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Palak jain
Palak jain

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Web Accessibility for Startups: 5 Small Wins That Scale

#webaccessibility #webdev #frontend #startup

Why startups can’t afford to ignore accessibility and how tiny coding habits can make a huge difference.

A Tale of Two Experiences

Have you ever used a product that just… works? No glitches, no second-guessing, no extra effort, it just flows.

That’s how I felt the last time I booked a movie on BookMyShow. The buttons looked like buttons, the seat map was clear and responsive, and every click gave me instant feedback. The whole process was so smooth that I didn’t even notice it — and that’s the beauty of it.

Now compare that to booking a flight on the I^^^^o website. The page greeted me with banners and pop-ups fighting for attention. The calendar widget struggled to register my cursor clicks, and the seat selection required me to click twice to ensure it worked. I did get my ticket in the end, but by then I felt drained.

Here’s the kicker: when I ran a quick accessibility audit on both platforms using Lighthouse, I^^^^o scored 66, while BookMyShow scored 80. Not perfect, but that gap says a lot. Without even seeing the numbers, I could feel the difference as a user.

That’s the hidden power of accessibility; it quietly shapes how we feel about a product, whether or not we realize it.

Accessibility Isn’t a Checklist, It’s Good Design 🌀

We often think of accessibility (a11y) as a list of rules: ARIA tags, color contrast ratios, screen reader support. But in reality, accessibility is just another word for good design and thoughtful coding practices.

The little details like clear labels, proper focus management, consistent feedback are what separate a product that feels frictionless from one that feels frustrating.

And here’s the good news: you don’t need to overhaul your app to start making it accessible. Especially in startups, where speed is everything, small wins can scale beautifully if you bake them into your coding habits.

Think of it like performance optimization: you don’t need a separate sprint, just small, smart tweaks where they matter most.

The Startup Challenge: Why We Get It Wrong 📉

In the startup world, we’re taught to move fast and break things. Accessibility often gets deprioritized because it feels like a “later” problem. The common assumptions are:

  • “We don’t have time.” We’re racing to ship features and hit deadlines.
  • “Our users don’t need it.” We assume our early adopters are tech-savvy and fully able.
  • “It’s too complex.” Accessibility feels like a massive undertaking.

This mindset is a mistake. Accessibility isn’t all-or-nothing. Even small tweaks can instantly make your product feel smoother for everyone.

A site that’s easy for a screen reader to parse is also more SEO-friendly. A keyboard-navigable form helps both users with motor disabilities and power users who love shortcuts.

👉 In short, good accessibility is just good UX.

How accessibility leads to better user experience

Small Wins That Scale 📈

Here are a few practical tips and code snippets I’ve used in a fast-moving startup environment, some small changes that make a big impact without slowing you down.

1. Use Semantic HTML First, Divs Later 🏷️

Before you reach for a <div>, ask yourself if a more meaningful tag exists.

❌ Bad way:

<div class="header">...</div>
<div class="main-content">
  <div class="button" onclick="doSomething()">Click Me</div>
</div>
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✅ Good way:

<header>...</header>
<main>
  <button type="button" onclick="doSomething()">Click Me</button>
</main>
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This simple habit makes your code more readable, maintainable, and accessible by default.

Want to dive deeper?

2. Proper Alt Text & Labels 📝

Images need descriptions, and form controls need labels.

❌ Bad form field:

<input type="text" placeholder="Enter your name">
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✅ Good form field:

<label for="name-input">Your Name</label>
<input type="text" id="name-input" placeholder="Enter your name">
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For images:

<img src="product.jpg" alt="A sleek black smartphone with a reflective screen.">
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👉 If the image is purely decorative, use alt="" so it’s skipped by screen readers.

3. Keyboard Navigation & Focus Management ⌨️

Many users (and power users!) navigate entirely with a keyboard. Your UI must support this.

Focus traps: When a modal opens, focus should stay inside it until closed.

Focus styling: Use the :focus pseudo-class to show outlines for active elements.

Tabindex: Make custom components focusable when needed.

React example for a custom button:

<div
  role="button"
  tabIndex="0"
  onClick={handleSelect}
  onKeyDown={(e) => {
    if (e.key === 'Enter' || e.key === ' ') {
      handleSelect();
    }
  }}
>
  Select an option
</div>
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4. Color Contrast & Theme Choices 🎨

Low-contrast text (like light gray on white) is a common accessibility fail.

Use a contrast checker to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards.

Define colors as CSS variables (design tokens):

:root {
  --color-text-default: #222;
  --color-background-primary: #fff;
}
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This ensures consistent, accessible colors across your app.

Color contrast comparison

5. Use Responsive, Readable Fonts 📖

Keep text at least 16px with proper line spacing for readability.
Ensure fonts and containers resize smoothly across devices — responsive typography is a key part of accessibility.

Accessible Components in a Design System ✨

If your startup has a design system, this is your goldmine. Make a single component accessible, and every use of it becomes accessible everywhere.

Buttons: Handle focus + trigger with Enter/Space.

Modals: Trap focus, close with Escape.

Forms: Inputs, checkboxes, radios with correct labels + aria attributes.

This way, every future feature inherits accessibility by default.

5 small accessibility wins

Conclusion: Start Small, Think Big 💡

Accessibility isn’t a project. It’s a habit. A series of small, thoughtful choices that add up to products people love using.

That’s the difference between booking on BookMyShow and booking on I^^^^o. One feels smooth and effortless, the other clunky and stressful. And most of that difference comes down to these small accessibility wins.

So start small. Replace one <div> with a <button>. Add one proper label. Fix one focus trap. Each change might feel tiny, but together they create an experience that feels effortless; the kind users remember and return to.

In startups, every interaction matters. And sometimes, the biggest wins come from the smallest details.

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