In today’s digital landscape, building applications that are accessible to everyone—including people with disabilities—is not only a best practice but often a regulatory requirement. SAPUI5, SAP’s frontend development framework, supports accessibility (a11y) out of the box, enabling developers to create inclusive applications that meet enterprise and legal standards.
This article explores the key Accessibility Considerations in UI5 Development to help SAP developers deliver applications that everyone can use effectively.
Accessibility means designing and developing applications so that people with disabilities—such as visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive impairments—can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the application effectively.
In SAPUI5, accessibility involves leveraging semantic markup, keyboard navigation, screen reader support, and ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes to create usable applications for all users.
SAPUI5 controls are designed with proper ARIA roles and properties. This enables assistive technologies (screen readers, Braille displays) to interpret UI elements correctly.
Example:
role="button"aria-required, aria-labelSAPUI5 ensures full keyboard operability. Users can navigate forms, tables, dialogs, and menus without a mouse by using standard keys such as Tab, Shift+Tab, Arrow keys, and Enter.
The framework provides meaningful labels and live region updates, helping screen reader users receive relevant feedback as they interact with the app.
UI5 supports themes that comply with high contrast settings, improving visibility for users with low vision.
Prefer semantic UI5 controls (e.g., sap.m.Button, sap.m.Input, sap.m.Table) as they come with built-in accessibility support.
For icons or images, use alt text or aria-label to describe their purpose.
new sap.m.Button({
icon: "sap-icon://search",
tooltip: "Search",
ariaLabelledBy: "searchButtonLabel"
});
Make sure that tabbing through interactive elements follows a logical order matching visual layout.
When dialogs or popovers open, set focus programmatically to the first interactive element to help keyboard users.
oDialog.attachAfterOpen(function () {
oDialog.getFocusDomRef().focus();
});
Regularly test your app with screen readers (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver) and keyboard-only navigation to validate accessibility.
Refer to SAP’s official accessibility documentation and guidelines for UI5 to ensure compliance.
| Challenge | Solution |
|---|---|
| Missing labels on controls | Use aria-label or label aggregation |
| Complex data tables | Use semantic markup with aria-describedby |
| Dynamic content updates | Use ARIA live regions for notifications |
| Non-keyboard accessible UI | Ensure all interactions are keyboard operable |
Accessibility is a vital aspect of SAPUI5 development, ensuring applications are usable by all people, including those with disabilities. By leveraging SAPUI5’s built-in accessibility features, adhering to best practices, and continuously testing, developers can create inclusive, compliant, and high-quality enterprise applications.
Inclusive design not only meets legal obligations but also enhances the user experience for everyone—making it a win-win approach in the SAP ecosystem.