6 Accessibility Features You Can Use in Canva
You’re probably aware of the vast design options offered by Canva, but did you know about its host of accessibility features? This article will cover the accessibility features you can use in Canva so that your work can reach more people. Let’s check them out below.
Accessibility in Canva
Some Canva users might not know that the design platform has a host of accessibility features they can take advantage of. The last of these to be added is Alt Text, which Canva rolled out support for in March 2021.
Accessibility features have long been important for any business that cares about people and inclusivity. In this day and age, no business has an excuse not to. For example,iPhones have accessibility features for users with physical and motor difficulties.
The whole point of Canva is to make design accessible to more people, regardless of their design skills or knowledge. It makes sense, then, that Canva would include a suite of accessibility features on its platform. We’ve listed each feature below.
1. Keyboard Shortcuts
Whether you use Mac or Windows, you can get things done faster with keyboard shortcuts. Here are basic keyboard shortcuts for Mac:
Below are basic keyboard shortcuts for Windows:
There are countless shortcuts you can use for various actions—including text editing, elements, video, zooming, view, comment, and desktop app shortcuts. Find the full list onCanva’s keyboard shortcuts page.
2. Light and Dark Modes
Whiledark modeis a preference for many users, it’s a necessity for some. Canva allows you to switch between light and dark modes or sync the platform with your system settings.
Here’s how to switch themes on Canva on your computer:
Follow the steps below to switch themes on Canva’s mobile app:
3. Video Captions
What good is a brilliantly-made video if not everyone can enjoy it? Consider adding video captions so that more viewers can watch and engage with your videos.
Here’s how to do it on your computer:
you could also enable captions by tapping thesubtitlesicon at the bottom of a video in Canva.
Note that Canva’s Captions feature is only accessible in Canva for Education.
On the mobile app:
Video captions are available for all audio content on Canva, including spoken-word videos.
4. Turn Off Autoplay
While Autoplay is a convenient feature for many video watchers, it can be a pain for others. Autoplay can affect users with cognitive disabilities. It can also inconvenience those with visual impairments and blindness by messing with screen readers. For these reasons, Canva allows you to set how you want videos to play in your designs.
Here’s how to change Autoplay settings in Canva on desktop:
The process is similar on the mobile app:
You can alsodisable autoplay on Netflix.
5. Alt Text
Add alt text to make your designs come alive for those with visual or cognitive impairments. Alt text allows assistive technology like screen readers to describe images and elements in your designs so that people can understand the content included.
You can use alt text to describe the following elements in Canva:
Please note that not all image and video formats support alt text. For instance, PNG files don’t support it.
Here’s how to add alt text to your designs on desktop:
If you’ve added something as a decorative element that doesn’t add context to the design, selectMark as decorative.
Follow the guide below to add alt text on Canva’s mobile app:
Remember, it’s important towrite alt text properlyto ensure it serves its purpose, so don’t rush through it.
6. Translate Pages of Your Designs
Your artwork can reach people you never imagined it could if translated properly. If you want your designs to reach a wider audience, try translating your design pages into different languages. Canva has more than 100 languages you can translate to.
Here are a few things to keep in mind if you want to use Canva’s Translate feature:
Follow the steps below to translate pages on your computer:
Expand the Reach of Your Designs With Canva’s Accessibility Features
No matter in what capacity you use Canva, your work can add value if you set it up for success, and there are several ways to do that. If you want your Canva masterpieces to be available to more people, consider using Canva’s accessibility features.
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