# Where does accessibility fit in a redesign?

> Include accessibility in website redesign decisions, content, components, testing, ownership, and acceptance instead of treating it as a final check.

Source: https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/accessibility-in-redesign-scope/

![Older woman typing on a laptop at a table, with blue and brown colors in the background.](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/sg-resources-146793-hero.webp)

Treat accessibility as part of a website redesign from the first content and design decisions, because it shapes structure, labels, images, interaction, forms, and testing.

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**Format**

[Guide](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/type/guide/)

**In this format**

92

## Define what accessibility in a website redesign includes.

A final audit can find problems, but it cannot efficiently repair a project whose navigation, content order, and components were built without access needs in mind. The [W3C’s WCAG overview](https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/) is a useful starting point for the standard, while your project still needs its own scope and testing plan.

List the page types, templates, forms, menus, filters, media, and interactive states in scope. Record whether existing content will be rewritten, migrated, or left in place. Accessibility work differs across a static article, a multi-step inquiry form, and a dynamic archive. A proposal should not say only “accessible design” while leaving these surfaces undefined.

Choose the standard and acceptance method that apply to the project. Avoid claiming legal compliance from a visual mockup or one automated scan. Name who will review the design, who will test the built interface, and who will fix issues found in real use.

## Make content and components work together.

Writers need meaningful headings, clear link text, useful form instructions, and image descriptions where an image conveys information. Designers need visible focus, readable contrast, and a hierarchy that survives zoom and reflow. Developers need controls that work with keyboard and assistive technology. Each discipline depends on the others. A beautiful button label cannot save a form whose validation message never reaches the person using it.

Plan component states before building the page. How does the menu announce that it is open? Where does focus go after a dialog closes? What happens when a filter returns no results? How does an error explain the next action? These are experience decisions, not optional polish.

## Test representative tasks.

Choose tasks a visitor must complete: find a service, compare options, submit an inquiry, or read a resource. Test them with keyboard, zoom, narrow screens, and assistive technology where the team has capability. Include long content, missing media, and validation errors. Automated tools can identify some issues, but task testing reveals whether the journey remains understandable.

Record findings by impact and affected component. If a shared menu fails, fix the component once and retest every page type that uses it. If one article has poor heading order, correct the content and review the publishing process that allowed it.

## Keep access after launch.

An accessible release can drift when editors add uncaptioned media, vague links, or poorly structured content. Give editors guidance and a review route for new components or unusual pages. Assign responsibility for rechecking the site when templates, plugins, or content models change.

What would stop a visitor from completing your most important task without a mouse? Answer that before approving the redesign scope.

## Put the requirement into the work.

[UI/UX design](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/services/design/ui-ux-design/) can plan accessible interactions, and [web development](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/services/development/web-development/) can implement and test them. [Talk to a Specialist](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/talk-to-a-specialist/) about the page types and tasks your redesign must support.

[Back to website decisions](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/).

Guides

## Guides beside Where does accessibility fit in a redesign?.

1. ### [Should you redesign your site or improve it?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/redesign-or-improve/)
   Website decisions · 3 min read
2. ### [How do you build a website page inventory?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/website-page-inventory/)
3. ### [Which website pages should you build first?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/website-page-priorities/)
4. ### [What belongs inside a website project scope?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/website-scope-boundaries/)
5. ### [Do you need a one-page or multipage website?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/one-page-or-multipage-website/)
6. ### [How do you pick a primary website conversion?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/primary-website-conversion/)
7. ### [Which navigation labels will visitors understand?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/navigation-labels/)
8. ### [How should you organize your service pages?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/organizing-service-pages/)
9. ### [When should you merge two website pages?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/when-to-merge-website-pages/)
10. ### [Who should own the content on your website?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/website-content-ownership/)
11. ### [Do you need wireframes before designing a website?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/wireframes-before-design/)
12. ### [How do you choose a website's visual direction?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/choosing-website-visual-direction/)
13. ### [How do you turn a brand into a website system?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/website-brand-system/)
14. ### [How do you evaluate a homepage design?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/evaluating-homepage-design/)
15. ### [How do you plan a page's visual hierarchy?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/page-visual-hierarchy/)
16. ### [Which mobile navigation pattern fits your site?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/mobile-navigation-patterns/)
17. ### [What content should stay prominent on mobile?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/responsive-content-priorities/)
18. ### [What images does your website actually need?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/website-image-strategy/)
19. ### [How do you choose readable website typography?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/website-typography-decisions/)
20. ### [Which fields should your contact form ask for?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/contact-form-fields/)
21. ### [What should a useful contact page include?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/contact-page-planning/)
22. ### [How should you structure a service page?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/service-page-structure/)
    Website decisions · 4 min read
23. ### [What should your homepage say first?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/homepage-message-architecture/)
24. ### [How many calls to action does your website need?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/website-cta-hierarchy/)
25. ### [How can a website build trust without testimonials?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/trust-without-testimonials/)
26. ### [Where should motion belong on a website?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/website-motion-decisions/)
27. ### [Which website pages should use a shared template?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/reusable-page-templates/)
28. ### [When is a website design ready to approve?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/website-design-acceptance-criteria/)
29. ### [How should stakeholders review a website prototype?](https://scayverstaging.1wp.site/resources/website-decisions/stakeholder-prototype-review/)

No other guides in this group yet.

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