When it comes to designing for accessibility, most people will think of resizable screens, or speech recognition software. Indeed, in the UK, public sector websites must meet standard regulations and requirements to make reasonable adjustments for users with sight, hearing, or cognitive impairments, or motor difficulties.
However, for UX designers, accessibility also means avoiding assumptions about how people will use a digital product. It is estimated that around 15% of the global population is living with some form of disability, and yet many of these are the people who could benefit most from digital technology, whether to access healthcare, education, or employment.
Many older people have tried using mobile devices to access healthcare for the first time during the pandemic, for example, and technology in the sector has advanced rapidly over the past couple of years. To ensure equitable and equal access for all, it is crucial that designers put in place tools that work for everyone.
Ideally, accessibility features should be holistic to the entire design process, rather than regarded as cumbersome add-ons. They shouldn’t be viewed as a box-ticking exercise, a hobble to the designer’s creativity, or an obstacle to the optimal functioning of the app or site. UX design has to include everyone.
So what are the starting points? It’s important to get the basics in place, such as alt text for all informative images, to help those who use assistive technology. A strong contrast between the text and background is essential to ensure readability for the visually impaired. Relative font sizes help users to easily resize text.
Another important element that is sometimes ignored by designers is keyboard navigation support. Some people do not have good enough fine motor skills to use a mouse, but they can operate a keyboard. Therefore, all menus and links must be navigable with the tab key as well as a mouse click.
When inclusivity is prioritised from the ground up, it will lead to a digital product which can reach the widest possible audience.
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