The problem

A government service had to meet WCAG 2.2 AA by law, and its component library failed on focus, contrast and screen reader support.

Constraints

No visual redesign was allowed, and the deadline was fixed by regulation.

Design decisions

Fix the system, not the pages. Every fix happened once, in the component, so every page inherited it.

What I built

Audited every component with axe and screen readers, fixed them in Figma and code side by side, and added automated accessibility tests to Storybook.

Trade-offs

A few colour fixes slightly changed the brand palette. We documented why rather than fight the contrast rules.

The result

212 issues fixed, every page scores 100 on Lighthouse accessibility, and the service passed its external audit the first time.

What I’d do differently

I’d bring real assistive-technology users in earlier. Automated checks caught most issues, but people found the confusing ones.