Design Dialogue

Accessibility &  Design

In this piece, I will delve into the five pillars of design accessibility - visual, hearing, speech, cognitive, and motor-skill. We must weave these elements into our designs to ensure they cater to all users, no matter their abilities or limitations. From creating an interface that's visually accommodating for 2.2 billion individuals with vision impairment worldwide to considering the unique needs of the hard-of-hearing community or supporting those with speech, cognitive, or motor-skill challenges, each aspect plays a crucial role in fostering an equitable digital world. By placing accessibility at the heart of our design strategies, we move towards a more empathetic and inclusive society where every user feels valued and respected. Let's journey through these aspects to enhance our understanding and commitment to making our designs accessible and welcoming for all.

Accessibility

Accessibility in design refers to the practice of creating products, services, and environments that are usable by as many people as possible without the need for adaptation. It involves considering the full spectrum of human diversity - including those with disabilities, older individuals, and those in challenging circumstances - and ensuring that they can easily and effectively use the designed item. Accessibility is a fundamental aspect of inclusive design, promoting equal opportunities and reducing barriers to the user's interaction with and use of a product or service.

Importance of Accessibility

Accessibility matters because it promotes social inclusion, caters to an expanding aging population, makes economic sense, aligns with legal requirements, and ultimately enhances the user experience for everyone. It allows all individuals, regardless of their physical or cognitive capabilities, to fully engage with digital platforms, fostering an inclusive digital world. With the aging population growing, accessibility ensures usability for all, opening up economic opportunities and ensuring compliance with regulations. Further, features implemented for accessibility can elevate the overall user experience, benefiting all users beyond those with disabilities. Hence, accessibility is pivotal to creating more usable, inclusive, and successful digital products. Below are a few key reasons why accessibility is particularly important: 

• Aging Population: The aging population is a rapidly expanding demographic, requiring an attentive focus on accessibility. By 2050, over 2 billion people will be aged 60 and older, according to the World Health Organization. Aging often brings about changes in hearing, vision, motor skills, and cognitive abilities, all of which can impact how individuals interact with digital interfaces. Therefore, designers must ensure that their products are accessible to this demographic. For instance, larger text and simple, intuitive user interfaces can improve readability and comprehension for older adults who may have a declining vision or cognitive abilities. By embracing accessibility, we promote independence and improve the quality of life for older adults, allowing them to engage with digital platforms more comfortably.
  
• Social Inclusion: Design must acknowledge and celebrate the diversity among users, which includes individuals with different abilities. According to the Australian Network on Disability, about 4.4 million Australians live with some form of disability. Creating designs that consider all abilities ensures that everyone can fully engage with digital platforms, regardless of their physical or cognitive capabilities. For instance, providing subtitles or transcripts for audio content can make it accessible to individuals with hearing impairments, fostering social inclusion.
  
• User Experience:  It's a common misconception that accessibility benefits only those with disabilities. In reality, features implemented for accessibility can improve the user experience across the board. For example, captions for video content are useful for people with hearing impairments, but they also benefit users in noisy environments or those who prefer to watch videos without sound. Similarly, well-structured, clear content helps users with cognitive impairments, but it also improves readability for everyone. By embracing accessibility, we create products that are more usable and satisfying for all users.
  
• Economic Factors: The Centre for Future Work estimates that people with disability in Australia have an annual disposable income of AUD 54 billion. By designing products that are not accessible, businesses risk missing out on a substantial market. Moreover, an accessible design can lead to a broader customer base, increased customer satisfaction, and potentially more significant revenues. For example, e-commerce platforms that are fully accessible to individuals with visual impairments can reach a wider audience, thereby increasing potential sales.
  
• Legal Implications: Many countries have laws and regulations mandating accessibility, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the US, the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 in Australia, and the Equality Act 2010 in the UK. Non-compliance with these regulations can lead to legal repercussions and damage to a company's reputation. For instance, inaccessible websites can be and have been, sued for non-compliance with ADA standards, leading to financial penalties and negative publicity.

Main Types of Accessibility

Accessibility in design often addresses several different types of impairments, and accessibility adjustments are typically tailored to these specific areas. Here are a few main types:

Visual Accessibility

Visual accessibility is a vital aspect of design that touches an estimated 2.2 billion people worldwide living with vision impairment, according to the World Health Organisation. Designers committed to visual accessibility strive to create digital experiences that are fully accessible and enjoyable to users with visual impairments, including conditions such as colour blindness, low vision, or complete blindness.

Types of Visual Accessibility

Visual accessibility is often broken down into several key areas, each addressing different needs of individuals with visual impairments:

•  Low Vision Accessibility: These are considerations for users with some level of visual acuity but not enough to perform visual tasks without adaptive strategies or tools. Design considerations here might include resizable text, high contrast between elements, and clear and simple layouts.
• Colour Blindness Accessibility: Colour blindness or colour vision deficiency affects how individuals perceive different colours. Designers must ensure that information is not conveyed through colour alone and there is enough contrast for those who cannot distinguish certain colours.
• Blindness Accessibility: Design considerations for individuals who are blind often rely on assistive technologies like screen readers. Here, it's important to provide alternative text for images, meaningful sequence, and correct use of headings and labels.
• Accessibility for People with Photosensitive Epilepsy: Designers must avoid certain patterns or flashing lights that can trigger seizures in people with this condition. The WCAG guidelines recommend not designing content that flashes more than three times per second.
• Accessibility for Older Adults: As we age, a series of changes in vision are common, including presbyopia, dry eyes, floaters, decreased night vision, and issues like age-related macular degeneration or glaucoma. Presbyopia is a natural part of the ageing process and involves the hardening of the lens inside the eye, making it more challenging to see objects up close. Coupled with a decrease in the amount of light the retina can receive due to the pupil shrinking and the lens yellowing, it results in reduced night vision, difficulty with contrast sensitivity, and increased sensitivity to glare. One of the natural physiological changes that occur is the yellowing of the eye lens, which can significantly affect how we perceive colours, particularly blues and purples. This condition, known as yellowing or pubescence of the lens, happens as a result of a lifelong accumulation of chromophores within the lens structure, making it more difficult for shorter wavelengths of light to pass through. Consequently, older adults may struggle to distinguish between colours in the cooler spectrum, which can lead to difficulties in daily activities, including engaging with digital platforms that don't account for this shift in colour perception.
  
• Accessibility for Cognitive Load: Although not a direct visual impairment, cognitive load can impact how effectively individuals process visual information. Designers can manage cognitive load through clean, intuitive design, minimizing clutter, and avoiding overly complex procedures or instructions.

Key Considerations to Enhance Visual Accessibility

Visual accessibility in design encompasses several important factors that aim to ensure that all users, regardless of visual ability, can effectively and comfortably interact with digital platforms.

•  Colour Contrast:  To improve accessibility for users experiencing the yellowing of eye lenses, low vision or colour blindness, designers should consider colours with high contrast between different interface elements. Choosing colours with high contrast ratios can make text and graphics more distinguishable, thereby improving readability and navigability. Moreover, designers should avoid relying solely on colour to convey information, considering users who struggle with colour differentiation. For example, links could be underlined as well as colour-coded, and form fields could be clearly labelled in addition to using colour highlights. Providing colour customisation options for users can also be beneficial, allowing individuals to adjust interface colours to their personal comfort. By implementing such thoughtful design strategies, we can make digital platforms more inclusive and accessible to users experiencing age-related vision changes. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) recommends a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text.
  
• Text Size and Font: The text should be large enough to read without straining, and the font should be easy to decipher. Serif fonts can sometimes blur together at small sizes or lower resolutions, so sans-serif fonts are often a better choice for digital design.
• Use of Colour: Designers should not rely on colour alone to convey information or prompt actions. For example, a form shouldn't highlight errors solely in red because this would be inaccessible to a colourblind user. Instead, also consider using symbols, text cues, or patterns.
  
• Alt Text for Images: For users who utilize screen readers due to visual impairments, alternative text for images (alt text) can describe the content or function of these visual elements. Alt text should be descriptive yet succinct, effectively communicating essential information without overwhelming the user.
• Scalability: Design elements should maintain their clarity and functionality even when scaled up. Zooming into a webpage shouldn't result in loss of content or distorted layout, ensuring that users with low vision can access the information without hindrance.
• Consistent Navigation: Consistency in the design of navigation elements across a website can aid users with visual impairments by making the site more predictable. A user should be able to move through your pages intuitively, reducing the cognitive load.

Cognitive Accessibility

In design, cognitive accessibility consideration refers to designing products and environments that are easy to understand and use, regardless of a person's cognitive abilities. This could involve things like clear language, consistent and predictable design, multi-modal information presentation (e.g., text, images, and audio), and options to adjust the complexity of the interface. It's especially important for people with cognitive impairments, which can include conditions like dementia, dyslexia, ADHD, and learning disabilities. Below are a few key reasons why cognitive accessibility is particularly important: 

Types of Cognitive Accessibility

Cognitive accessibility is typically categorised into several types, each of which focuses on a particular aspect of cognition.

• Attention-Related Accessibility: This type of accessibility focuses on accommodating individuals who struggle with maintaining attention or are easily distracted. Design considerations include removing unnecessary distractions, providing clear instructions, and allowing users to control time-sensitive features.
• Memory-Related Accessibility: For individuals with memory issues, accessibility might involve features like clear navigation breadcrumbs to help users remember their location within a digital platform or offering options to save progress in longer tasks.
• Problem-Solving Accessibility: This refers to features that assist users with decision-making and problem-solving. Simplified layouts, clear instructions, and intuitive design can aid users in understanding how to interact with the product.
• Literacy and Numeracy Accessibility: Some users may struggle with understanding text or numbers, so accessibility in this area might involve the use of plain language, visual aids to support understanding, and alternatives to CAPTCHA systems that often require high literacy and numeracy skills.

• Sensory Accessibility: Sensory overload can be a concern for some individuals. This type of accessibility involves limiting excessive sensory input, such as loud noises or bright flashing lights, and providing options to adjust these settings.

• Accessibility for Neurodivergent Individuals: This includes consideration for users with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, etc. For these users, features like the option to choose a simplified layout, control over audio and visual settings, and clarity in design can enhance accessibility.

Key Considerations to Enhance Cognitive Accessibility

Cognitive accessibility in digital design involves designing intuitive and straightforward interfaces for users with varying cognitive abilities. This field seeks to ensure that digital content is accessible to people with cognitive disabilities, including but not limited to conditions like ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and dementia. Here are a few factors to consider:

• Simplicity: Design(Websites and apps) should be simple to use and navigate. Complex layouts or navigation systems can be challenging for individuals with cognitive disabilities. For example, buttons and links should be clearly marked, and the purpose of each page should be apparent.
• Consistency: Keeping design elements and functionalities consistent throughout a website or app is vital. When users know what to expect, it reduces cognitive load, making the experience more enjoyable. For instance, if a particular button serves a function in one section, the same button should serve the same function in all other sections.
• Instructions and Feedback: Providing clear instructions and feedback can help users understand what they need to do and whether they're doing it correctly. Error messages should be clear, and success indicators, like a confirmation message after submitting a form, should be unambiguous.
• Time: Avoid timed activities, as they may cause stress for individuals with cognitive disabilities. If timing is unavoidable, allow users to request more time.
• Avoidance of Auto-Playing Media: Videos or audio that start playing automatically can be distracting or overwhelming. If auto-playing media is necessary, provide easy-to-use controls for pausing or stopping it.
• Use of Familiar Icons and Symbols: Icons and symbols can be great for visual interest and quick communication. However, they should be used thoughtfully and sparingly. Only widely recognized symbols should be used, and their meaning should be clear in the given context.
• Readability: Use plain language and avoid complex sentences and jargon. This will benefit not only users with cognitive impairments but also those who have low literacy levels or are not native speakers of the language.
• Option to Save Progress: For tasks that may take a long time or involve multiple steps, provide users with the ability to save their progress and continue later.

Motor Skill Accessibility

Motor skill accessibility is about ensuring that products and services can be used by people with a wide range of motor abilities. This is particularly important for people with motor impairments, which could be due to conditions like cerebral palsy, Parkinson's disease, or muscular dystrophy, but also applies to temporary situations like a broken arm or more transient states like holding a baby or carrying groceries. These conditions and situations can affect a person's ability to perform certain actions, such as clicking a small button or performing a swipe gesture.

Types of Motor Skill Accessibility

• Fine Motor Accessibility: This refers to accommodations for individuals who have difficulty with precise, small movements, such as using a mouse or typing on a keyboard. For example, providing larger clickable areas can make it easier for users with tremors or poor hand-eye coordination to interact with a product.
• Gross Motor Accessibility: This covers accommodations for individuals who struggle with broader movements, such as waving an arm or walking. In the digital design context, this can apply to gesture-based interfaces or virtual/augmented reality environments. Considerations might include ensuring gestures are simple and not overly demanding or providing alternative means of control.
• Speech Accessibility: Speech difficulties can be a result of motor impairments and affect a person's ability to give voice commands or use speech-based interfaces. Design solutions include offering alternative input methods like typing or selecting commands from a list.
• Accessibility for Repetitive Strain: Repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) can result from repeating the same physical movements over a long period. They can be a significant issue in many technology contexts, like typing or using a mouse. Accessibility solutions might include encouraging the use of keyboard shortcuts, supporting voice input, or ensuring a product can be used with assistive technologies that help avoid repetitive motions, such as ergonomic mice or keyboards.

Key Considerations to Enhance Motor Skill Accessibility

Motor skill accessibility in design involves ensuring that interfaces are usable for people with varying degrees of motor abilities. This consideration aims to include users who have conditions affecting their physical movement or control, such as Parkinson's disease, muscular dystrophy, or injuries affecting mobility. Here are some factors to consider:

• Clickable Elements Size: Ensure that interactive elements, such as buttons and links, are large enough to be easily clicked or tapped. Small touch targets can be challenging for users with limited fine motor control. According to Apple's Human Interface Guidelines, a minimum target size of 44 pixels wide by 44 pixels tall is a good standard. 
• Spacing: Elements on a page or screen should be spaced out adequately to prevent misclicks or unintended inputs. For instance, users with tremors might unintentionally activate a nearby button when aiming for another.
• Gestures: While multi-touch or complex gestures can make for a sleek interface, they may be difficult or impossible for some users to perform. Consider alternative navigation options or provide settings to disable gesture controls.
• Timing: Avoid interfaces that require quick reactions or timed responses, as these can be inaccessible for users with motor impairments. If timing is unavoidable, give users an option to extend time limits.
• Keyboard Navigation: Some users may navigate using a keyboard rather than a mouse or touchscreen. Ensure that all functions can be accessed using a keyboard alone and that the tab order follows a logical sequence.
• Drag and Drop: Interfaces that rely heavily on drag-and-drop interactions can be challenging for people with limited motor skills. It’s crucial to offer alternatives like buttons to move items up or down in a list.
• Consistent and Predictable Layout: This enables users to build motor memory when navigating a site or using a product, reducing the cognitive load on users.

Hearing Accessibility

Hearing accessibility aims to make audio information usable by people with different levels of hearing. This can involve different strategies depending on the severity of hearing loss, ranging from minor hearing impairment to total deafness.

Types of Hearing Accessibility

• Captioning: Closed captions provide a visual representation of audio information, including spoken dialogue and important non-verbal sounds, such as a door slamming or a phone ringing. This helps people who are deaf or hard of hearing to understand the content without needing to hear the sound. For example, video platforms like YouTube and Netflix provide captioning options for their content.

• Transcriptions: For audio-only content, such as podcasts or radio broadcasts, transcriptions offer a readable version of the spoken words. This allows people with hearing impairments to access the content. A good example would be TED Talks, where transcripts of the presentations are made available.

• Sign Language Interpretation: Some content may include a sign language interpreter, either in person or via a video inset. This can help users who are fluent in sign language understand the content. Many live events and news broadcasts provide sign language interpretation.

• Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs): These devices can amplify sound for those with minor to moderate hearing loss. They can include personal amplifiers, hearing loops, and FM systems.

• Visual and Tactile Alerts: For people with severe hearing impairments, converting audio cues into visual or tactile ones can be very helpful. For instance, flashing lights can be used to indicate a ringing phone or doorbell, and vibrating alerts can notify users of important information.

Key Considerations to Enhance Hearing Accessibility

Hearing accessibility in design ensures that individuals with varying degrees of hearing loss can fully engage with digital platforms. Designing for auditory accessibility involves several considerations, aiming to facilitate communication and interaction for individuals who are hard of hearing or deaf. Here are some factors to consider:

• Transcriptions and Captions: Providing transcriptions for audio content and captions for video content is essential. This allows individuals with hearing impairments to read the dialogue or narration, ensuring they don't miss crucial information. For example, popular streaming services like Netflix and YouTube offer closed captions for most of their content, enabling a more inclusive viewing experience.
  
• Visual Alerts: Where sound is used to convey information or draw attention, visual alternatives should be provided. For instance, a flashing alert can accompany a notification sound or a visual progress bar can mirror a ticking countdown. Apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, for instance, use visual notifications to indicate new messages.
  
• Clear Visual Design: Clear and intuitive visual design can reduce reliance on sound. Good design can help users predict what will happen next, understand the current state, and see the results of their actions, reducing the need for auditory cues.
  
• Sign Language Interpretation: For platforms that heavily rely on audio information, consider including sign language interpretation options. This addition can help make content more accessible to users who communicate primarily through sign language.

Speech Accessibility

Speech accessibility mainly pertains to two user groups: those who are unable to speak and those who are unable to hear spoken content. It's about ensuring that everyone, regardless of their speech and hearing abilities, can access and interact with digital content.

Key Considerations to Enhance Speech Accessibility

Speech accessibility in design considers individuals who may have difficulties with speech, such as those with speech disorders, non-native language speakers, or users who are in a situation where they cannot or prefer not to speak. Implementing speech-accessible features in digital design can make a substantial difference for these users. Here are some factors to consider:

• Text-to-Speech: This feature allows users to have text content read aloud to them. This can be helpful for users who have difficulties with reading, such as those with dyslexia. Additionally, text-to-speech can be beneficial for users who are multitasking or prefer auditory learning. Google Docs, for instance, offers a 'Speak' function that reads selected text aloud.
• Speech-to-Text: This feature enables users to dictate their input instead of typing. This can be useful for users with motor disabilities, those who find typing challenging, or users who prefer to speak their thoughts. Speech-to-text is often employed in virtual assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, or Amazon's Alexa.
• Translations and Transcriptions: Real-time transcription services can be instrumental for users who have difficulty understanding certain accents or dialects. Additionally, translation services can help non-native speakers understand and communicate better.
• Voice Commands: Allowing users to navigate and interact using voice commands can cater to those with motor disabilities or those who prefer hands-free operation. For example, smart home devices often use voice commands to control various features.

Written by,
Ashkan Deravi, Human-Centred Design Advocate and Innovation & Experience Enthusiast
2023

Resources

• Universal Principles of Design by William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, and Jill Butler. 
• The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman. 
  
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). 
• A Web for Everyone: Designing Accessible User Experiences by Sarah Horton and Whitney Quesenbery. 
• Inclusive Design Patterns: Coding Accessibility Into Web Design by Heydon Pickering. 
• Apple Accessibility Hub
• Digital.gov

It is what we think we know already that often prevents us from learning.

–– Claude Bernard ––