Create accessible apps and add-ins

Last modified: September 23, 2015

Applies to: Office 365 | Office Add-ins | SharePoint Add-ins

As you design and develop your Office 365 web apps and Office and SharePoint Add-ins, you'll want to ensure that all potential users and customers are able to use your app or add-in successfully. Apply the following guidelines to ensure that your solution is accessible to all audiences.

• Ensure that users can perform operations by using only the keyboard. Users should be able to move to all actionable elements on the page by using a combination of the Tab and arrow keys.
• On a mobile device, when users operate a control by touch, the device should provide useful audio feedback.
• Provide helpful labels for all interactive controls.

• Don't rely on a single attribute, such as color, size, shape, location, orientation, or sound, to convey meaning in your UI.
• Avoid unexpected changes of context, such as moving the focus to a different UI element without user action.
• Provide a way to verify, confirm, or reverse all binding actions.
• Provide a way to pause or stop media, such as audio and video.
• Do not impose a time limit for user action.

• Avoid unexpected color changes.
• Provide meaningful and timely information to describe UI elements, titles and headings, inputs, and errors. Ensure that names of controls adequately describe the intent of the control.
• Follow standard guidelines for color contrast.

• Avoid using features that interfere with assistive technologies, including visual, audio, or other interactions.
• Do not provide text in an image format. Screen readers cannot read text within images.
• Provide a way for users to adjust or mute all audio sources.
• Provide a way for users to turn on captions or audio description with audio sources.
• Provide alternatives to sound as a means to alert users, such as visual cues or vibrations.