The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation on October 5, 2023 and are now the de facto reference in most procurement contracts and legal complaints. They add nine new success criteria on top of WCAG 2.1 — every one of them backward compatible, but several with real design implications.
Focus Appearance (2.4.11 & 2.4.13)
Focus indicators must now be genuinely visible: at least a 2 CSS-pixel outline with a 3:1 contrast ratio against the adjacent color. The subtle 1px gray ring shipped by many design systems no longer passes.
If your team removed browser default focus rings for aesthetic reasons, this is the criterion that will trip you up first in an audit.
Dragging Movements (2.5.7)
Any interaction that relies on dragging — sliders, kanban cards, map panning, signature pads — must have a single-pointer alternative such as tap-to-move or increment buttons. This affects a surprising number of SaaS dashboards.
Target Size Minimum (2.5.8)
Interactive targets must be at least 24×24 CSS pixels, with limited exceptions for inline links and user-agent controls. Dense toolbars and mobile icon rows are the usual failure points.
Accessible Authentication (3.3.8 & 3.3.9)
Users must not be required to solve a cognitive puzzle — remembering a password, transcribing a code from an image, identifying objects in a CAPTCHA — to log in. Password managers must be allowed to autofill, and passkeys or magic links satisfy the criterion cleanly.
What to do this quarter
Audit your focus styles across every interactive component. Inventory drag-only interactions and add pointer alternatives. Measure tap targets on mobile. And confirm your login flow works with a password manager and doesn't ship an image CAPTCHA. None of this requires a redesign — but all of it requires intent.
Not sure where your site stands? Get a free WCAG 2.2 audit and we'll show you exactly which criteria you're missing.