Accessibility in Design and Research

Accessibility is a necessity

What leads us to reflect on the need to implement design and research that prioritize accessibility?

Some data:

• Today, 27% of the population over 16 years old has some type of disability.
• This percentage increases considerably when we consider temporary disabilities: if we forget the mouse at home for a meeting, we will have to navigate with the keyboard. If we want to watch a video but don't have headphones, we will miss the subtitles if we are in a library. If we push a cart, we will need to navigate our mobile device with one hand...
• Therefore, accessibility is not an optional feature, but a necessity to ensure the inclusion of all people.
• Accessible design not only benefits people with disabilities, it also improves user experience by considering factors such as color, contrast, typography, or navigation.
• In a recent Prodigioso Volcán study on accessibility, 91% of respondents stated they had abandoned a digital procedure due to technical issues related to the website itself.

For these and many other reasons, designing an accessible product has become a universal necessity in any digital business.

The integration of the concepts of universal design, aimed at the entire population, and accessible design, which considers the limitations of our users, leads us to the idea of Universal Accessibility.

The regulations established by the European Accessibility Act 2019 require EU member states to comply with certain accessibility standards. By 2025, it will be mandatory for new products and services, and by 2030, it will extend to existing products and services. To comply with this regulation, we can use the WCAG accessibility guide (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).

In the Best Practices for Accessibility in Design and Research guide, I have shared with my Experience Design team at Runroom the main learnings and some key points about accessibility in design and research.

It is crucial to consider web page interactions, focusing on giving users control and time, providing clear instructions and text for screen readers.

In addition to technical aspects, attention to web content is fundamental. Conventions that guide users on necessary actions, along with clear and structured language, are essential.

When planning the web, we highlight the business advantages of greater accessibility, such as facilitating product search and use, increasing audience and commercial appeal, saving costs, and complying with legal regulations.

Color and navigation are essential aspects to address from an accessibility perspective.

In color selection, we must consider possible limitations such as color blindness, different cultural interpretations of colors, and associations with stereotypes or politics. The solution to this problem does not necessarily involve changing colors. We can use textures or other graphic elements to facilitate differentiation.

Regarding navigation, it is essential to position elements according to expected conventions to facilitate the navigation experience. Clarity and sharpness in navigation are essential for people with limited attention capacities or short-term memory difficulties. Additionally, using descriptive labels will help know where each menu element leads.

Inclusivity from Sprint 0

In the research and design process, we must consider and include a diverse audience, with limitations in visual, auditory, motor, cognitive, vestibular, and environmental aspects, present in different degrees and situations.

To positively impact user experience, it is essential to create a web design that is easy to see, hear, interact with, and understand.

How to achieve effective accessibility on my website

Here are some tips:

• Plan improvements with lower costs and a significant impact on a larger number of users.
• Ask about user goals and constraints, desired experiences, and the adaptability of the web to different platforms, browsers, and devices.
• Avoid victimizing language towards people with disabilities, separate usability issues from accessibility issues.
• Map issues using the WCAG guide, follow this guide.
• Consider navigation recordings in the conclusions.
• Accessibility mindset. The change will be effective if we all have this mindset: from Product Owners to designers, we must focus on elements that facilitate accessibility.

Download the accessibility guide

I share the link for you to download the Best Practices for Accessibility in Design and Research guide that I have shared with my Experience Design team. I hope you find it useful.