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This page contains information on creating accessible Power BI reports and dashboards, and can be more broadly applied to other data visualisation and reporting tools as required.
Microsoft has published guidance on accessibility in Power BI; the overview page linked here also links to more specific guidance on creating reports with accessibility in mind, creating reports as an assistive technology user, and consuming reports as an assistive technology user.
Microsoft has also published the full list of keyboard shortcuts available for use in Power BI Desktop. While viewing a Power BI report or dashboard online, the list of available keyboard shortcuts can be accessed by pressing (Shift+?).
We have not yet published an accessibility statement for Power BI, so please refer to the Microsoft conformance reports for more details about its known inbuilt limitations in the meantime.
Please also see the UCL Power BI Best Practices Guide for more information on creating, managing, and maintaining Power BI reports in Pro workspaces, and the UCL brand templates for PowerPoint presentations (guidance slide 2) for an accessible colour palette for data visualisation.
Creating accessible reports and dashboards
Please see Microsoft’s guidance on designing accessible Power BI reports and dashboards for more detailed information on each point listed below.
Our main recommendations are:
Initially set an accessible theme with high-contrast colour pairings
Add short, clear alt text to every item created for the report or dashboard that adds to the story being told by the data, but do not add any for decorative items or images
Once ready for publishing, check the tab order of all items to match the expected visual experience, and remove any decorative items or images from the tab order
Include a link to Microsoft’s guidance on using Power BI with assistive technology when publishing the report or dashboard, along with a contact address for requesting alternative formats
Adhering to best practices for data visualisations (e.g. using labels and markers) will also improve accessibility by design.
Colour
Contrast is especially important to ensure all users can visualise data. Contrast must be high, both between adjacent lines or blocks of colour and between each line or block and the report background.
All text should have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against the background. This includes titles, labels, and legends.
Graphics should have a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 against both any adjacent colours (e.g. bars on a bar graph, segments of a pie chart) and the background.
Please also note that colour must not be the only way to convey information, and should also be augmented by the use of markers and/or labels, as well as clear titles and alternative text descriptions. Please see our guidance on visuals and use of colour for more information.
UCL brand templates for PowerPoint presentations now include an accessible colour palette and recommended sequence for data visualisation (see guidance slide 2). Please use either this colour palette or Power BI’s “Accessible Default” theme for visuals in all Power BI reports and dashboards.
Alt text
Each item on a report or dashboard should have an alternative text description (“alt text”), which gives context for what should be understood from the item or visual. This ensures that screen readers will read the alt text without users needing to enter the item to learn what it contains. Note that it is possible to provide conditional formatting for alt text in Power BI to account for dynamic data changes.
This advice also applies to any static images included in the report or dashboard, provided that they add important context. If they do not add important context, they should be marked as decorative by removing them from the tab order.
Please provide alt text for all items on a report or dashboard, using Microsoft’s guidance on adding alt text to visuals in Power BI. Please also see our guidance on visuals and use of colour for more information on alt text.
Tab order
The order of items focused by the keyboard when navigating using the Tab key is important. The tab order should be the same as the visual experience you would expect users to have when viewing the report or dashboard. This order would generally be from top to bottom and from left to right, with adjustments made as needed for e.g. large, central graphs.
Decorative items and images, which do not provide additional context to the report or dashboard, should be removed from the tab order completely.
Please ensure the tab order matches the expected visual processing order, using Microsoft’s guidance on setting the tab order in Power BI.
Titles and labels
Titles of all items should be clear and full descriptions, avoiding acronyms and other shorthand.
Labels should be clearly distinguishable, and should not overlap with other labels or visual elements like lines in a graph.
Please ensure titles and labels are as clear as possible, using Microsoft’s guidance on accessible usage of titles and labels in Power BI.
Markers
We recommend using markers in addition to colour as a way of distinguishing lines from each other, where the shapes are different for each line. This ensures that users with colour vision deficiencies can still clearly understand the data being conveyed.
Please ensure markers are enabled for all multi-line visuals, using Microsoft’s guidance on using markers for accessibility in Power BI.
Checklist
Please see Microsoft’s checklist of accessibility considerations for Power BI reports and dashboards to ensure all applicable suggestions have been followed.
Please also consider providing a contact email address for anyone having trouble accessing the data directly to have an alternative format provided to them, and include both the links to Microsoft guidance and this email address in any communications sent out about the report or dashboard.
If you need support with the accessibility of your Power BI report or dashboard, please contact the Digital Accessibility team and we would be happy to help you.