It’s the little touches, an extra attention to detail, that can transform a good user experience into a truly inclusive user experience that meets the needs of users around the globe.
The design and coding instructions in this section can make your Windows app more inclusive by adding accessibility features, enabling globalization and localization, enabling users to customize their experience, and providing help when users need it.
Accessibility
Accessibility is about making your app usable by people who have limitations that prevent or impede the use of conventional user interfaces. For some situations, accessibility requirements are imposed by law. However, it's a good idea to address accessibility issues regardless of legal requirements so that your apps have the largest possible audience.
App settings let you the user customize your app, optimizing it for their individual needs and preferences. Providing the right settings and storing them properly can make a great user experience even better.
How to store and retrieve local, roaming, and temporary app data.
Globalization and localization
Windows is used worldwide by audiences that are diverse in terms of language, region, and culture. Your users speak a variety of different languages and in a variety of different countries and regions. Some users speak more than one language. So, your app runs on configurations that involve many permutations of language, region, and culture system settings. Increase the potential market for your app by designing it to be readily adaptable, using globalization and localization.
Sometimes it can be helpful to teach the user about functions in your app that might not be obvious to them, such as specific touch interactions. In these cases, you need to present instructions to the user through the UI so they can discover and use features they might have missed.
Most of the time, it's best for help to be displayed within the app, and to be displayed when the user chooses to view it. Consider the following guidelines when creating in-app help.
Most of the time, it's best for help to be displayed within the app, and to be displayed when the user chooses to view it. Consider the following guidelines when creating in-app help.
Collaborate with us on GitHub
The source for this content can be found on GitHub, where you can also create and review issues and pull requests. For more information, see our contributor guide.
Windows developer feedback
Windows developer is an open source project. Select a link to provide feedback:
Learn about foundational accessibility best practice principles that you can use to guide the development of games and platforms. Also learn how to use the Xbox Accessibility Guidelines, a free online resource for developers that provides a comprehensive list of best practices organized by specific game elements and features.