Quick summary
When I joined BorrowMyDoggy, accessibility hadn’t been a focus, and the site’s patchwork of technologies made improvements difficult. I saw an opportunity to change this when we rebuilt our iPhone app from scratch.
I brought in Tetralogical to review the MVP for our new app, then worked through every screen with VoiceOver and large text sizes, partnering closely with developers to fix issues and refine interactions. From that point on, accessibility was baked into every component and screen.
Using React Native, we extended the app to Android, where I tested with TalkBack and raised clear tickets to guide fixes.
On the web, I led the creation of a new React component library for forms, specifying accessible patterns for labels, error handling, focus states, and page flow. I tested extensively with screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, and large text before launch.
I also oversaw the migration of marketing content into a new headless CMS, trained the content team, and wrote accessibility guidelines. This work resolved issues like missing alt text, text-heavy images, and heading misuse, making content far more usable for assistive technology and clearer for everyone.
Outcome: Accessibility became part of BorrowMyDoggy’s design and development process, improving both apps and the website for all users.
In depth story
When I joined BorrowMyDoggy, accessibility hadn’t yet been given much attention. The website had been built in layers by different developers over the years, each using their own approach. Without consistency or alignment, making meaningful improvements to accessibility was difficult.
iPhone app
The real opportunity to change things came when we decided to rebuild our iPhone app from scratch. The old app, built in Ruby Motion, was outdated and no longer supported.
To make sure we got accessibility right from the start, I commissioned a specialist review from Tetralogical. At the time, I was confident with core design standards like contrast, but wanted expert assurance on more complex issues. With their report and guidance in hand, I worked through every screen with VoiceOver, collaborating closely with developers to refine interactions until the experience felt solid.
I also tested with large text sizes, creating tickets for developers where fixed sizing cut content off, and ensuring that all text scaled to user preferences. For more complex patterns, such as text chat, I consulted again with Tetralogical to validate our approach.
From then on, every new component and screen was designed with accessibility built in.
Android app
Because the new iPhone app was built in React Native, we could repurpose the same codebase for Android. I tested thoroughly with TalkBack and large fonts, raised clear tickets, and partnered with developers to resolve the issues I found.
Website
Our next focus was the website, starting with a completely new sign-up flow. This was a priority both technically and from a usability perspective. Since it was primarily form-based, and the existing site lacked consistent patterns, we decided to create a new React component library.
I designed and specified brand-new form components with clear labels, focus states, and error handling. Working alongside developers, I tested variations (on blur, on pause, on submit) until we had an experience that worked well with assistive technologies such as NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. Wherever possible, I specified semantic HTML and added ARIA only where necessary, such as for accessible names on icons.
Because the new sign-up flow was a single-page application, I also carefully specified focus management, page title updates, and back button behaviour. I tested extensively with keyboard-only navigation, large text, and magnification before launch to ensure the flow worked for everyone.
Content and training
I also led the migration of all marketing content into a new headless CMS (Sanity), building new templates using our design system and accessibility best practices.
During migration, I uncovered significant issues in the content itself:
- Missing or unhelpful alt text
- Infographics with text baked into images
- Heading levels used for styling instead of structure
To address this, I wrote a clear content accessibility guide, trained the marketing team, and provided ongoing support for tricky cases.
As a result, our content became much more accessible to assistive technology users — and clearer for everyone.
