When talking about accessibility in web design, most people will think about validating code or adding support for disabilities to their site. The thing is that being accessible is something that should be in all areas of the site. From the copy to the design and via the coding skeleton, accessibility should be at the forefront of all decisions made.

I’ve been working on the next flavour and it’s having tweaks along the way as sites tend to. This time though my decisions are less about graphical design and more about the way my site will be used. Lately, I’ve been far more user centered in my work which reflects a prior almost obsession I was developing for the coding accessibility. By thinking about the eating of my dog food and the way the site is used, I am learning more and more about what place my site has in the market and the way it is used.

Knowing what place a site has and how it will be or is used isn’t always something you have access to exactly when you are working on a site. Often you know what the site will do and can do market research about the area the site will be in - market research in design is one of the often overlooked parts and always benefits. Whatever you do have though can give you a good basis to work out what is required and what will work.

In many respects validating code has become the wrongly placed measure of whether something is accessible or not. Next in line to the throne is adding disability support. A way down the queue and probably around a corner is often about it being accessible for the market. There is no point just doing a design because it is a trend, you saw and just have to use or any other hollow design choices. Market understanding even on a shallow level will only boost your sites chances. I don’t claim a designer should have to know about every market they are going to do anything in, what I am saying is just the smallest amount of research can reap rewards.