A step forward in our accessibility efforts | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)
Figma argues that making design accessible requires enabling people of all abilities to participate throughout the design process. Its new prototype screen reader beta addresses a major gap for blind and low-vision users by making prototype content readable and navigable with assistive technology. The company presents this as an important step, while acknowledging that substantial accessibility work remains. ## Prototype Screen Reader Beta - Previously, screen readers encountered Figma prototypes as an essentially empty canvas, making text, images, and interactive content inaccessible. - The beta supports: - Text notes - Image alt text - Navigation through prototypes - Buttons and keyboard actions such as tabbing - Because Figma designs are not built as HTML, the company created an HTML representation of prototypes specifically for screen readers. - The beta was launched to gather feedback and improve the experience; it later became an open beta for everyone. ## Accessibility Work Underway - Figma has also introduced: - Dark mode and improved color-contrast compliance - Live captions for audio chat - A platform-wide accessibility assessment by Deque - Greater support for accessibility plugins, widgets, and community files - The company is developing reusable UI components and internal tools that encourage keyboard and screen reader compatibility. - Accessibility is being incorporated into team expectations, product development, and early user testing through alpha and beta programs. ## Remaining Challenges - Figma recognizes that more screen reader and general accessibility support is needed. - Planned capabilities include allowing users to: - Add alt text - Assign ARIA roles to components - Define prototype tab order - The company emphasizes that accessibility improvements should be developed collaboratively with the community. Figma’s recommendation in practice is to continue testing accessibility features with users who rely on assistive technology and to treat accessibility as an ongoing part of product design and engineering rather than a one-time update.