compliance-mapping

Compliance Mapping

Map design decisions to specific accessibility standards so the team knows exactly where they stand — what's covered, what's not, and what's at risk.

Why Designers Need This

Compliance mapping is usually treated as an engineering audit task. But most conformance failures originate in design decisions made before code was written. A designer who understands which standards their decisions affect can prevent failures instead of discovering them.

Key Standards

WCAG 2.2 Level AA

The global baseline. Most laws reference this.

• Level A: minimum (29 criteria)
• Level AA: standard target (20 additional criteria)
• Level AAA: aspirational (28 additional criteria)

Most organisations target Level AA. Some criteria in Level AAA are worth adopting even if not required (especially cognitive accessibility criteria).

Legal Frameworks

• ADA (US): requires accessible digital services, courts reference WCAG 2.1 AA
• EAA (EU): European Accessibility Act, effective June 2025, references EN 301 549 which aligns with WCAG 2.1 AA
• Section 508 (US government): references WCAG 2.0 AA, update expected
• EN 301 549 (EU): the technical standard behind EAA, aligned with WCAG 2.1 AA plus additional requirements for software, hardware, and documentation

Design Decision to WCAG Mapping

Colour and Visual Design

Design decision	WCAG criteria
Text contrast ratios	1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) AA
Non-text contrast	1.4.11 Non-text Contrast AA
Colour not sole indicator	1.4.1 Use of Color A
Text resizing to 200%	1.4.4 Resize Text AA
Content reflow at zoom	1.4.10 Reflow AA
Text spacing override	1.4.12 Text Spacing AA

Interaction Design

Design decision	WCAG criteria
Keyboard operability	2.1.1 Keyboard A
No keyboard traps	2.1.2 No Keyboard Trap A
Focus visible	2.4.7 Focus Visible AA
Focus order logical	2.4.3 Focus Order A
Touch target size	2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) AA
No motion-only input	2.5.4 Motion Actuation A
Gesture alternatives	2.5.1 Pointer Gestures A

Content and Structure

Design decision	WCAG criteria
Page titles	2.4.2 Page Titled A
Heading hierarchy	1.3.1 Info and Relationships A
Link purpose clear	2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) A
Language of page set	3.1.1 Language of Page A
Consistent navigation	3.2.3 Consistent Navigation AA
Error identification	3.3.1 Error Identification A
Labels on inputs	3.3.2 Labels or Instructions A

Motion and Timing

Design decision	WCAG criteria
Pause/stop/hide motion	2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide A
No flashing content	2.3.1 Three Flashes A
Timing adjustable	2.2.1 Timing Adjustable A
Animation from interaction	2.3.3 Animation from Interactions AAA

How to Use This

During Design

Before finalising a design decision, check which WCAG criteria it affects. This catches failures at the cheapest point to fix them.

During Review

Map the design against the relevant criteria table. Flag any decision that would cause a conformance failure.

For Audit Preparation

Use the mapping tables to create a pre-audit checklist specific to your product. This tells auditors exactly which decisions map to which criteria.

Assessment Questions

1. Can the team map their key design decisions to WCAG criteria?
2. Are there design decisions that would cause conformance failures?
3. Does the team know which legal frameworks apply to their product?
4. Is there a process for checking designs against standards before implementation?