Designing well
Guidelines
How we make Orbit usable, accessible, and clear for every person on every product — the cross-cutting standards that apply beyond any single component. They hold whether the work is done by a person or drafted by an AI tool.
[01]
The standards
Three areas of guidance, each applying across the whole suite.
A11Y →
Accessibility
WCAG 2.1 AA as a baseline — contrast, keyboard, focus, ARIA — and guidance on going further.
UX →
UX Guidelines
The layer above component selection — composition and flow, state completeness, page-level accessibility, and content that fits the audience.
CW →
Content & writing
Voice, tone, UI text, and formatting standards for clear, accessible government communication.