4 minute read

WCAG for beginners

DON’T PANIC.

A scary, shadowy figure with sharp teeth rising from a pit of fire, looming over Tabitha the ginger cat, who looks startled. The monster is labelled WCAG.

If you’ve ever tried to read the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), you might feel like you’ve stumbled into an intergalactic bureaucracy. It’s dense, full of jargon, and about as approachable as stereo instructions from the 1980s. No wonder it puts people off.

But here’s the thing: WCAG isn’t meant to scare you. At its heart, it’s a guide to making the web more inclusive—a way to ensure that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can navigate and enjoy digital spaces.

This guide is here to make WCAG less intimidating and more usable. We’ll break it down into digestible chunks, explain what you need to know (and what you can safely skip), and give you real-world examples to help you connect the dots.

Yes, WCAG has a structure that feels like a “necessary evil,” but once you understand how it’s laid out, it’ll start to make sense. And, with a bit of help from us, you might even feel confident enough to explore it on your own.

So, how is WCAG laid out?

If WCAG were a building, it would be a labyrinth: a mix of well-marked hallways, hidden staircases, and a few secret doors that make you wonder if the architect was messing with you. But don’t worry—we’ve got the map.

Here’s how it’s structured:

1. Principles

WCAG is built on four core principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR). Think of these as guiding ideas, ensuring your website is designed to work for everyone. Don’t worry if they sound abstract right now—everything else builds on these principles and makes them more practical.

2. Guidelines

Under each principle are guidelines—kind of like room descriptions in a blueprint. They provide an outline of what needs to happen for your website to be more accessible without diving into the exact steps.

3. Success criteria

This is where things get specific. Success criteria are the checkpoints that tell you how to make your site more inclusive. They’re divided into three levels:

  • A (bare essentials)
  • AA (the legal requirement in most places)
  • AAA (reaching for the stars).

4. Techniques and failures

These are like cheat sheets—examples of what to do and what to avoid. While they’re not requirements, they’re super helpful if you’re trying to figure out how to meet the success criteria.

Why WCAG is a necessary evil

The structure can feel a bit much at first, but it’s meant to work for everything from a cat blog to a global e-commerce site. Once you understand the layout, it’s easier to focus on the parts that matter to you and build accessibility into your projects step by step.

How to use this beginners guide to WCAG

So, you’re ready to tackle WCAG, but where do you even begin? That’s where this guide comes in—it’s designed to ease you into accessibility with a friendly, beginner-first approach.

Here’s what you’ll find:

1. Video overviews

Every guideline kicks off with a short video that’s easy to digest. These are perfect for anyone new to accessibility—or anyone who prefers learning with a touch of fun.

Each video has a full transcript and screenshots so visual users can see how transcripts are put together. 

2. Deep dives Into success criteria

For each success criterion, we’ve kept things approachable—there’s not much code here, so no need to worry if you’re not a developer.

3. Resources for when you’re ready to go deeper

When you’re ready for more details, we’ve got links to the W3C’s Understanding Docs and other resources. Whether you want technical examples or just more context, these links will guide you further.

Start where you are

This guide is all about meeting you where you are. Whether you’re just starting your accessibility journey or brushing up on specific success criteria, you’ll find clear explanations, relatable examples, and practical next steps.

Remember: WCAG doesn’t have to be intimidating. Take it one piece at a time, and before you know it, you’ll be making the web a better place.

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