Choose the appropriate WCAG for the industry.
Not every industry needs AAA, but stopping at A is almost certainly not enough.
The practical level for most industries is WCAG 2.2 level AA, which is also the level that most international legal frameworks use as a reference standard. Level A is the minimum and often insufficient; level AAA is very strict and not all criteria can be applied to every interface, so it should not be set as a goal for the entire system. Sensitive industries like banking, finance, and public services should set AA as a hard floor and consider adding a few AAA criteria at the most critical points.
- Products serving the majority, especially public services and finance.
- serving a specific user group that requires high support
- industry with legal constraints on accessibility
- Small internal products, not for public use (still should gradually progress to AA).
- targeting AAA for everything, many criteria cannot be applied
When building a design system, one of the most fundamental decisions is to choose the level of accessibility to achieve. If chosen incorrectly, you will either over-invest in criteria that no one requires or accumulate technical debt by missing minimum requirements. The short answer: for most industries, WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) 2.2 level AA is a reasonable target.
How do the three WCAG levels differ?
WCAG has three progressively stringent compliance levels: A, AA, and AAA. Level A is the minimum, meeting the most basic requirements but often insufficient for adequately serving users with special needs. Level AA strikes a balance between implementation costs and practical support, and this is also the level most international legal frameworks reference as a standard. Level AAA is very stringent, and not all criteria can be applied to every interface; W3C WAI recommends not setting AAA as a goal for the entire system.
You shouldn't set AAA as the goal for the entire system because not every criterion applies to all content.
W3C WAI, WCAG 2 Overview
Which industry needs what level
Set AA as a hard floor when digital products serve the masses and are open to the public: banking, finance, public services, education, e-commerce. This is the sector with the clearest legal risks and the most diverse user base, including the elderly, visually impaired, and physically disabled.
Consider adding AAA criteria at key points when serving specific groups that require high support, such as healthcare platforms, special education, or when you want to lead in accessibility within the industry. AAA is not needed across the board, only selectively at the most critical flows.
Only level A can be temporarily accepted for small internal products not serving the public. However, even in this case, Sinh Vũ still recommends a gradual progression towards AA, as team members may need support in accessing it.
Legal constraints: need to be checked directly.
Most international legal frameworks use level AA as a reference standard for digital accessibility. The specific WCAG version that each framework cites, such as EN 301 549 in Europe or Section 508 in the US, may differ and change over time. Therefore, if your product targets the international market or has foreign partners with binding requirements, you need to refer to the original text of that legal framework instead of relying on a general summary. Sinh Vũ does not provide legal advice but can help you understand the technical requirements to present to your legal department or review partners.
Common mistakes when setting goals
- Seeing accessibility as a final check at the end of the project, rather than integrating it from the token layer and component level, such as color contrast, minimum touch areas, and focus states.
- Targeting AAA for the entire system then getting bogged down due to many criteria that cannot be applied, resulting in achieving nothing.
- Ignore accessibility because no one has complained yet, while legal risks and reputation with disabled users are real and accumulate over time.
- Confusing "meeting AA level according to the checklist" with "actually easy to use for those needing support," these two do not automatically equate.
How Sinh Vũ incorporates approaches into the system
Sinh Vũ establishes WCAG 2.2 level AA as the foundation for the A3 design system, incorporating accessibility requirements right from the token and component layers: color contrast ratios, touch area sizes, and clear focus states. This approach ensures that all interfaces built from the system meet standards without needing to patch each screen after design completion. Accessibility then is not an additional cost but a default attribute of the system. For industries with higher requirements, Sinh Vũ will identify key points with clients to selectively add AAA criteria, rather than applying them uniformly.
Decision checklist
Topic: What level of WCAG compliance is necessary for your industry. Sinh Vũ guide, sinhvu.com
Select each item you find appropriate, then print or save as PDF to take with you.
If you have marked most of the signs above, this is the time to discuss in more detail. Sinh Vũ can help you review and propose a direction.
References
W3C WAI, WCAG 2 Overview; EN 301 549 and the European Accessibility Act (interpretation by Level Access); practical experience from Sinh Vũ through project A3.
Frequently asked questions
Does Vietnam have laws mandating WCAG yet?
Currently, Sinh Vũ has not seen any Vietnamese legal documents directly citing WCAG at the AA level like European or American frameworks. However, the risks to reputation and actual accessibility for users with disabilities are sufficient reasons to set AA as the baseline. If the product targets the international market or has foreign partners, the legal requirements there will be directly binding.
Once you achieve AA, should you worry about AAA?
It doesn't need to set AAA as the goal for the entire system because many AAA criteria cannot be applied to all types of content. A more reasonable approach is to first achieve a solid AA, then selectively choose some AAA criteria for the most critical flows, such as the payment screen or registration form, especially if your user base has a high proportion of elderly or disabled individuals.