Digital accessibility 101: Essential for some, useful for all!

Summer of Tech mentor Prae Songprasit introduces us to the wonderful world of digital accessibility.

What is accessibility?

Accessibility is inclusion and access to information and services. 

Why is this important? So that everyone can access and use technologies. Information leads to knowledge, and everyone needs equal access to knowledge.

Creating accessible services enables users to achieve their goals efficiently. For call centres, it’s easier to type into a chatbox on the website and get instant answers. This feature caters for people who can’t use other services, such as calling in.

We all benefit and make things better for everyone when designing for disabilities. 

Who needs it

Web accessibility is for everyone. Anyone could experience disability sometime in their lifetime, especially with age. By designing a web-accessible product, you also cater to your future self. For example, eyesight and hearing become weaker over time; thus, by creating more accessible products, we are catering to our future selves. 

People with disabilities want to be independent. We should empower them to access the information they need by creating tools and products that meet their needs. A speech-to-text product can be used for those who can’t type or see, or those with visual impairments can zoom in without the whole screen altering.

What are assistive tools?

• Screen magnification. There are other tools than your basic command/control + to zoom in, which increases the size of everything and shifts the layout on the screen. Some screen magnification tools let you zoom in, while the layout stays the same and doesn’t alter, assisting those with low vision. 

• Invert colour mode is an assistive tool for people who struggle with shades of grey or the ability to distinguish between different hues. It both increases colour contrast dramatically and lets users set their own UI colours.

• Screen-readers assist people with low vision by verbally navigating them through the device, website and app content. To enable screen-reader users to use your digital product, ensure that alternative text is provided for purely visual elements such as images and charts.  Websites HTML and content also need to be well-structured with clear headings.

• Braille display, where people can use their fingers to read digital content. The display is a tool that lets people who can neither see nor hear use digital products.

• Voice-dictation tools help users navigate digital products by voice, e.g. Dragon Naturally Speaking, Alexa or Siri. You can navigate by speaking text labels, or grid numbers on the screen to interact with the UI.

How can I create an accessible experience?

It’s a better user experience when it’s inclusive.

Start with HTML, CSS and Javascript

How do these tools help people access the web? By using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Start with content and HTML, not the visuals. Good structure and flow are paramount. A linear visual and text experience (in design, content and code) is essential for those with cognitive disabilities, such as ADHD, to eliminate distractions. Coding content linearly and ensuring elements are labelled correctly makes it easier for users to follow and navigate a digital product. Focusing on visuals afterwards is the recommended flow of creating a program to maximise its accessibility. 

Provide multiple visual queues

For example, errors are always red but colour-blind users will not be able to tell that it is an error. Adding an icon and clearly labelling it as an error can help communicate the sentiment to this group of users. This clarity is also beneficial to any sighted user. By creating an accessible product, you will be creating something meaningful and empowering for people. 

Meet Government standards

There’s a misconception that there’s a high cost to accessibility; that’s why some companies avoid it. But it’s only high if you do it after the product was designed and built. 

It’s harder to avoid addressing accessibility these days because companies operating internationally have experienced laws for creating accessible products.

In NZ, any Government-related digital product must be accessible.  Your product must meet WCAG 2.1 AA to be classified as accessible. Even if you’re not creating a government product, ensuring that your application is accessible helps future proof against regulatory changes. 

Take action

• Be inclusive by default.

• Hire more people who have access needs and include them in the design and development process.

• Be proactive and make products accessible as you build, don’t wait for someone else to complain. JUST DO IT!

• Developers can code in an accessible way. Follow the guidelines by using and adding the correct attributes to make your application more accessible. 

• Though accessibility shouldn’t be treated as a checklist exercise, it’s still useful to start with one; especially when you code. Add it as a criteria on top of the usual definition-of-done.  

The perception needs to change of accessibility; it shouldn’t be seen as an extra cost; it should be seen as how it can open up more opportunities. 

The Take Away

Creating an accessible experience for those who need it opens up possibilities for more people. Users are loyal to accessible digital products since there are not many they can access and use. So, seek and ask people how they want to be included. Some amazing online tools will help you code an accessible program and check that your program is accessible. 

Accessibility is a human right. When we don’t provide accessible experiences, we take away people’s rights. We can prevent people’s disability struggles by considering them when creating products.

Prae has generously shared the presentation slides here.