Building a sustainable and accessible component library

In the realm of front-end web development, creating accessible and user-friendly interfaces is crucial. As developers we constantly seek tools and frameworks that streamline the development process while maintaining a focus on making sites as accessible as possible, this is especially important within our work as our primary client base is often the medical sector.

One of the primary advantages of using a component library is the ability to maintain consistent design patterns across a website or application. As a team, we commonly rely on the CSS framework Tailwind CSS. It's a utility-first CSS framework that helps guarantee a consistent and cohesive appearance across our projects. Tailwind CSS excels in creating responsive designs with its utility classes. This is especially beneficial for accessibility, as responsive design plays a significant role in providing a positive user experience for people with varying abilities and devices. Component libraries built with Tailwind and in our case Next.js make it easier to implement responsive design practices, ensuring that your application adapts gracefully to different screen sizes and can easily be navigated with screen readers and narrators.

Consistent Design Patterns and Responsiveness 

Tailwind CSS, in tandem with Next.js, streamlines the integration of accessibility features in web development. Leveraging semantic HTML and Next.js's inherent support for and features like [Route Announcements](https://nextjs.org/docs/architecture/accessibility#route-announcements) and [linting](https://nextjs.org/docs/architecture/accessibility#linting) to help catch accessibility issues, alongside Tailwind's built-in [focus-visible variants](https://tailwindcss.com/docs/hover-focus-and-other-states#focus-visible), [accessibility focused classes](https://tailwindcss.com/docs/screen-readers) and [color adjustment options](https://tailwindcss.com/docs/forced-color-adjust) that helps address accessibility concerns related to styling and page layout and ensure that only the required content is exposed to accessibility equipment. 

Built-in Accessibility Features

Building a component library saves a lot of time in development. With Tailwind's utility-first approach and a JavaScript library, there's no need to write custom CSS, making prototyping and implementation quicker which inevitably is a benefit to the client from a financial and release schedule point of view. Reusing and tweaking components is crucial to maintaining consistent design and functionality. This becomes particularly beneficial for accessibility, ensuring that users with disabilities can rely on familiar patterns and behaviors within the application. Additionally, changes made at a component level have a cascading effect throughout the entire application. This holistic approach enables seamless iterations and improvements to buttons, text sections, images, and icons, contributing to an overall enhanced user experience.

Reduced Development Time and Improved Consistency

Component libraries offer numerous accessibility benefits, from consistent design patterns to built-in focus styles and customization options. By leveraging new techology, we as developers can create accessible and inclusive web applications efficiently, contributing to a positive user experience for individuals with diverse abilities. As the importance of accessibility in web development continues to grow, the combination of Tailwind CSS and component libraries emerges as a powerful solution for creating robust, user-friendly, and inclusive interfaces.

Final thoughts

A national trade organisation that promotes the best of UK healthcare expertise to offer international clients integrated solutions from its membership.

Digit has recently become a member of UKIHMA

The United Kingdom International Healthcare Management Association (UKIHMA) is a not for profit, volunteer led organisation, run for the benefit of its private and public (NHS and academic) sector members. “Joining UKIHMA gives us the opportunity to work collaboratively with some of the UK’s most talented and capable experts in digital healthcare” says Digit’s founder, Ben Ferns. “Together, the members of UKIHMA present an integrated and compelling proposition to further the advancement of the UK’s healthcare expertise. Digit will join UKIHMA’s Digital & Data special interest group to bring our healthtech and medical learning expertise to the UKIHMA table.”

“Our membership covers and convenes, the full spectrum of expertise, knowledge and experience from the UK health sector” explains UKIHMA Co-Chair, Andy Ward.  “Our membership delivers the skills needed to plan, design, build, manage and improve efficiency in hospitals and primary care facilities – and members are working together in the GCC, Africa, Europe and back here in the UK. We are delighted to have Digit join the UKIHMA family and look forward to adding their expertise to our compelling portfolio.”

For more information on UKIHMA, please visit [https://www.ukihma.co.uk/](https://www.ukihma.co.uk/)

UKIHMA

Digit joins UKIHMA

We polled our clients and staff to define what it’s like to work with Digit.

**The result is our client promise:**

Work with Digit and we become a team, together.

### 1. Your ROI is our business.
 Our work creates value and impact. Our job is to make your budget work its hardest.

### 2. Creativity. Ideas. Answers to your challenges.
That’s all we focus on. Forget the box.

### 3. The work is yours.
Let’s be clear - the work we do for you, belongs to you.

### 4. We know what we do, and we do it well.
We’re crystal clear about our what we do well and what we don’t cover.

### 5. Our team is our value.
Strong and long relationships produce the greatest work. We will grow together.

### 6. We help you see round corners.
Our expertise, imagination and experience will give you the answers before issues become problems.

### 7. Process delivers reliability.
Sometimes overlooked (but not by us), these qualities are the building blocks of delivery. You can depend on us.

### 8. Common sense comes as standard.
When we think it, we’ll say it. If something isn’t right, we’re the kind of agency to speak up, not lay down.

### 9. We get it right first time, almost every time.
Sometimes the unexpected happens - that’s when you need an agency that’s tenacious, adaptive and won’t give up.

### 10. On time & in full.
Our execution-led approach to delivery helps us hit deadlines and stick to the budget. We deliver on our promises.

Our Client Promise

No one creates social value in a vacuum. Unlocking social value is a process of co-creation between society, stakeholders, and company.

We can create social value by considering the economic, environmental, and social aspects of our impact as well as how to increase well-being and development. These are the beliefs and behaviours that we apply every day to make sure we are creating social value in our work wherever we can. We see it in terms of **PEOPLE, PLANET and PARTNERS**.

## _**Be sustainable.**_

**Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.** We are actively planning to achieve net zero in 2030. We're reducing consumption, reducing waste and electricity usage, and trying to reduce the carbon usage of our internet footprint.

## _**Be local.**_

We will source and buy from local independent businesses/suppliers wherever we can. We try to avoid using companies who don't pay UK or EU tax. We get involved in local environmental initiatives and actively care for the rich diversity of natural beauty in our area.

Planet

## _**Trust the next generation.**_

We are committed to giving youth a chance. We partner with local youth organisations and educational providers to create a synergy for developing young people into our industry and/or supporting their causes in our work where we can. We support in-work progression, educational and vocational achievement for our team members.

## _**Engage, diversify and develop.**_

We are committed to making sure we consider marginalised groups such as the digitally disenfranchised and those experiencing economic inequality in our work. We take pride in ensuring that our team are recruited, developed, and supported being mindful of diversity, accessibility, and well-being as we feel this produces our best work.

People

## **_Do work that does good._**

We work with clients whose purpose and values are similar to ours. Our clients are improving digital health or delivering purpose-led impact, either locally nationally or globally.

## **_Give back to the community._**

Whilst we are profitable, we actively get involved with local charitable causes and others that are important to our people, our clients, and our suppliers including not-for-profit. Our support might be financial, active involvement or pro bono work.

Partners

Social Value Manifesto

Harnessing the influence of colour psychology in design

Whether it's a website or a brand identity, the colours we choose play a significant role in shaping perceptions, provoking emotions and influencing user behaviour. This is where colour psychology comes into play. By understanding the impact of different colours on human psychology, designers can create websites and brands that effectively communicate their intended message and resonate with their target audience.

In this article, we uncover how colour psychology plays a huge role in designing websites and brands, and why we use it in our creative process at Digit.

In today's visually driven digital world, the importance of aesthetics cannot be overstated.

Colour is one of the most powerful tools in a brand's toolbox. Studies show that up to 85% of customers base purchasing decisions on colour alone. Leveraging the psychology of colour in your branding is crucial for shaping customer perceptions and driving desired behaviours.

Colour elicits an emotional response. Our brains process colour before other visual details, triggering feelings that impact our actions. Red conjures passion, love, intensity or danger. Blue evokes calm, trust, or melancholy. While reactions vary slightly based on gender, culture, and past experiences, broad patterns exist.

For example the NHS or Paypal. What values do you associate with these brands? By strategically incorporating colours that align with the intended emotional response, designers can create a visually appealing and emotionally engaging experience for website visitors or brand consumers to help drive results.

The emotional influence of colours

Colours are a crucial element in building brand identity. They have the power to convey a brand's personality and values, as well as helping to differentiate from competitors. For instance, vibrant and energetic colours like red or yellow may be suitable for a youth-oriented brand, while muted and sophisticated colours like black, grey, purple or navy blue can communicate professionalism and luxury. Consistency in colour usage across various brand touchpoints “ websites, logos, and marketing materials“ helps establish brand recognition and reinforce the brand image.

We recently worked on a new brand, app and website for [Quartz Aero](https://quartz.aero/), the next generation of private air travel. Quartz needed to stand out with a bold brand that represented a quality product, so we created a monochrome palette injected with vibrant gradient colours, along with clever use of white space to draw the eye.

Building brand identity

Colours can significantly impact the user's experience of a website. By employing colours strategically, designers can guide users through the website and highlight important elements. For example, using contrasting colours for call-to-action buttons can draw attention and encourage user interaction.

A website's buttons make first impressions on users and guide them to key actions through strategic use of colour psychology - bright oranges grab attention for urgent "Buy Now" buttons while trusted blues like dark blue are ideal for "Confirm Purchase", green soothes users to welcome newsletter signups but should be avoided for financial transactions, creative brands play with energetic purples and feminine pinks but should avoid cliches, and subtle shade variations set different tones from soft and gentle pale hues to vivid, saturated colours that convey urgency and excitement, so thoughtful colour choices that reflect a brand's identity and steer users can significantly impact clicks and conversions through this simple but powerful design element. Take a look at the website we created for our long-standing client [Clarity Environmental](https://digit.agency/work/clarity-environmental-website) to see how an intelligent colour palette can bring a brand's values to life, and play a vital part in the user's journey throughout the site.

Enhancing user experience and navigation

Colour psychology crucially intersects with accessibility and inclusivity considerations. Certain colour combinations may be challenging for individuals with visual impairments or colour blindness. Designers must choose colour palettes that offer sufficient contrast and legibility, allowing all users to access and engage with the content comfortably. Designing in this way will also ensure the website benefits from a Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) point of view. Google is very clear about accessibility playing a part in rankings and so, the easier your website is for all users to navigate and use, the higher it will rank in search results. A great example of an accessible website is our client [Brighton and Hove Albion Foundation](https://digit.agency/work/brighton-hove-albion-foundation). We created clearly colour defined copy areas and elements to ensure the text is easy to read and the calls to action are clear.

In the world of web design and branding, colour psychology plays a pivotal role in capturing attention, evoking emotions and shaping perceptions. By understanding the psychological impact of different colours, designers can create visually appealing websites and brands that effectively communicate messages, build strong brand identities and ultimately do better business.

If you want to know more about how colour theory can get you results, [contact us today](https://digit.agency/contact).

Building a sustainable and accessible component library

Our thinking

Digit joins UKIHMA

Our Client Promise

Social Value Manifesto

Harnessing the influence of colour psychology in design

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Building a sustainable and accessible component library

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Digit joins UKIHMA

Our Client Promise

Social Value Manifesto

Harnessing the influence of colour psychology in design

Tell us a bit about your challenge or need, we can make magic together!

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