2024-10-02
What is accessibility in UX?
Accessibility in UX design means making websites, apps, and other digital products accessible and easy to use for everyone, regardless of any disability they may have. In essence, it’s removing any and all barriers that may hinder the usability of a website/ app and ensuring it can be utilized easily irrespective of their abilities or situational circumstances. Accessibility isn't just about following a checklist of guidelines. It's about understanding the different ways people use technology and designing with those needs in mind. It's about creating products that are inclusive and welcoming for everyone.
Why is it important?
According to a study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2023, one out of six people in the world experiences a significant disability. This equates to 16% of the entire world’s population. These numbers speak volumes about why accessibility is so important in modern times.
Accessibility in UX isn’t about doing the bare minimum and simply ensuring that our websites/ apps are usable by people with disabilities. It’s about making sure that they have the same access to features and information as everyone else. Everyone deserves equal access to information and services, and excluding people with disabilities from the digital world is unacceptable.
In addition, accessible digital products have a larger potential customer base. By making our design inclusive, we're not just doing the right thing, but also expanding our market reach and attracting a more diverse audience.
Furthermore, accessible design often leads to better digital products overall. For example, features like clear navigation and simple layouts benefit everyone, not just people with disabilities.
What types of disabilities are we talking about
Disabilities come in a variety of forms on a broad spectrum. While there are no definitive categories of disabilities that everyone can be classified into, the following are some of the most commonly noticeable types of disabilities worldwide.
Visual Disabilities: Visual disabilities exist in various forms. People with visual disabilities aren’t merely those who are blind and can't see anything at all. It also includes people with partial blindness or low vision, and those with color blindness.
Auditory Disabilities: Individuals with auditory disabilities are considered to be those with full or partial hearing loss.
Motor Disabilities: Motor disabilities refer to people having limited mobility or difficulty using their hands or legs and often utilize assistive devices such as wheelchairs.
Cognitive Disabilities: This includes people with learning disabilities, attention disorders, or memory problems. These challenges they face often affect how they process information and interact with technology.
Vocal Disabilities: Some people have difficulties with speech, which might make it hard for them to communicate verbally. This could be due to a variety of reasons, such as muteness, a stutter, or a medical condition.
Furthermore, it must be noted that not only are there various types of disabilities, but there are also different extents of disabilities that we must consider when creating accessible designs. Here's a broader look at the extent of disabilities that designers should be aware of:
Permanent Disabilities: These are long-term conditions that significantly impact a person's abilities and will last throughout their entire lifetime. Eg: A person with an amputated arm
Temporary Disabilities: These are short-term conditions that impair a person’s abilities but will improve and heal over time. Eg: A person with a broken arm
Situational Disabilities: These are not disabilities in the traditional sense, but rather temporary challenges that one can experience due to specific circumstances or environments. Eg: A mother who is carrying her child in one arm and thereby has limited mobility.
How can we make our products accessible to everyone?
Designing for Visual Disabilities
When designing websites and apps, we often focus on what we can see and giving users the best possible visual experience. But, we mustn’t forget about those who may have difficulties in sight, and ensure they too have a similarly enjoyable experience using our software. Such people often rely on assistive technologies such as screen readers. Screen readers are software programs that convert text and other on-screen elements into spoken words or braille. They navigate through websites in a linear manner, reading out all the content, including headings, links, buttons, etc.
Semantic HTML: Use HTML tags correctly to define all elements in your website. This includes headings, paragraphs, lists, and other elements. This helps screen readers understand the structure of your content and read it out in a logical, accurate manner.
Alternative text (Alt Text) for images: The images on the website/ app should include an alt text, which in essence, provides a concise description of what the image depicts. This alt text is read aloud by screen readers, giving visually impaired users context on the image and its purpose.
Color contrast: High contrast between text and background colors is essential. Many people with low vision or color blindness also benefit from good contrast. Avoid relying on visual cues: Don't convey important information solely through color or visual placement of elements. Use labels and instructions as well where necessary. Test using screen readers: When designing your website, test it using a screen reader to evaluate its usability and user-friendliness towards visually challenged people. This would help gain a good understanding of the effectiveness of the approaches taken and identify any areas for improvement.
Designing for Auditory Disabilities
Sound often plays a big role in user experience in many websites and apps. However, such audio cues are inaccessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Therefore, we must ensure that special steps are taken to provide an equitable user experience for these users as well.
Include captions for videos: Captions are text versions of the spoken words and sounds in a video. They appear on screen as the video plays, allowing users with auditory disbilities users to follow along. Therefore, we must make sure to always include accurate captions for all videos included in our design.
Include transcripts for audio: Transcripts are written versions of audio content, like podcasts or voiceovers. Provide transcripts alongside any audio content included in the design. This way, users with auditory impairments can read the information instead of listening to it.
Designing for Motor Disabilities
Not everyone’s capable of using a keyboard and mouse in the same manner. People with motor disabilities might have difficulty with fine movements or might use assistive devices like switches or voice commands. Therefore, it's important to design websites and apps that everyone can use, regardless of their physical abilities.
Large clickable areas: Make buttons and links big enough to be easily clicked or tapped. Small targets can be frustrating for people with limited dexterity.
Sufficient space between elements: We must ensure that there is sufficient space between the elements in our website/ app. This makes it easier for users who might have unsteady hands to click or tap on the right thing.
Keyboard Navigation: We should make sure our website or app can be fully navigated using just a keyboard. In essence, every interactive element should be accessible by tabbing through the content.
Alternative Input Methods: Consider supporting alternative input methods like voice commands or switch devices. These can be essential for users who have difficulty using traditional input devices such as keyboards and mice.
We hope these tips and tricks will help you make your next digital product more accessible to everyone. If you wish to collaborate with us on your next big project, get in touch with us at hello@rootcode.studio
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