Why Our Designs Need To Be Inclusive In A Digital World
I. Passion found me.
When I learned how to design for a better overall human-centered experience, I became more aware of the barriers and challenges people face when interacting with various products. Over time, I noticed my visual impairments and began focusing on creating more accessible products across the board. It proved that designing with everyone in mind coincidentally makes an attractive product for all to use.
II. Let's get familiar, shall we?
We need to identify a few words when designing for all: accessibility, usability, & inclusion. While some people use them interchangeably, they each have a specific focus.
Accessibility - addresses discriminatory aspects related to equivalent user experience for people with disabilities (this includes web or tech accessibility).
Usability - is about designing products to be effective, efficient, and satisfying (this includes user experience design).
Inclusion - is about diversity and ensuring the involvement of everyone to the greatest extent possible. In some regions, universal design and design for all is the alternative name.
Additionally, we should be aware of the five accessible categories: cognition, vision, hearing, motor, and speech.
III. Breaking down the law.
The law is very clear about accessibility in physical spaces; however, as we transition more into virtual and technical areas, we will continue to see the regulations amended.
The Rehabilitation Act (Rehab Act) of 1973
Section 508 is a federal law that requires agencies to provide individuals with disabilities equal access to electronic information and data comparable to those who do not have disabilities unless imposed on the agency is an undue burden.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
Title III of ADA prohibits discrimination "on the basis of disability in the activities of public accommodations." While the law primarily focused on obstacles at physical locations, it's being applied to websites and digital services as well.
Secret* tip: If a website is inaccessible to those with disabilities, the business could be required to redesign the website, incur monetary damages, and pay attorneys' fees.
*Very public information.
IV. Who sued the queen?
In January 2019, Beyoncé Knowles' company, Parkwood Entertainment, became the defendant in a class-action lawsuit alleging that it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The suit, filed by a blind woman from New York, claimed that its website did not provide accommodation for people with significant vision impairments. This leaves an estimated 2 million blind or visually impaired people unable to access the primary news portal for all things Bey.
(Ref: Fortune)
V. This is what we can do.
As the world grows more technical, we must adjust our products to include everyone in the design thinking process. A few things to note when going to the drawing board.
Perceivable - all users, including those with impaired vision, should be able to see and read your products (e.g. alt text, closed caption, and screen readers).
Operable - allow responsive and easy to navigate for all users across multiple platforms and devices (e.g. include keyboard navigation, table of contents, reduce auto redirect pages).
Understandable – organize products in a way that's easy to use and use language that most customers can understand (multi-language, glossaries, clear requirements, status, and errors messages).
Robust - integrate with tools (assistive technology or AT) that are used by users with disabilities (e.g. support plug-ins and accessibility add-ons).
VII. Feed your soul
The learning doesn’t have to end here. Some of my favorite books covering this topic:
Don't Make Me Think – Steve Krug
Inclusive Design for a Digital World – Reginé Gilbert
Design of Everyday Things – Don Norman
