Document Accessibility Decisions

Capture all accessibility decisions for a feature in a single, structured record that will survive team changes and redesigns.

Process

Step 1: Identify Decisions

List every design or implementation choice that affects accessibility:

• Interaction patterns chosen
• Content and language decisions
• Visual design decisions
• What was included and what was deferred
• Tradeoffs made under constraints

Step 2: Document Each Decision

Using decision-documentation, for each decision record:

• Context: what prompted the decision
• Decision: what was chosen
• Alternatives: what was considered and rejected
• Impact: who benefits, who is affected
• Evidence: what supported the decision

Step 3: Analyse Tradeoffs

Using tradeoff-analysis, for any decision where accessibility was compromised or where user needs conflicted:

• Who benefits from each option
• Who is harmed by each option
• Severity asymmetry (blocked vs friction)
• Remediation plan for excluded users
• Review date

Step 4: Map to Standards

Using compliance-mapping, map each decision to the relevant WCAG criteria:

• Which criteria does this decision satisfy
• Which criteria does this decision affect
• Are there any conformance risks

Output

Deliver a feature accessibility decision record:

1. Feature summary — what was built and for whom
2. Decision log — each decision in the standard format
3. Tradeoff register — any tradeoffs with remediation plans
4. Compliance map — WCAG criteria coverage and gaps
5. Open items — deferred decisions that need future resolution