Announcing FigJam screen reader support | Figma Blog

FigJam now supports screen readers and keyboard-only navigation, enabling users to read and create much of a file’s content. The release focuses on making canvas-based collaboration more inclusive while acknowledging that some features remain inaccessible. Figma’s approach relied heavily on user testing, careful iteration, and reusable accessibility patterns.

What the Update Enables

• Users can move focus around the FigJam canvas and through menus and screens.
• Screen readers can interpret:
  • File structure and canvas hierarchy
  • Shapes containing text
  • Stickies and tables
  • Image alt text
• Users can create, edit, and read content without relying on a mouse.

Expanding Accessibility to Collaborative Work

• FigJam was prioritized because it brings entire teams together for brainstorming, alignment, and decision-making.
• Its relatively surface-level interface provided an opportunity to address accessibility before tackling Figma Design’s more complex menu and interaction structure.
• The goal is to make collaboration inclusive for as many team members as possible.

Designing Without Established Canvas Patterns

• Unlike conventional websites and widgets, canvas-based tools have relatively few established ARIA patterns or accessibility best practices.
• Figma first had to determine which capabilities were essential for effectively using FigJam with assistive technology.
• The team worked with Fable and users of assistive technologies to test designs and gather feedback.
• User journeys helped define a practical set of core features for the initial release.

Learning Across Keyboard and Screen Reader Setups

• Different screen readers, settings, and keyboard layouts create thousands of possible interaction combinations.
• Beta interviews revealed new usage patterns and accessibility issues that informed the product.
• Improvements also benefited Figma’s broader codebase, including reusable ARIA labels and tags for React components.
• Remaining unsupported features include cursor chat, stamp adjustments, voting, the emote wheel, widgets, and editing freeform vector elements such as lines, highlights, washi tape, and marker drawings.

Figma’s release is a meaningful foundation for accessible FigJam collaboration, but users should expect continued gaps as the team expands support to more interactive and multiplayer features.