By Quick answer: What should an app accessibility checklist include?
- See — contrast 4.5:1, scalable text, no colour-only meaning.
- Touch — targets ≈ 44–48 pt, enough spacing.
- Hear and read — screen-reader labels, captions, transcripts.
- Understand — clear labels, errors and consistent navigation.
- Move — respect reduced motion; no flashing content.
Key takeaways
- Accessibility helps everyone — sunlight, one-handed use, slow networks, older users.
- Most issues are fixed cheaply in design, expensively after launch.
- Test with the platform screen readers: VoiceOver on iOS, TalkBack on Android.
- Automated tools catch only part of the problems; manual testing is essential.
- In India, GIGW 3.0 sets accessibility requirements for government sites and apps.
Accessibility is often treated as a compliance task. It's better understood as quality. The same choices that help a blind user navigate with a screen reader help everyone else in sunlight, on a bumpy bus, with one hand full, or on a slow connection. WCAG 2.2 — the W3C's international standard — organises the requirements into four principles: perceivable, operable, understandable and robust1. Here they are as a checklist you can actually use.
Perceivable: can people see and hear it?
- Text contrast at least 4.5:1 (3:1 for large text)2
- UI component and icon contrast at least 3:1
- Text scales with system settings up to 200% without breaking layouts6
- Nothing conveyed by colour alone — add icons, text or patterns
- Images have text alternatives; decorative ones are hidden from screen readers
- Video has captions; audio has transcripts
Operable: can people use it?
- Touch targets around 44×44 pt (iOS) / 48×48 dp (Android), with spacing
- No gestures-only actions — provide a button alternative to complex gestures
- Keyboard and switch access for web and supported platforms
- Logical focus order that follows the visual layout
- Enough time — warn before timeouts; let users extend them
- No flashing content more than three times a second
- Respect reduced motion settings
Understandable: can people make sense of it?
- Clear labels on every form field, visible (not only placeholders)
- Helpful errors that say what went wrong and how to fix it
- Consistent navigation and naming across screens
- Plain language, and the correct language set for each screen
- No unexpected changes when a field gains focus
Robust: does it work with assistive technology?
The Indian context
Government websites and apps follow the Guidelines for Indian Government Websites and Apps, GIGW 3.0, which align with WCAG 2.1 Level AA3. India's Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 also includes provisions on accessible information and communication technology. For private products, accessibility widens your market — and in a country with many languages, devices and literacy levels, clear, accessible design is simply good business.
A 30-minute accessibility check
- Turn on VoiceOver or TalkBack and complete your main flow without looking.
- Set text size to maximum and check every key screen.
- Run a contrast checker on text, buttons and icons.
- Turn on reduced motion and grayscale; check nothing breaks or disappears.
- Try your forms with wrong inputs and read the errors aloud.
Colour choices matter here too — see colour psychology in app design. For an expert review, a mobile app UX audit includes accessibility.
Key terms, defined
WCAG — the W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Level AA — the commonly targeted conformance level. Screen reader — software that reads the interface aloud (VoiceOver, TalkBack). Accessible name — the label assistive technology announces. GIGW — India's guidelines for government websites and apps.
Frequently asked questions
What is WCAG?
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines published by the W3C — the international standard for digital accessibility, organised around making content perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. WCAG 2.2 is the current version, and Level AA is the common target.
Does WCAG apply to mobile apps?
WCAG was written for web content, but its principles and most success criteria are widely applied to mobile apps, alongside Apple's and Google's platform accessibility guidelines.
What is the minimum touch target size?
WCAG 2.2 Level AA sets a minimum target size of 24 by 24 CSS pixels with exceptions; platform guidelines recommend larger — about 44×44 points on iOS and 48×48 dp on Android — which is a better practical target.
What contrast ratio do I need?
At least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text under WCAG Level AA, and 3:1 for meaningful graphics and user-interface components.
What accessibility rules apply in India?
Government websites and apps follow the Guidelines for Indian Government Websites and Apps (GIGW 3.0), which align with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 also includes provisions on accessible information and communication technology.
How do I test app accessibility?
Use VoiceOver and TalkBack to navigate every key flow, increase text size to the maximum, check contrast with tools, test with switch or keyboard access on web, and include people with disabilities in usability testing.
Sources
- W3C — Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2
- W3C — Understanding contrast (minimum) in WCAG
- Guidelines for Indian Government Websites and Apps (GIGW 3.0)
- Apple Developer — Accessibility
- Android Developers — Accessibility
- W3C — Understanding resize text (WCAG)
- Checked October 23, 2026. Figures that change — fees, salaries, prices — are reviewed every six months; if something is out of date, tell us.
Where to go from here
- Mobile app UX audit — includes an accessibility review
- Colour psychology in app design — colour with contrast in mind
- Career guidesHow to get a digital accessibility job in 2027: WCAG 2.2, assistive technology testing, inclusive design, audits and the laws driving demandHow to get a digital accessibility job in 2027: WCAG 2.2, screen reader testing, inclusive design, audits, EAA and Indian law, pay and a plan.
- Career guidesHow to get a mobile app designer job in 2027: iOS and Android patterns, touch ergonomics, onboarding, permissions, offline states and app store contextHow to get a mobile app designer job in 2027: iOS and Android conventions, touch targets, navigation, onboarding, permissions, offline states and pay.
- UI/UX designColour psychology in design: what the research supports, and how to use colour in appsColour psychology in app design without the myths: what research supports, cultural meanings in India, colour for hierarchy and state, and contrast.
- App marketing & ASOHow to reduce app uninstalls: the eight reasons users delete apps, and the fixesWhy users uninstall apps — storage, no value, notifications, ads, crashes, battery, permissions, friction — and practical fixes, especially for India.
- UI/UX designLaws of UX explained: Hick's law, Fitts's law and Jakob's law, with app examplesThe three most-used laws of UX explained with app examples: Hick's law (choices), Fitts's law (target size and distance) and Jakob's law (familiarity).
- UI/UX designApp design trends for 2027 — what's changing, and what's worth adoptingMobile app design trends for 2027: Apple's Liquid Glass, Material 3 Expressive, AI in the flow, voice and vernacular, passkeys and accessibility.
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