Visa Product Design System
A single source of truth for building accessible experiences at scale
Context
Building a shared foundation for accessible design at Visa.
Visa Product Design Systems (VPDS) is a comprehensive resource that enables teams to create accessible experiences for everyone, everywhere. By standardizing components, patterns, and guidance, VPDS helps product teams across Visa deliver consistency and accessibility at scale. Our focus wasn't just on checking for compliance, but more about making accessibility guidance discoverable, usable, and truly embedded in how Visa designs .
Why did VPDS decide to go public in 2025?
Since its creation in 2018, the VPDS has evolved through multiple iterations to support a growing ecosystem of products and teams. In April 2025, the design system team took a major step forward by making VPDS publicly available.
The decision was driven by a desire to promote transparency and strengthen internal accountability, while also supporting external partners who build on Visa's products. By sharing accessibility standards and best practices openly, Visa aims to foster greater alignment across the industry and set a higher bar for inclusive digital design.
Accessibility Design Researcher
Accessibility, Design System, Engineering
Jan 2025 - Aug 2025 (7 months)
Automated testing tools, manual testing, Fable, Figma
The Challenge
Bridging the gap between technical accessibility and practical usability for an inclusive VPDS experience.
As the VPDS prepared for its public launch, our accessibility team was responsible for ensuring that the site was not only compliant with accessibility standards, but also accessible for everyone.
The core challenge was bridging the gap between technical accessibility and practical usability to make sure the VPDS not only complied with accessibility guidelines, but also reflected Visa's commitment to inclusive design in real-world use.
My Contribution
Pre-launch: Accessibility Auditing
Conducted accessibility audit across ~130 webpages within a month using automated tools and manual testing. Documented and prioritized issues by impact. Partnered with engineers to ensure fixes were implemented before launch.
Tools:
Visa Bullseye + Jira
Accessibility Insights, ANDI , VoiceOver
Manual checks
Post-launch: Usability Testing
Conducted usability research sessions with 10 external participants with disabilities to understand how users navigated the site, discovered components, and used accessibility documentation in real-world contexts.
Assistive technologies:
Screen reader (n=6)
Screen magnification (n=2)
Alternative navigation (n=2)
Impact
Improving accessibility across the system and the organization.
Identified and resolved 50+ accessibility issues across ~130 webpages on VPDS prior to launch.
Enhanced discoverability of accessibility guidance through improved navigation and clearer documentation structure.
Established an accessibility QA framework adopted by the Design System team for future releases.
Sparked ongoing collaboration between accessibility, design, and engineering teams to maintain accessibility as a shared responsibility.
Since the public launch in April 2025, VPDS has grown to over 32,000 active users, reflecting strong adoption and trust across teams.
Key Learnings
Testing with assistive technology users reveals what tools can't:
Automated audits surface technical issues, but real people uncover usability gaps that no scanner can. Observing users navigate and interpret documentation provided insights that fundamentally reshaped how we write and structure content.
Integrating accessibility into processes drives long-term impact:
Embedding accessibility checks and research into the design system process turns accessibility from a one-time effort into a sustainable practice. By establishing a repeatable QA framework, we made accessibility part of the system's ongoing evolution.
Collaboration drives better accessibility outcomes:
Working closely with design, engineering, and content teams created shared understanding and ownership. Accessibility became not just one person / team's responsibility, but a team-wide mindset and that shift is what truly scales impact.