Reference case study · Frontend and design-system engineering
Accessibility as a component contract
A native-first React component package where keyboard behavior, focus, reduced motion, RTL layout, packaging, and bundle size are tested API guarantees.
Problem
Reusable UI components can spread inaccessible behavior faster than application-specific code. A polished screenshot does not prove keyboard navigation, focus restoration, right-to-left layout, reduced-motion behavior, or compatibility for package consumers.
Constraints
- Native HTML behavior should be preserved whenever possible.
- Components must remain usable with keyboards, zoom, and reduced motion.
- The distributed package must work outside its own repository.
- Documentation and examples must stay synchronized with the public API.
Design
React and TypeScript expose a small set of composable components backed by design tokens and semantic HTML. State ownership remains explicit; focus movement occurs only where the interaction pattern requires it. CSS logical properties support bidirectional layouts, and animation tokens collapse under reduced-motion preferences.
Storybook explains behavior, states, and usage, while the library build publishes declarations and a framework-independent stylesheet.
Verification
Component tests cover behavior and controlled state. Playwright and axe exercise keyboard flows, focus, RTL, motion preferences, and desktop/mobile layouts. A clean consumer installs the packed artifact, and deterministic budgets reject unexpectedly large bundles.
Measured result
The release produces a consumable package, typed declarations, Storybook documentation, browser evidence, and machine-readable bundle measurements from the same source commit.
Limitations
Automated accessibility checks cannot replace testing with assistive-technology users. The component set is intentionally small and does not claim to cover every product interaction or design language.