Exploration — Lecture 8.2

Introduction

In this Exploration, we will review the topic of accessibility, including the concepts of universal and inclusive design as well as examples of assistive technologies.

A sketch depicting accessibility stakeholders and related design goals and guidelines.

Accessibility | A Thought-Experiment

Often, the discussion of accessibility begins with a definition of what factors distinguish an 'able-bodied person' from a 'disabled-bodied person', and for now, let’s follow this erroneous, but traditional modus operandi and look at an example many of you can probably relate to — eyesight.

A pair of glasses is being held in front of a so-called eye chart.
Eye Exam

In brief, there are many different assessment scales to measure and categorize your vision and eyesight ability into:

  • Some of us enjoy perfect, above-average, visual acuity.
  • Most of us see just fine.
  • Other folks might have a mild or severe vision decline.
  • Sometimes, people lose their vision completely and become blind, as a result of an accident or an illness.
  • Some people are actually congenitally blind, which means they were born without vision and thus have never had any visual experience whatsoever.

With that rather crude framework in mind, UX designers and researchers, strive to design a world, including software, apps, and programs, which should be accessible for everybody. So where do we draw the line here? And who are we to decide what abilities are necessary to use our designs in the first place?

Accessibility | In Your Group Project

Think about your group project, specifically your prototype. Ask yourself the following questions:

  • How good or bad can the eyesight of a user be to use our app effectively?
  • Are colors important and critical to use the app?
  • Is the font size readable?
  • Can you scale it according to the user’s needs?
  • Could a user successfully navigate your app through auditory and haptic input and output, without looking at the screen?

Did you consider all of this in your design, or did you assume perfect eyesight?

  • If you thought of users with different eyesight, how did you accommodate their needs in your design?
  • If you didn’t think of your users with different eyesight, how could you accommodate their needs in your design?

Accessibility | On Your Own Device

Now, take 5 minutes of your time and try out the following:

  • Take out your mobile phone.
  • Turn on the accessibility mode of your phone, see the instructions below.
  • When you're ready, close your eyes and keep them closed.
  • Try to navigate from the home screen of your phone to your favorite news, social media, or streaming app and use your phone as you normally would.
    • For example, read the news, like a post, or watch a video clip. Keep your eyes closed.
  • How was that experience?
    • Did you succeed in your task?
    • Did you enjoy the experience?
    • Was the app or the phone designed for a person with no vision? What do you think?

Accessibility | Terminology

Instead of dividing people into different groups and abilities, let’s change our point of view.

We don’t assume people have perfect eyesight. Instead, we assume many people have different levels of eyesight, including some who have none at all. And we need to design for all of them. The ones with good vision, not so good vision, and even no vision. That is accessibility.

In Accessibility Studies, you will encounter many different terms and they might be confusing at first but are in fact quite easy to understand. Here is a shortlist for you of four different but important concepts you should know of:

Universal Design

Refers to design philosophy, epitomized in seven design principles, which prioritizes holistic accessibility of spaces, products, devices, or systems for anybody and everybody through socio-cultural transformation and/or policy frameworks such as laws and regulations.

  • Universal design can be considered deductive in nature, it is often applied as a top-down approach but might also be used to create a new design from scratch. A good example of universal design is a lecture hall, which provides access and accommodation to wheelchair users via ramps and larger doors.
  • Universal design follows seven, fundamental principles:
    • Principle 1: Equitable Use 
    • Principle 2: Flexibility in Use
    • Principle 3: Simple and Intuitive Use
    • Principle 4: Perceptible Information
    • Principle 5: Tolerance for Error
    • Principle 6: Low Physical Effort
    • Principle 7: Size and Space for Approach and Use

Inclusive Design

Inclusive Design can be considered an inductive design philosophy, which emphasizes the integration of — often neglected — diverse users through an expansion or reimagination of design features, requirements, affordances, and contexts of usage.

  • A good example of inclusive design would be the introduction of ambidextrous kitchen products, such as a potato peeler, cheese grater, or can opener which can be used with either hand. The design was created to include both user groups, in contrast to adaptation efforts, which are more prominent in universal design efforts.
  • Another example would be to reimagine an elevator control interface to allow shorter users, such as kids, to use it safely and effortlessly.

Accessibility

Accessibility is not a design philosophy or process, instead, it refers to an actual characteristic or feature of a product, system, or design, which can serve a diverse set of users and people.

  • The accessibility feature of your mobile phone at the beginning of this Exploration is by definition a characteristic of your device's operating system which provides accessibility and accommodation to users with different visual abilities.

Assistive Technologies

Assistive technologies' sole purpose is to give a product the characteristic of accessibility.

  • The screen reader feature of the operating system of your mobile phone allows a blind or vision-impaired user to use the device and can be considered a piece of assistive technology which is also part of the OS and provides accessibility.
  • Technically speaking, the braille system is fundamentally an assistive technology as well, providing access to literature and readings for people with vision loss.
  • An in-ear hearing aid is an assistive device and technology as well. It provides people with hearing loss the ability to enjoy music and follow a conversation.

Accessibility | Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

Accessibility is an important subject in UX research and design. While maybe not the most exciting topic, there is tremendous work to be done in the field, as evidenced by multiple governments and corporate efforts to make designs, products, user interfaces, apps, and software more accessible for all. There are legal requirements for social, professional, and public spaces, among those the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which aims to create an equitable and accessible space for everybody.

With regards to web design, the most relevant and concrete accessibility standard in the world is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Check out the WCAG quick reference guide Links to an external site. and note the focus of the design recommendation for three key areas:

  • Perception
  • Operation
  • Comprehension

If all websites were designed according to the WCAG standards, they would not only have a high degree of usability but accessibility as well.

Other, manufacturer-specific guidelines you might want to consider if you design an app for the relevant system or platform are listed below:

Accessibility | Concluding Remarks

Did you try out to use your phone in accessibility mode? If you did, you surely have a better understanding of what accessibility is all about. Remember, accessibility is about designing for everybody, not just your primary users.

An elderly man with a joyful expression uses an iPhone.
A happy user.

Considering accessibility in your design will save you lots of work down the line because there will be a point in time where you will be forced to adapt your interface, app, or system to become WCAG-compliant.

If you design your system with accessibility in mind, it can make it more attractive to a user base that was previously out of your reach and scope, and that can go a long way. Accessibility is important, so consider it where you can.