The relationship between Accessibility & Inclusion in Digital Design.

Accessibility is a key component of UX design, as it allows your website even more accessible by more people.

Taking into account the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, whilst embracing a Universal Design approach, we'll explore how you can make your digital presence inclusive for all. 

This blog covers:

• What is Accessibility and Accessibility without Disability
• What is Inclusive Design?
• Principles of Inclusive Design
• How can you implement Inclusive Design in my work?
• What is Universal Design?
• Is your website Accessible and inclusive?

What is Accessibility and Accessibility without Disability?

The term 'accessibility' and the blurring nature of information technologies has made it difficult to differentiate between accessibility for people with disabilities, and usability concerns for the general public. Accessibility is a UX designer's core objective, and can refer to the ease of using a website or application, the ability for people with disabilities to interact with technology, or simply an interface that makes information easy to find. 

Whilst a user with a disability may require different features or functionality than the general public, such as assistive technologies and customisable interfaces, the idea behind accessibility is that information technology should be usable by as many people as possible. In this sense, accessibility is closely related to usability—how well can someone use it? 

In the absence of accessible features, the internet and related technologies can be profoundly inaccessible and thus create or perpetuate exclusions. Therefore, when considering accessibility and inclusion in web and digital design, one must also address usability, disability, difference, accommodation and preference so that one or some disabilities aren't casted as more important or worthy of accommodation than others. 

Things to consider for Universal Design:

1. Equitable use 

   The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities. A website that is designed so that it is accessible to everyone, including people who are blind, employs this principle.

2. Flexibility in use. 

   The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities. A video that allows a visitor to choose to read or listen to a description of the contents employs this principle.

3. Simple and intuitive. 

   Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user's experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level. A website’s menu with control buttons that are clear and intuitive employs this principle.

4. Perceptible information. 

   The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities. Video captioning employs this principle.

5. Tolerance for error. 

   The design minimises hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions. An educational software program that provides guidance when the user makes an inappropriate selection employs this principle.

6. Low physical effort. 

   The design can be used efficiently and comfortably, and with a minimum of fatigue. Design components that snap automatically to margins, other objects or rulers employs this principle.

7. Size and space for approach and use. 

   The design provides appropriate size and space for approach, reach, manipulation, and use, regardless of the user's body size, posture, or mobility. A piece of text with adjustable font size employs this principle.

How do we implement Inclusive Design at Resolution Digital?

1. Provide a comparable experience so that every user can accomplish a task in a way that suits their needs without undermining the quality or content. You can do this by providing alternative text features like transcripts or audio descriptions, designing ergonomically using colour codes and synchronised text with visuals, and utilising notifications that allow proactive discovery of information.
   
   
2. Consider that people use your interface in different situations, so make sure it delivers valuable experiences to people regardless of their time, knowledge, skills, abilities or location. You can do this by utilising effective colour contrast for indoor and outdoor environments, context-sensitive help to ease interactions, and captions on smaller devices.
   
   
3. Be consistent in your use of conventions and make them familiar to your audience. You can do this by using consistent design to build familiarity and understanding, maintaining an editorial style with headings and labels, and using page information architecture templates to help people quickly scan and navigate key content.
   
   
4. Give the user control by allowing them to access and interact with content in their preferred ways. Examples might include giving users the option to choose between infinite or fixed scrolling, allowing for pinch zooming on touch devices, and putting playback controls in the user’s hands by providing easy ways to stop or close animations and graphics.
   
   
5. Offer different choices for the user to complete tasks, especially those that are difficult or non-standard. This might include designing multiple ways for users to complete an action such as swiping or selecting, offering grid lists for large amounts of content, and designing accessible or visual alternatives for presenting data.
   
   
6. Help users to focus on core tasks, features and information by prioritising content and layout. To allow users to focus on the information that is most important to them, try keeping task-focussed and revealing content one-at-a-time, prioritising essential and primary tasks by making them easily-accessible, creating a visual hierarchy of information, and using plain language to make it easier for non-English speakers and impaired users to comprehend.
   
   
7. Add value to your experiences by providing diverse ways to engage with your content. You should consider integrating device connectivity or second screens to increase value for people who struggle to use interfaces, use platform APIs to enhance functionality, and make task completion easier by providing guidance and features around input fields.

Is your website Accessible and Inclusive?

Here are some best practices on how you can make your website accessible and inclusive:

• Use pictures, icons and symbols along with text.
• Use clear and simple text broken up by headings, titles and prompts. 
• Consistent navigation and design on every page.
• Support screen readers by using alternate text tags. 
• Maintain uncluttered, white space by using simple layouts and wide margins. 
• Allow website customisability of type size, placement of navigation controls, contrast, large print and sound.
• Use navigation methods and feedback on a user's actions to help them recover when lost or resolve possible errors. 
• Colours should be used to enhance contrast and assist clarity. 
• Include people with cognitive and/or physical disabilities in your design process.  
• Use bold text instead of fancy colours, fonts, italics, underlines or all capital letters.

This article was co-authored by Katherine Wakeling.

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