Prototype screen reader beta opens in Figma

Figma has announced a prototype screen reader beta as part of a broader push to make its collaborative design platform usable by people of all abilities. The company's stated goal is to make design accessible to all, and company leadership notes that while a large portion of the community now identifies as something other than a designer, access means more than broadening who can use the tool—it means ensuring anyone, regardless of age, ability, or background, can participate in the full design process.

Why prototyping was a barrier

Prototyping sits at the center of the design workflow, letting users iterate and preview how designs behave on screen. But for users who are blind or low-vision and rely on assistive technology, that experience has been largely inaccessible. Where a sighted user sees an interactive prototype, a screen reader encounters an empty canvas label, making text, images, and other content effectively invisible.

The issue traces back to how Figma renders content. Although the platform runs in the browser, designs are not drawn in HTML the way a typical website is, which makes them unreadable by standard screen reader software. To close that gap, Figma's engineering team built a conversion layer that translates Figma prototypes into an HTML representation exposed only to screen readers. That gives assistive technology something it can parse and read aloud, and the company acknowledges the approach took time to get right.

The beta includes support for reading text notes, alt text for images, and keyboard-based interaction and navigation, including tabbing and activating buttons. Figma is framing the beta as a request for feedback on these changes and an early step rather than a finished solution.

Accessibility groundwork already in place

The prototype screen reader beta follows a series of earlier accessibility improvements across the platform, and the company stresses that the work is ongoing. Recent efforts include:

  • Dark mode and color contrast improvements designed to meet draft WCAG 3.0 standards for users who need a different visual representation
  • An open beta for live captions in audio chat on the Figma desktop app, available on Pro, Org, and Enterprise plans
  • A platform-wide assessment by accessibility consultancy Deque, which identified areas for improvement including keyboard-only interactions and ARIA labeling practices
  • Growth of the accessibility plugin and widget ecosystem, including tools from Adee, Deque, and Stark, as well as community builders like Kelly Gorr

Internally, Figma says it is working to make accessibility a default part of the product development process. That means building reusable UI components that support keyboard-only and screen reader usage, and creating tooling to check that new features and code meet accessibility best practices. The company is also bringing community members into design processes early through alpha and beta programs.

What is still on the roadmap

Figma acknowledges the prototype screen reader beta is not the end of the work. The company has identified more capabilities it wants to offer users building accessible products, including the ability to set alt text, assign ARIA roles to components, and define tab order in prototypes. Those features are intended to help designers not just use Figma accessibly, but also produce accessible output.

Users who want to participate in the initial test can sign up through Figma's beta application form.