Accessibility
Designing Accessible Modal Dialogs
This prompt helps teams design modal dialogs (pop-ups) that are accessible and user-friendly. By focusing on proper focus management, keyboard navigation, and screen reader compatibility, it ensures that all users, including those with disabilities, can interact with modals seamlessly.
Responsible:
Product Design
Accountable, Informed or Consulted:
Design, Product, Engineering
THE PREP
Creating effective prompts involves tailoring them with detailed, relevant information and uploading documents that provide the best context. Prompts act as a framework to guide the response, but specificity and customization ensure the most accurate and helpful results. Use these prep tips to get the most out of this prompt:
Define the purpose and content of the modal dialog.
Review existing modals for accessibility challenges or feedback.
Consult accessibility guidelines, such as WCAG, for modal design standards.
THE PROMPT
Help design accessible modal dialogs for [specific product, feature, or platform]. Ensure usability and inclusivity by focusing on:
Focus Management: Automatically focusing on the modal when it opens and returning focus to the triggering element when it closes.
Keyboard Navigation: Allowing users to navigate all elements within the modal using the keyboard and ensuring the Escape key closes the dialog.
Screen Reader Support: Providing clear ARIA roles and labels for the modal and its content.
Clarity: Avoiding unnecessary content and ensuring critical information is clear and concise.
Background Handling: Making the background visually and interactively inaccessible while the modal is open.
Provide specific recommendations for implementing accessible modals, including best practices for design and development. If additional details about the modal’s purpose or audience are needed, ask clarifying questions to refine the suggestions.
Bonus Add-On Prompts
Suggest ways to design modals that accommodate screen readers effectively.
Propose solutions to enhance usability for keyboard-only users in modal dialogs.
Highlight strategies for ensuring modal content is concise and focused.
Use AI responsibly by verifying its outputs, as it may occasionally generate inaccurate or incomplete information. Treat AI as a tool to support your decision-making, ensuring human oversight and professional judgment for critical or sensitive use cases.
SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE
Focus on specific types of modals, such as alerts, confirmations, or form dialogs.
Include recommendations for adapting modals for small screens or mobile devices.
Highlight considerations for time-sensitive modals, like countdowns or warnings.
Propose designs that offer alternatives to modals, such as inline messages.
Add testing techniques to validate modal accessibility, including user testing with assistive technologies.
WHEN TO USE
During the design or redesign of modal dialogs for a product.
To address accessibility concerns in existing modals.
When preparing for compliance with accessibility standards like WCAG.
WHEN NOT TO USE
If the product does not include modal dialogs.
When focusing on static elements unrelated to modals or pop-ups.