use the GOV.UK Frontend and Design System for styles, components, and patterns. These have been built to be as accessible as possible, however, some do still have accessibility issues, including the following 2 examples.

Details Component Compatibility

The <details> HTML element, used in the details component, may not function optimally with certain assistive technologies like Dragon and VoiceOver. This is a known issue with these technologies rather than the component itself.

File Upload Interaction with Dragon

Users of Dragon NaturallySpeaking may encounter difficulties when attempting to activate the file upload component using the command 'click choose file'. This issue stems from a bug within Dragon and is not due to the GOV.UK Frontend.

It's important to note that while the GOV.UK Frontend addresses many accessibility concerns, the overall accessibility of a service also depends on its specific implementation. Therefore, conducting thorough accessibility testing tailored to your service is essential to ensure compliance with accessibility standards.

Information about this page
Created
25 November 2024
Last reviewed
25 November 2024
Last updated
25 November 2024
Reason this page exists
To help users develop handover skills from interaction to development and to use the prototype kit in an inclusive way.
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Issue 45