The accessibility of an interactive artwork is not limited to adding captions or a label. The barrier may lie in the height of a control, an interaction that demands precision, a flash, a countdown, a sound without an alternative, or instructions that only appear after the error.
The aim is not to make every experience identical. It is to identify what must be perceived or done, offer equivalent ways of accessing it where possible, and document the limits when an adaptation would alter an essential property.
Describe the experience before correcting it
Note what a person does from the moment they approach until they finish: perceiving the prompt, understanding instructions, positioning themselves, activating controls, receiving feedback, correcting errors and exiting. Separate actual requirements from design habits.
Perceivable, operable, understandable and robust
WCAG 2.2, W3C Recommendation of 12 December 2024, organises web content accessibility into four principles: perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. It refers to web content on any type of device, including kiosks, and acknowledges that it does not cover all the needs of persons with disabilities. It is a useful technical reference for screens, kiosks and web-based artworks; it is not a general legal standard for any art installation.
Apply the relevant criteria to the interface: text alternatives, captions, contrast, keyboard access, focus, adjustable timing, pause, flash prevention, target size, labels, errors and compatibility with assistive technology. This list is an operational proposal of this guide, not a criterion-by-criterion conformity check against WCAG 2.2.
Alternatives to vision
- Identify images, states and controls via text or audio.
- Allow for zooming and contrast adjustment when the interface permits it.
- Do not use only colour, position or shape to convey an instruction.
- Offer a verbal or tactile description when compatible with the artwork.
- Maintain a clear path and controls reachable from different heights.
A description of the artwork does not always replace the experience, but it can give access to its structure, action and result.
Alternatives to sound
Caption speech and relevant sounds. Provide a transcript or visual representation when sound conveys changes, alerts or rhythm. If the sound is spatial or bodily, explain what information a simplified alternative would lose.
Do not confuse unreviewed automatic captions with a finished alternative.
Keyboard, focus and controls
Every function of a web interface or kiosk should be operable without a mouse where technically possible. Focus must be visible, follow a comprehensible order and never become trapped. Avoid complex gestures as the only route and offer an alternative to dragging, tilting, shaking or pressing and holding.
Touch targets need sufficient size and spacing. Add error tolerance and a way to return to the start without technical assistance.
Time, movement and flashes
Allow time to be extended, stopped or repeated when it is not an essential part of the artwork. Offer a pause for automatic movement and avoid dangerous flashes. If an unalterable timed sequence is constitutive, provide an access alternative and warn before it begins.
Do not use unexpected movement as the sole confirmation.
Cognitive accessibility
Provide brief instructions, visible before interacting and in the order of actions. Maintain consistent controls, explain state changes and avoid unnecessary memory load. To tell plain language, Easy Read and pictograms apart, consult the specific guide; for writing gallery text, see How to write an understandable label.
Royal Decree 707/2026 sets out basic conditions of cognitive accessibility within its scope and enters into force on 2 January 2027. It includes information, wayfinding and signage, stimulus control and the anticipation of environmental conditions. These obligations fall on the operators and environments covered by the regulation; the text does not impose a specific artistic interface on every artwork. For its effects on museums and cultural venues, see What Royal Decree 707/2026 requires of museums and cultural centres.
Sensory warnings
Before entry, give notice of darkness, volume, flashes, smoke, vibration, heat, movement, confinement, contact, cameras or the need for balance. The warning should allow people to decide, not alarm or diagnose. If the artwork uses cameras or microphones, see the guide on artworks that collect data from the public.
Provide a way to leave the experience without penalty and a discreet form of assistance.
Human assistance and equivalent alternative
Visitor support can widen access, but it must not be the only way of compensating for an avoidable interface. Define what staff may do without directing or completing the experience on the visitor’s behalf.
When an equivalent experience is not possible, offer documentation, a demonstration, a model, audio, video, a replica of the controls or an adapted session, and explain the difference.
Testing with users
Automated checks do not detect every barrier. Test with a keyboard, screen reader, magnification, different positions and speeds, and with people with diverse experiences. Pay participants and record changes, disagreements and limits.
The Smithsonian guidelines for accessible exhibition design are guidance, not a mandatory standard. They propose that accessible design form part of the development of the exhibition and that its tools be combined and tested in different combinations until workable solutions are found, rather than applying a single recipe.
Institutional website and artwork
Royal Decree 1112/2018 applies to public-sector websites and mobile applications within its scope. If an artwork is hosted on an institutional website, that publication may fall within the obligations of the website; the regulation does not declare that every physical or interactive artwork in a gallery is a website or application.
Distinguish between:
- accessibility of the institutional website;
- accessibility of the artwork’s interface;
- physical and cognitive accessibility of the cultural venue;
- alternatives and exhibition mediation.
Document limits and decisions
Add to the artwork’s technical sheet:
- essential sensory channels;
- required interactions;
- available alternatives;
- controls and input methods;
- timing and the possibility of pausing;
- sensory warnings;
- human assistance;
- testing carried out;
- unresolved barriers;
- authorised adaptations.
Do not call the artwork accessible without stating its scope, version and testing.
Checklist
- The interaction is described step-by-step.
- Information does not rely on a single sense.
- Screens and controls work with alternative methods.
- Focus, contrast, text, timing and movement have been reviewed.
- Sound, video and states have relevant alternatives.
- Sensory warnings are given in advance.
- Instructions are understandable and recoverable.
- Exit and assistance are available without penalty.
- Testing with users was carried out, not just with tools.
- The website, the cultural venue and the artwork are not conflated legally.
- Limits are documented, not hidden.
Further reading
- Easy Read, plain language, simple language and pictograms: what each one is.
- What Royal Decree 707/2026 requires of museums and cultural centres.
- How to write an understandable label.
- If your artwork collects data from the public.
- How to prepare a technical sheet for a digital or interactive artwork.
Sources
- W3C, WCAG 2.2. W3C Recommendation of 12 December 2024; it addresses web content on any device and does not cover every need.
- BOE, Royal Decree 1112/2018. Accessibility of public sector websites and mobile applications; Constitutional Court judgment 100/2019 affected some of its provisions.
- BOE, Royal Decree 707/2026. Published on 3 September 2026; enters into force on 2 January 2027.
- Smithsonian, Guidelines for Accessible Exhibition Design. The document does not display a date.
Status: Verified. Review: 11 October 2026. General information on accessibility practices; it is not a conformity assessment against any standard. If you find an error, write to me.