What WCAG 2.2 Level AA Actually Means (And How We Built It Into Dynamic EMS)
WCAG gets mentioned on product pages but explained rarely. This article walks through what the standard is, how the three conformance levels work, what Level AA specifically requires, and how Dynamic EMS v2.2.2 was built against it.
Ben Higham-Smith
Director, Dynamic HR Limited
"Accessibility gets talked about a lot. The actual standard behind it gets explained rarely. If you have ever seen WCAG 2.2 AA compliant on a product page and wondered what that really means, this article is for you. If you are responsible for procuring or specifying software for a workforce that includes people who rely on assistive technology, it is for you too. We walk through what the standard is, how the conformance levels work, what Level AA specifically requires, and how Dynamic EMS v2.2.2 was built against it."
What WCAG actually is
WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, published by the World Wide Web Consortium, the international body that maintains the core technical standards of the web. Version 2.2 is the current recommendation, published in October 2023. It replaced 2.1 as the reference standard and adds nine new success criteria, most of them focused on mobile and cognitive accessibility. The guidelines apply to web content, but in practice they are the benchmark for native apps too. When we talk about WCAG compliance in the context of an iOS or Android application, we are applying the same principles to a different platform.
The three conformance levels
WCAG defines three levels of conformance: A, AA, and AAA. Level A is the floor. It covers the most basic accessibility requirements, including text alternatives for images and ensuring functionality is available from a keyboard. Meeting Level A alone is not enough to call a product accessible. Level AA is the middle tier, and it is the level that matters most. It is the level referenced by the Equality Act 2010, the European Accessibility Act, and Section 508 in the United States. When a regulator, a procurement framework, or an accessibility statement says a product must be accessible, they almost always mean Level AA. Level AAA is the highest level. The W3C itself notes that it is not possible to conform to AAA across all content types. Most organisations target AA and apply AAA criteria selectively where they can.
The four principles: POUR
Every WCAG success criterion is organised around four principles. Perceivable: users must be able to perceive the information being presented, covering text alternatives, captions, colour contrast, and adaptable content. Operable: users must be able to operate the interface without interactions they cannot perform, covering keyboard access, focus management, no time limits, and navigation mechanisms. Understandable: users must be able to understand the information and the operation of the interface, covering readable language, predictable behaviour, and error prevention. Robust: content must be reliable enough to be interpreted by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies. When a product fails an accessibility audit, the failure almost always maps back to one of these four principles.
What Level AA specifically requires
Level AA contains dozens of individual success criteria. The categories that most commonly affect workforce management software are: keyboard accessibility and focus management, where every interactive element must be reachable by keyboard and focus must move logically into and out of modals; screen reader compatibility, where form controls, buttons, and dynamic updates must be communicated through ARIA roles, states, and properties; colour contrast of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text; responsive layout that reflows without loss of function at 200% zoom; error identification in text with suggested corrections; and minimum touch target sizing of 24 by 24 CSS pixels, a new requirement introduced in WCAG 2.2.
What we built in Dynamic EMS v2.2.2
When we assessed Dynamic EMS against WCAG 2.2 AA, four areas needed work. Each change below maps to specific success criteria and to real barriers that employees relying on assistive technology would have encountered in the previous version.
Modal focus trapping
When an employee opens a shift-swap request, a leave application, or an asset form, a modal overlay appears on screen. Before this update, a screen reader user could tab past the modal boundary and into the background content behind it, making it impossible to complete the task without sighted assistance. We implemented focus trapping on every modal in the application. When a modal opens, keyboard focus moves to the first focusable element inside it. Tab and Shift+Tab cycle through the modal controls only. When the modal closes, focus returns to the button or link that opened it. This addresses WCAG 2.4.3 (Focus Order), 2.4.11 (Focus Not Obscured), and 2.1.2 (No Keyboard Trap), all at Level AA.
Screen reader optimisation through ARIA labels
We audited every dropdown, form field, and complex interactive component in the system. Many had visual labels that a sighted user could interpret but that assistive technology could not, because the underlying HTML did not expose the correct accessible name or role. We refreshed ARIA label attributes across all dropdowns and forms. Each control now has an accessible name that matches its visible label. Error validations are linked to their fields using aria-describedby so that when a field fails validation, the screen reader announces the error immediately. Complex components such as data tables and tabbed interfaces use proper ARIA roles so the assistive device understands the structure, not just the individual elements. This addresses WCAG 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships), 3.3.1 (Error Identification), 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value), and 4.1.3 (Status Messages).
Non-obstructive scrolling
On mobile terminals and tablets, Dynamic EMS uses sticky navigation headers that stay visible while the user scrolls. The problem was that when an employee tabbed through a long form, the sticky header could overlap the input field that currently had focus. The field was technically operable but visually hidden behind the header. We built custom scroll behaviour that detects when a focused element would be obscured by a sticky header and adjusts the scroll position automatically. The active input is always fully visible when it receives focus. This addresses WCAG 2.4.11 (Focus Not Obscured), a new success criterion introduced in WCAG 2.2 at Level AA.
WAI-ARIA navigation patterns
The Dynamic EMS dashboard uses tab panels and grid layouts for navigation. Previously these were built with standard HTML and CSS but without the ARIA attributes that tell assistive technology what is active, what is selected, and how sections relate to each other. We standardised all tab panels to follow the WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices. When a user selects a tab, aria-selected updates on the tab element and aria-hidden toggles on the panel. Dashboard grids expose grid, row, and gridcell roles so screen readers can navigate the structure cell by cell. This addresses WCAG 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) and 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
Why this matters for workforce management
Workforce management software is used by everyone in an organisation, not just office staff with desktop computers. It is used by warehouse employees on mobile terminals, by care workers on tablets, by employees with visual impairments, motor impairments, or cognitive differences who rely on assistive technology to do their job. If the software that manages someone's shifts, holiday requests, timesheets, and pay is not accessible, that person cannot work independently. They need help from a colleague or a manager to perform tasks that everyone else does alone. That is not a minor inconvenience. It is a barrier to equal participation in the workplace.
"WCAG 2.2 Level AA is not a perfect standard. It does not guarantee that a product is usable by every person in every situation. But it is the most widely recognised, legally referenced baseline we have. Meeting it means that the most common barriers have been removed. Dynamic EMS v2.2.2 meets WCAG 2.2 Level AA across the web application, the iOS app, and the Android app. The update is live today. The W3C provides a free checklist at w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag for assessing your current systems. If you want to see what an accessible workforce management system looks like in practice, book a demo."
Ben Higham-Smith
Director, Dynamic HR Limited
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