Accessibility Standard¶
This standard states baseline accessibility principles that apply across every venture, expressed generally enough to fit formats as different as a mobile/web app and an Excel workbook. Each principle below includes an example of what it means in each of Devonshire Digital's current venture contexts; a future venture in a different format should interpret the principle by the same logic.
Don't rely on color alone¶
Never use color as the only signal for meaning or status. Pair color with a text label, icon, or pattern.
- Shelfery (app): an "expiring soon" pantry item should not be indicated by a red highlight alone — pair it with a text label ("Expires in 2 days") or icon.
- Digital Products (workbook): a conditional-formatting status column should not use color fill alone — include a text status value (e.g., "Over budget") in an adjacent or overlaid cell value.
Readable contrast¶
Text and meaningful graphical elements should have sufficient contrast against their background to be readable by users with low vision or in poor viewing conditions (e.g., outdoor glare on a phone screen).
- Shelfery: verify text/background contrast for primary UI text, not just decorative elements.
- Digital Products: avoid low-contrast font/fill combinations (e.g., light gray text on white) for any cell content the user is expected to read, not just headers.
Plain language¶
Use plain, direct language in product content, not just in internal documentation (see docs/standards/writing-and-documentation-standard.md). Avoid unnecessary jargon in labels, instructions, and error messages — a customer should not need domain expertise to understand what a product is telling them.
Keyboard and screen-reader consideration (or equivalent)¶
Where the product format supports it, consider users who do not use a mouse/touchscreen or who use assistive technology:
- Shelfery (web/app): interactive elements should be reachable and operable via keyboard, and meaningful images/icons should have text alternatives readable by screen readers.
- Digital Products (Excel): the equivalent consideration is a workbook that works reasonably with a screen reader (e.g., meaningful cell/column headers, avoiding merged cells where they break reading order) and that does not require mouse-only interaction (e.g., avoiding form controls with no keyboard path) for core functionality.
Proportionality¶
As with QA rigor (see quality-assurance-standard.md), the depth of accessibility work should be proportional to the product's reach and risk, but these baseline principles apply regardless of scale — they are inexpensive to apply from the start and expensive to retrofit later.
Relationship to venture-specific accessibility practices¶
A venture may adopt more specific accessibility practices or targets (e.g., a specific conformance level for a public-facing web product) under its own venture-level standards, provided they meet or exceed this baseline.