A 2023 survey of U.K. consumers found that 55% had walked away from a purchase because of accessibility barriers, costing retailers an estimated £120 billion in potential sales.
Accessibility is not optional. Every subscriber should be able to fully engage with your message.
Yet sometimes, a campaign calls for more than static content. It needs interactivity.
The challenge is that interactivity and accessibility don’t always align. Motion effects, hover states, and advanced scripting can create barriers for users with assistive technologies.
So, can we keep emails engaging without excluding anyone? Making interactive emails accessible is the key.
In today’s guide, our developer at Email Mavlers shares how to create accessible interactive emails successfully.
Understanding Accessibility in Emails
Accessibility in email means that all users, including those with disabilities, can access and understand your content. Interactive email accessibility focuses on ensuring interactivity doesn’t block access for anyone.
Generally speaking, accessibility in interactive emails includes:
- Screen reader compatibility for visually impaired users.
- Keyboard navigation supports those who can’t use a mouse.
- Color contrast considerations for users with color blindness.
- Avoiding content that may trigger sensory sensitivities, such as auto-playing animations.
Why Accessibility Matters
Since accessible interactive email content ensures that every person can engage with your content without barriers, it benefits both your audience and your brand in meaningful ways:
- Around 16% of the global population lives with some form of disability.
- Accessibility improves user experience for everyone.
- It enhances brand reputation and supports legal compliance (e.g., ADA, WCAG).
Therefore, prioritizing interactive email accessibility ensures your messages reach more people, more effectively.
What Is Interactivity in Email?
Interactive email design accessibility allows users to engage directly within the inbox without navigating to a website. This includes:
- Accordions and collapsible sections
- Tabs and toggles
- Sliders and image carousels
- Interactive polls or quizzes
- Hover effects and animations
Accessible interactive emails offer several advantages, which include higher engagement rates, reduced reliance on bounce and click-through metrics, and greater opportunities for creative storytelling.
Interactive Email Accessibility: The Challenges
Creating accessible interactive email components comes with a unique set of challenges:
- Limited support for CSS and JavaScript in many email clients, such as Outlook and Gmail.
- Non-uniform behavior of screen readers across different devices and software.
- Inconsistent keyboard navigation, making some interactive elements difficult to access.
- The need for complex fallback mechanisms in order to ensure functionality in clients that don’t support interactivity.
But the good news is these challenges are not insurmountable. By applying progressive enhancement and following best practices, making interactive emails accessible is possible.
Best Practices for Accessible Interactive Emails
So let’s explore how you can build accessible interactive email components without excluding users.
1. Use Semantic HTML Wherever Possible
Using proper semantic tags like <button>, <label>, <fieldset> helps screen readers understand the context. Also, when using images or icons inside interactive elements, ensure you include meaningful alt text in interactive emails so that users relying on assistive technology understand the visual content.
Take a look at the following piece of code for example.
<table role="presentation" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tr>
<td>
<label for="faq1" style="font-weight: bold; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block;">Show FAQ</label><br>
<input type="checkbox" id="faq1" aria-expanded="false" style="display: none;"> <table role="presentation" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="display: none;" id="faqContent">
<tr>
<td style="padding-top: 10px;">
<p>This is the answer to the FAQ.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</table>This code creates an expandable/collapsible FAQ section in an email using a hidden checkbox:
- The label acts as a clickable toggle (“Show FAQ”) linked to the hidden checkbox.
- The checkbox controls whether the FAQ content is shown or hidden.
- The nested table contains the answer and is initially hidden (display: none;).
- When the user clicks the label, the checkbox can toggle the visibility of the FAQ content.
Fundamentally, this piece of code creates a collapsible FAQ section using pure HTML/CSS, demonstrating interactive email accessibility, without relying on JavaScript.
Below is another piece of code for an accessible accordion.
<table role="presentation" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tr>
<td>
<label for="acc1" style="display: block; font-weight: bold; cursor: pointer;">Read More</label>
<input type="checkbox" id="acc1" style="display: none;">
<table role="presentation" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="display: none;">
<tr>
<td style="padding: 10px 0;">
<p>This is additional content shown upon expansion.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
This code creates an expandable section in an email. Clicking the “Read More” label toggles a hidden checkbox, which controls the visibility of additional content, allowing recipients to reveal or hide the extra text without using JavaScript.
2. Use Aria Labels and Roles
ARIA attributes help communicate roles, states, and properties to assistive technologies. Key examples include:
- aria-expanded: This Indicates whether a section is currently expanded or collapsed.
- aria-hidden: Hides content from screen readers, making it invisible to assistive technology.
- role=”button”: Assigns a button role to non-button elements (such as <span> or <div>) to ensure they are recognized and interactable by screen readers.
These attributes are essential for accessible interactive email components and accessible interactive email design at large.
3. Ensure Keyboard Accessibility
Ensure that all interactive elements can be easily focused and activated using keyboard navigation (Tab, Enter, and Space):
- All buttons should include tabindex=”0″ in order to make them focusable.
- Interactive elements should respond to Enter or Space keys.
- Avoid trapping focus inside components to maintain smooth navigation.
Thus, following these best practices supports interactive email accessibility for users relying on keyboards.
4. Moderate Use of Hover Effects for Email Accessibility
Hover interactions are not accessible on touch devices or for users relying on screen readers, since these devices and assistive technologies do not recognize mouse-hover events.
To ensure all users can access the same functionality, provide alternative ways to trigger the interaction. This could include using clickable elements, and focus states that mimic hover effects, or explicit buttons that reveal hidden content.
5. Embrace Progressive Enhancement
Start with a fully accessible version of the email before layering on interactivity. This approach to accessible interactive email design ensures that all recipients can access core content, while enhanced features improve engagement where they are supported by email clients.
6. Use Large Clickable Areas
Small links or buttons are difficult to tap, especially on mobile or for users with motor disabilities.
Ensure buttons are large, well-spaced, and compatible with accessible interactive emails.
7. Keep Movements Gentle and Optional
Fast or looping animations can cause dizziness or distraction for some users.
Therefore, avoid using flashing or very fast-moving GIFs.
When including animations, keep them subtle and ensure that the core message is clear even if the animation does not play.
8. Ensure Good Color Contrasts
Low contrast makes text hard to read. Check that text stands out against backgrounds and follow WCAG AA standards for interactive email design accessibility.
9. Remember to Add Fallbacks
Fallbacks aren’t just backups, they’re part of making interactive emails accessible. For instance, check out this code:
<table role="presentation" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tr>
<td>
<p>Do you like our newsletter?</p>
<a href="https://example.com/vote-yes">Yes</a> |
<a href="https://example.com/vote-no">No</a>
</td>
</tr>
</table> This code creates an accessible email-based poll. It displays the question “Do you like our newsletter?” and allows users to respond by clicking one of two links, “Yes” or “No,” each directing to a separate web page. It provides a straightforward, accessible way to collect feedback via email.
Speaking of fallbacks, remember these best practices:
- Provide static alternatives to all interactive content.
- Make sure that no important information is hidden behind the interactions.
- Make sure actions (like polls, tabs) have links to web pages as alternatives.
When using tabs, provide a stacked vertical layout of all tab content for email clients that don’t support interactivity.
10. Test for Accessibility
Accessibility is not one-size-fits-all, therefore thorough testing is essential to ensure interactive email accessibility.
To help with testing, use tools for the following parameters:
- Color contrast checkers: WebAIM, among others
- Email client testing platforms: Litmus, Email on Acid
- Keyboard-only navigation: Test without a mouse to ensure full functionality
Key Questions to Consider
Now, when testing the emails, consider these key questions:
- Can all content be accessed and navigated using a keyboard alone?
- Do screen readers read elements in the correct, logical order?
- Is the color contrast sufficient for readability?
- Do interactive elements work properly or fail gracefully when unsupported?
Test with A Screen Reader
Use free screen readers like NVDA or VoiceOver to navigate the email as visually impaired users would, checking that all accessible interactive email content is actually clear.
Source: Axess Lab
It’s important to test with a screen reader because what looks clear visually may be confusing when read aloud. This includes verifying that alt text in interactive emails is descriptive, accurate, and read in the correct order, ensuring the context matches what is shown visually.
Is the Reading Order Logical?
And finally, ensure a logical reading order so that all content is understood correctly:
- Use tables thoughtfully in order to maintain layout structures and avoid breaking accessibility in interactive email.
- Make sure that interactive elements don’t interfere with how screen readers interpret the email.
Regular testing with these practices ensures your emails are both engaging and accessible to all users.
Accessibility and Interactivity Can Coexist
Creating accessible interactive emails is not only possible, it’s essential. By combining clean coding practices, thoughtful design, and thorough testing, you can deliver emails that are both engaging and inclusive.
Start with a solid foundation of accessibility using semantic HTML, ARIA labels, and keyboard-friendly navigation. Then, progressively enhance your email with interactive elements, always providing fallbacks for unsupported email clients.
Accessible interactive email design allows emails to perform better, reach wider audiences, and reflect an inclusive brand. Accessibility doesn’t limit creativity—it strengthens it, proving that making interactive emails accessible benefits everyone.
So are you finally bored of sending plain, ordinary emails?
Elevate your campaigns with engaging interactive elements. Share your design file with us, and let’s get started.