In many cases, some small changes can go a long way in making your Power BI reports more accessible for users with different abilities. The checklist below lists considerations you should make in your report design to create more inclusive reports. I’ll update this post as new features are released.

Accessibility Checklist

Last Updated: 29-Nov-2018

All Visuals

• Ensure color contrast between title, axis label, and data label text and the background are at least 4.5:1.
• Avoid using color as the only means of conveying information. Use text or icons to supplement or replace the color.
• Replace unnecessary jargon or acronyms.
• Ensure alt text is added to all non-decorative visuals on the page.
• Check that your report page works for users with color vision deficiency.

Slicers

• If you have a collection of several slicers on your report pages, ensure your design is consistent across pages. Use the same font, colors, and spatial position as much as possible.

Textbox

• Ensure color contrast between font and background are at least 4.5:1.
• Make sure to put text contents in the alt text box so screen readers can read them.

Visual Interactions

• Is key information only accessible through an interaction? If so, rearrange your visuals so they are pre-filtered to make the important conclusion more obvious.
• Are you using bookmarks for navigation? Try navigating your report with a keyboard to ensure the experience is acceptable for keyboard-only users.

Sort Order

• Have you purposefully set the sort order of each visual on the page? The accessible Show Data table shows the data in the sort order you have set on the visual.

Tooltips

• Don’t use tooltips to convey important information. Users with motor issues and users who do not use a mouse will have difficulties accessing them.
• Do add tooltips to charts as ancillary information. It is included in the accessible Show Data table for each visual.

Video

• Avoid video that automatically starts when the page is rendered.
• Ensure your video has captions or provide a transcript.

Audio

• Avoid audio that automatically starts when the page is rendered.
• Provide a transcript for any audio.

Shapes

• Avoid using too many decorative shapes. They are announced by the screen reader when reading the page.
• When using shapes to call out data points, use alt text to explain what is being called out.

Images

• When using images to call out data points, use alt text to explain what is being called out.
• Avoid using too many decorative images. They are announced by the screen reader when reading the page.

Custom Visuals

• Check the accessible Show Data table for custom visuals. If the information shown is not sufficient, look for another visual.
• If using the Play Axis custom visual, ensure it does not autoplay. Make it obvious that the user must press the play/pause button to start/stop the changing values.

Across Visuals on the Page

• Set tab order and turn off tab order on any decorative items.

Power BI Accessibility Features

• Keyboard shortcuts
• Alt Text
• High Contrast Colors
• Tab Order

Tools to Check Accessibility in your Power BI Report

Keyboard Only Navigation

• Use a keyboard to navigate and interact with your report, without using a mouse.

Color Vision Deficiency

• Use Coblis or Vischeck to check for color vision deficiency issues

Low Vision

• Use a mobile device with brightness on low to test mobile reports
• Use WebAIM or Accessible Colors to check color contrast of text vs background
• Use The Squint Test to check that a Power BI report makes sense to someone with low vision

If you would like to suggest an update to the list, feel free to leave a comment on this post.