Removing barriers — a simple example of accessible experience design
Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about accessible design and creating inclusive products, which I love because as a designer, I think accessibility is sometimes compromised by our creativity. As stories regarding legal action for companies who don’t have accessible websites began to surface last month, I started to reflect on what I know about accessibility and who and how the products I design are used.
My team at work has prioritized universal design principles and AODA compliance for all of our projects. This was our first step in making sure we were creating accessible products.
Often times, when talking about user experience design our minds jump to digital products, but the user experience is beyond the digital space and is exists in our daily life. A lot of us take for granted our ability to navigate through spaces without major barriers so sometimes we forget to consider the abilities of others. As a user experience designer, I think it is part of our practice to be considerate of different abilities when we design our products and not assume that all users are young-tech-savvy individuals.
How accessible is your building? 🏛
When thinking about accessible design, I recall attending a lecture that discussed accessibility through the simplicity of entering a building. Imagine a building that has stairs but no ramp. For most, this isn’t a major issue but for some, it becomes an instant barrier to entry. Navigation is something most people overlook but can impact the accessibility of your product, and it can happen at the first point of entry.
Now imagine, we redesign the stairs and add a ramp off and on the side of the building to make the entrance accessible. Even if the person can somehow get up the ramp or through the door, does it create the best experience for everyone looking to enter the building? Let’s say this hypothetical building could be built without the need for stairs at all, we still decide to design beautiful doorways that aren’t accessible either through their size or interactions. Instead of adding a ramp or a revolving door to our building, we should remove the barrier and design a universal and inclusive point of entry for our building.
So you’re probably thinking what does this have to do with the web? What I mean by all this is that if your product, whether it digital or physical, isn’t accessible it is impacting your overall user experience. And when that barrier happens during the first user experience (entering the doorway) people will not be as inclined to interact with your product. I compare the ramp and the door to accessibility view options on poorly designed interfaces, or unnecessary interactions on forms, or those multiple pop-ups that appear when you enter a site. By adding these barriers, you are creating a workaround solution that has an effect on how people interact with your product.
Ways I make my digital designs accessible 👩💻
To ensure my designs are accessible, I start each project by making sure my style guide and components follow web standard guidelines. This helps the design process significantly as I am not constantly worried about meeting those requirements as I design the product. The list below provides links to the tools I use:
Sketch Plugins:
- Stark — allows you to check contrast between layers & has a colour blindness simulator
Chrome Inspect Tool:
- Right click on your website and select Inspect.
- Click Audits from the top navigation within the tool
- Select your options and run a report with Lighthouse
Web Resources:
- Web Content Accessibility Standards
- The US Web Design System is a great example of an accessible design system & UI Components
- Colour Contract Checker
In the end ✨
I try and start each project with an accessible structure and aim to design the navigation, visual design, and content without barriers for humans. The internet is a space that is accessible to all and should be free from barriers that people sometimes experience.
