Design Elements

Recommended Design Elements

Accessibility is the practice of making your Canvas course usable by as many people as possible. Traditionally we think of this as being about students who need accommodations and/or scaffolds. The recommended design elements below also benefit students using mobile devices or slow network connections, save Canvas storage space, and support ALL students. 

When designing, building, and creating within your Canvas course consider implementing the following:

  • Label/title images (including gifs)
  • Use closed captioning for online videos
  • Use screen readers such as Microsoft Immersive Reader
  • Limit the amount of scrolling students need to do in order to view the content on a page and/or assessment. 
  • Embed content on pages and assignments if possible. This eliminates the need for students to leave Canvas. 
  • Use images that reflect real people and diversity.
  • Use high contrast text color and background color combinations. Some students may not be able to see certain colors. 
  • Use consistent and appropriate fonts, colors, and text sizes. 
  • Embed videos instead of uploading them to a Canvas page, assignment, etc. 

Training Resources