Run an Accessibility Check in Siteimprove Accessibility for Designers

Answer

To run an accessibility check, select a Frame, Component, or Group, then start the Accessibility Check from the plugin Home screen. The plugin evaluates the selected design against WCAG requirements and displays findings grouped by issue type.

Before You Begin

• Open the Siteimprove Accessibility for Designers plugin.
• Ensure you are working in Figma Design mode.
• Select a Frame, Component, or Group to evaluate.

Run an Accessibility Check

Select a frame

Choose a Frame, Component, or Group. If you select more than one layer, only the first is checked — the panel will let you know.

Run the check

From the Home screen, start the Accessibility Check. Large frames show a live count of layers as they are evaluated, and Figma stays responsive throughout.

Cancel any time

A long check can be cancelled mid-way — the canvas is never frozen.

Review the results

When the check finishes, findings appear grouped by issue type.

Expected Result

The plugin evaluates the selected design against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and displays accessibility findings grouped by issue type for review and remediation.

Related Information

Read your results

Findings are grouped by issue type — such as contrast, touch target size, or text size — so related problems sit together and are easy to work through one group at a time. Three tabs let you focus the list, each with a live count:

• All — every finding in scope.
• Issues — accessibility and contrast findings.
• Best Practices — advisory recommendations that are not formal WCAG failures.

Click any finding — or the “Navigate to layer” button in its detail view — and Figma selects and zooms to the exact element, even if it is on another page. Open a finding to see its detail view, which includes:

• A plain-language explanation of the issue and why it matters
• The mapped WCAG success criterion, with its name and version
• The abilities affected (for example, low vision or color blindness)
• A link to the relevant WCAG guideline for further reading
• For contrast issues, color swatches with the measured ratio and AA/AAA pass or fail

"Needs review" findings

Some findings are marked Needs review rather than a definite failure. These are cases the design alone cannot confirm — such as whether an image has alt text, or whether a link is distinguished by more than color. Treat them as prompts to verify manually.