Liberogic is committed to continuously improving web accessibility. We have published an article titled "English, Katakana, and Accessibility" on Zenn, a technical knowledge-sharing platform, discussing alphabetic label voice control and WCAG 2.5.3 "Label in Name."
In this article, we introduce the motivation behind writing it and the insights that emerged.
The trigger: "PAGE TOP" commonly seen on Japanese websites.
Japanese websites frequently feature decorative alphabetic labels like "PAGE TOP" and "News". Among Japanese speakers, such labels communicate without any issues.
However, something interesting happens when these labels are used with voice control. If you set the accessible name to "PAGE TOP" according to WCAG 2.5.3 standards, the system no longer responds even when a Japanese speaker says "ページトップ".
Curious about this phenomenon—where meeting standards contradicts actual voice usability—we examined the behavior using Mac's voice control to clarify the reasons and solutions.
Meeting standards and actual usability are not always the same.
This article conveys that meeting accessibility criteria does not always align with how users can actually interact with a system.
We explore how Japanese writing conventions intersect with and diverge from accessibility standards—the "misalignment" that becomes apparent when diving deep into a single criterion.
The article is available here.
English, Katakana, and Accessibility (Zenn)
* Note: This article may contain interpretations based on our practical experience that go beyond standard guidelines. Additionally, voice control behavior has been verified on macOS and may differ in other environments. We recommend reviewing this content alongside the WCAG guidelines.
Conclusion
We believe accessibility is not about completing a checklist—it's about continuing to ask whether the result is truly usable.
Exploring these small friction points between standards and real-world practice deepens our understanding of what accessibility truly means.
Liberogic remains committed to building inclusive websites and services for everyone. We will continue to share knowledge and apply these practices in our work. If you need support with accessibility compliance, please feel free to contact us.
A "master of technique" who jumped from DTP into the web world and, before he knew it, mastered markup, frontend, direction, and accessibility. Active across multiple domains since Liberogic's early days, he's now a walking encyclopedia within the company. Recently, he's been diving deep into prompt-driven efficiency optimization, wondering "Can we rely more on AI for accessibility compliance?" Both his technology and thinking continue to evolve.
Futa
IAAP Certified Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS) / Markup Engineer / Frontend Engineer / Web Director