accessible user experience: in strategy, in practice...in thinking!
TRANSCRIPT
Accessible User Experience:In Strategy, In Practice…In Thinking!
Mike Paciello @mpaciello
Accessibility as Compliance Audit
Results in Bugs that Need Fixing
Results in Bugs that Need Fixing
What if we define accessibility as making a commitment and demonstrating progress?
What would accessibility look like?
Accessibility maturityMoving your organization along the continuum toward a mature approach to accessibility
Identify and repair accessibility issues based on standards compliance
What is the primary driver for organizations to pay attention to accessibility?• Legislation• Reputation• Business benefit• Improving UX• User demand
Activities• Identify methodology• Identify samples to test• Test samples against standards• Write up issues• Test and recommend code fixes
Deliverables• Audit results spreadsheet• Common issues report• Accessibility documentation (e.g., QA report)• Help desk support• Remediation support
Insights• Frequency and distribution of issues• Estimate of impact and effort of issues• Potential design and code changes to repair
issues
Potential outcomes• Accessibility documented• Vendor works to fix issues • Vendor engages consultancy for retest and
revised accessibility documentation
Prioritize evaluation and repair activities based on real-world impact
Audience Survey: How active are organizations in researching the difficulties faced by customers with disabilities?• Very• Somewhat• Not very• Not at all
Context• Legal obligation to provide accessibility• Custom-built system fails to meet accessibility
requirements• Group of users with disabilities demanding
accessibility improvements
Activities• Conduct contextual inquiry interviews• Create sampling strategy based on insights from
interviews
Deliverables• Same as “identify” activity, plus…• Task-based sampling strategy• First-person perspectives in report
Insights• Real issues encountered by people with
disabilities• Accessibility issues not surfaced in standards
review
Outcomes• Partners with user groups to improve accessibility• Focuses on real issues that impact stakeholders• Fixes issues related to accessible user experience
(AUX)
Inject accessibility best practices into the design and development process
Survey #2: What is the most important phase in the design/development process to address accessibility?• Strategy• Design• Content• Development• Quality Assurance (QA)
Context• Your organization understands that remediation is
costly and ineffective• Your organization knows its current processes do
not support accessibility• Your organization seeks to address accessibility
early in process and improve processes
Activities• Determine appropriate interaction points and
methods• Review and respond to design artifacts
Deliverables• User stories to help guide design decisions• Design reviews (wireframes, style guides)• Training in accessible design best practices• Code library reviews (technical and design)• QA test design and implementation
Insights• Optimal time to address accessibility in
design/development lifecycle• Roles and responsibilities with respect to
attention to accessibility• Appropriate and effective ways of communicating
accessibility knowledge
Outcomes• Addresses accessibility issues during the
design/development process• Builds internal capacity for accessibility
Integrate accessibility best practices into culture and practice
Survey #3: What sector is most receptive to transforming culture and practice to integrate accessibility?
• Government• Finance• Technology• Education• Healthcare
Context• Advocacy group makes a complaint to your
organization about digital accessibility• Organization cannot fix all IT services• Organization understands it must fix culture and
process to respond
Activities• Perform gap analysis to understand current state • Build understanding of desired future state• Assess gaps between current state and future
state
Deliverables• Roadmap report• Commitment to ongoing partnership
Details• Definition of future state• Assets and opportunities• Challenges and barriers• Roadmap toward Accessibility in Practice• Supporting information: Applicable policies
Insights• Perceptions of accessibility and responsibility
within an organization• Governance requirements to advance an
integration agenda• Requirements for activities for change
Outcomes• Your organization makes visible commitment to
providing accessible IT services• Organization embarks on initiative to address
shortcoming(s) in existing services• Organization establishes policy and processes to
support accessibility in new services
An Accessible Design Maturity ContinuumBy David Sloan, UX Research Lead, The Paciello Groupuxfor.us/mature-it
Where is your organization currently on the accessibility maturity continuum?• Identify (compliance)• Prioritize (targeted)• Inject (early attention)• Integrate (culture, practice)
Accessibility process standardsEngaging your organization in activities that demonstrate commitment and show progress
Make a commitment to ICT accessibility
Responsibility and accountability• Designate a senior official for “plain writing”• Explain the Act’s requirements to staff• Establish a procedure to oversee the implementation of the
Act within the agency• Train agency staff in plain writing• Designate staff as points of contact for the agency plain
writing web page• Post its compliance plan for meeting the requirements of
the Act on its plain language web page
US Plain Writing Act of 2010—uxfor.us/plain-writing
ActivitiesEstablish leadership• Chief Accessibility Officer (CAO)• Director of User Experience/CAO• Accessibility Program Lead• Accessibility Specialist
Establish an accessibility baseline and track progress
Activities• Set a standard, e.g.,– Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
2.0• Define scope of applicability, e.g.,– Teaching and learning– Research– External communications and business
processes– Internal communications and business
processes
Foster a community of practice
Activities• Integrate usability and accessibility support into
existing IT facilities• Tie accessibility into existing professional
development and training activities• Include expectations around accessibility
awareness and skills in position descriptions
People working together, committed to making progress, and targeting success
There are two ways to creating lasting change:• Take baby steps (& feel successful)• Change your environment—BJ Fogg
Design for Lasting Change, bjfogg.org/lastingchange
Changing the environment …Radical accessibility
What if we prioritize people with disabilities when making
design decisions?
With focus on people with disabilities…• User experience activities focus on people with
disabilities• Accessibility activities are not isolated to QA
• Recruitment requires accessibility skills and knowledge
• There are no accessibility specialists
What if accessibility was integrated into
training and education programs?
With integrated accessibility education…• Accessibility is a core digital literacy• There are no accessibility majors/specialists
• Accessibility is part of continuing professional development
• There is no accessibility certification
What if accessibility investment was for new products rather than fixing existing
ones?
With a focus on new products…• Investment is in resources for accessible
development• There are no accessibility audits
• Accessibility efforts focus on improving processes• There is no remediation of accessibility issues
Radical accessibility
When people feel successful taking baby steps they often find themselves wanting to make big changes, including their environment. —BJ Fogg
We have an organizational mandate that UX won’t hand anything to engineering that cannot be made accessible.—Becky Reed
Accessibility for Business and Pleasure uxfor.us/accessibility-roi
“Rather than saying, you must have accessibility training, we talk about role-based training. You are a faculty member; here are the things you need to know as part of being a faculty member.”— Dan Jones
Accessibility for Business and Pleasure uxfor.us/accessibility-roi
If I could call it something other than accessibility I would. I would call it design that works for everyone, or good design. —Rick Ferrie
Accessibility for Business and Pleasure uxfor.us/accessibility-roi
Accessible Design Maturity Continuum
An Accessible Design Maturity Continuum, uxfor.us/mature-it
Thank you!@[email protected]
