You did the work. You evaluated the website. You documented the accessibility issues.Now comes the part that freaks out a lot of designers—presenting your findings to a client or stakeholder.
Let me tell you something: the skill of presenting your work is one of the most underrated superpowers in UX. Especially when it comes to accessibility, where the impact is huge, the technical details can be confusing, and the stakes are often legal and emotional.
So let’s break down what strong presentation actually looks like for a designer—and how to talk about accessibility in a way that lands.
tl;dr: You can do this. Keep practicing.
Why Presentation Skills Matter (Even If You Hate Public Speaking)
Designers are communicators. Yes, we communicate through visuals and interaction patterns, but if you can’t talk about your design decisions, you’re not going to get buy-in, approval, or budget to move forward.
And when you’re the one pointing out accessibility issues?
You’re not just communicating your ideas.
You’re challenging someone else’s status quo.
Which means you need to be clear, confident, and prepared for some pushback.
Articulating Design Decisions is my favorite book on this topic (that's an Amazon link)
The Difference Between a Report and a Presentation
Too many designers treat accessibility evaluations like a homework assignment:
- Make a list of problems
- Turn it in
- Done
But that doesn’t lead to action. In fact, most accessibility reports collect digital dust. Why? Because:
- Clients don’t understand the technical jargon.
- No one wants to read a 47-page ANYTHING.
- Stakeholders feel overwhelmed by the length or perceived severity.
- The problems are real, but the why it matters is missing.
A strong presentation reframes the report from a list of defects into a conversation about impact and opportunity. A conversation is the only thing that will convert your accessibility evaluation results into action. Let’s look at how you can do that.
First, Know Your Audience (And Frame The Conversation)
Before you open Figma Slides or Canva or PowerPoint, ask yourself:
- Who’s in the room?
- What do they care about?
- How much do they already know about accessibility?
You wouldn’t talk to a CMO the same way you’d talk to a front-end developer. You wouldn’t present to a solo entrepreneur the way you would a government agency with a legal deadline.
Tailor your framing to the room. Here are some quick examples:
- Audience: Small business owner
“Fixing these issues can help more people use your site—and help you make more money.” - Audience: Developer team
“Here’s where the code is breaking accessibility standards and how we can fix it.” - Audience: Legal/Compliance People
“These are clear WCAG violations. Fixing them reduces risk and demonstrates good faith efforts at being inclusive.” - Audience: Design team
“Here’s how we can improve UX for everyone by solving pain points for disabled users.”
Second, Start With the Big Picture
Don’t jump right into color contrast or missing alt text. Begin with a simple, powerful intro that orients the audience.
Try something like:
“I looked at your site with fresh eyes—and specifically through the lens of how someone with a disability might interact with it. I found some areas where the current experience could unintentionally exclude people. But the good news is, most of these are fixable—and the fixes will improve the experience for everyone.”
This helps your audience relax. You’re not attacking their work. You’re showing how to make it better. You’re on their side.
Third, Use Stories and Scenarios (Not Just Checklists)
Accessibility issues aren’t just technical—they’re human.
That means your presentation should include stories, not just facts.
Here’s how you might present a finding about missing form labels:
“Right now, the contact form doesn’t have programmatically associated labels. That means someone using a screen reader won’t hear what each input field is for. Imagine trying to fill out a form with your eyes closed and no guidance. You’d probably leave—and that’s what many blind users would have to do.”
This kind of framing:
- Builds empathy
- Makes the issue memorable
- Justifies the fix beyond “because the guidelines say so”
You can do this with all kinds of issues—keyboard traps, flashing content, low contrast, ambiguous link text. Ground them in how they affect real people.
Fourth, Show Them How to Prioritize Like a Pro
Not all accessibility issues are equal.
Some are critical blockers.
Some are small fixes that show big impact.
Some are “nice to have” but not legally required.
In your presentation, make it easy to see:
- What’s urgent
- What’s easy
- What’s strategic
One of my favorite methods is the Accessibility Priority Matrix:
Priority: High
Blocks access to key functionality (e.g. can’t submit a form, can’t navigate with keyboard)
Priority: Medium
Makes the experience confusing or frustrating (e.g. unclear focus states, missing ARIA roles)
Priority: Low
Cosmetic or minor improvements (e.g. slightly low contrast on secondary buttons)
Showing this kind of categorization helps stakeholders make smart decisions—especially when budget or dev time is limited.
Fifth, Offer Solutions, Not Just Problems
This part is key. As my friend Steven Steiner (Career Coach for Designers) likes to say: “don’t bitch without a pitch.” They don’t just want to hear the complaints, they want to know you’ve thought about what you need to fix the problem.
Nobody wants to sit through a presentation where they hear all the things that are wrong… and none of the ways to fix them.
Even if you’re not the one doing the dev work, offer guidance like:
- “This can be fixed by adding a label tag that’s properly associated with the input using for and id.”
- “We can resolve this by swapping out the color palette for something that meets WCAG contrast ratios.”
- “A simple skip link at the top of the page would solve this and help keyboard users jump straight to the main content.”
You don’t have to go deep into code, but knowing what’s needed makes you look professional and prepared.
Sixth, Anticipate Pushback (and Practice Your Responses)
Sometimes clients say:
- “But our users don’t have disabilities.”
- “It looks fine to me.”
- “We can’t afford to fix everything.”
They don’t know any better. Remember, you’re here as an expert in something they truly know very little about. Instead of getting defensive (trust me, I feel it too and I have to reign it in), respond with calm clarity. For example:
“It’s true that not all your users may be disabled—but accessibility improvements help everyone, including older adults, mobile users, and people with temporary injuries. Plus, improving these areas strengthens your SEO, usability, and legal compliance. So it’s not just about disability—it’s about making your site better for everyone.”
If you’re nervous, script out your answers and practice out loud. This doesn’t make you less professional. In fact, you’ll come across as way m ore professional if you’re not pulling it out of your ass at the last second.
PRACTICE, people. Practice!
Bonus: Use Visual Aids That Make It Obvious
When you’re presenting accessibility issues, screenshots are your friend. Even better than visuals? Use browser tools to simulate the experience.
- Show what it looks like with images turned off
- Highlight contrast ratios with tools like WCAG Contrast Checker
- Show a keyboard tab path to demonstrate where focus gets stuck
You know how to find these issues, now help them see and feel those issues, too! This helps people see the problem, not just hear about it. When they experience it, it becomes painfully real. Frankly, sometimes they need to feel the pain to really get it.
If you care about accessibility, your job doesn’t end at the audit. It ends when the issues get fixed.
And for that to happen, you need to communicate clearly, strategically, and empathetically. Presentation skills aren’t fluff. They’re how we move accessibility from theory to reality. So go ahead and tell the story of what’s broken, who it’s affecting, and how we can fix it.
Not as a scolding, but as an invitation.
You’re not just showing problems.
You’re showing a path toward a better experience for everyone.
Photo by Sarah Pflug from Burst
Leave a Reply