Accessibility and Inclusive Design Strategist Specialising in Atomic Design Systems and Social Model User Data.
Great article but I’m not 100% in agreement as it can depend on what is already known with regards to users with specific needs or preferences, particularly when it comes to UX patterns and design practices. Qualitative research is more suited to stimulate design ideas rather than evaluate decisions, as trying to extrapolate large audiences from the opinions of a few is problematic and runs the risk of turning into as much of a box ticking exercise much in the way auditing can. When it comes to design research and auditing we can have very short memories which maybe why we think we always need to test everything with everyone, and in doing so loose any chance of statistical significance in our UX findings. I like the point about surveys which would work particularly well with multivariate testing, but you also need to segment that data by need and preference or it runs the risk of only informing a mainstream perspective, which is why a segmentation tool like ab11y.com adds value as it segments the audience by need without diagnosis, and avoids issues with privacy and GDPR. As long as the survey captures both functional and emotional data it is a really useful way of ensuring inclusive design optimisation is part of the product’s ongoing evolution. Maybe the issue is that the questions we ask are not specific enough? Maybe we don’t know about how users with X need(s) who have Y preferences interact with pattern Z. Then you build a prototype that enables you to answer that question. This means not every prototype needs to be accessible to everyone, including not being relevant to mainstream audiences if we have no specific research questions, or if we are not benchmarking comparative experience against them. Not sure about the conflation of WCAG testing prototypes or with inclusively user prototypes, especially using automated tools, as you might think that pars of the prototype or equivalent system are inaccessible, but then you are jumping to conclusions about people’s skills, capabilities and coping strategies. Maybe instead not assume that all designers are non-disabled? Maybe if you want a product to be useable by screen readers hire a blind designer or design researcher who can help with understanding the different behaviours and strategies possible using different technologies. This would help build capability in the design team too. I’d change one of the statements to: The real ability to ensure an accessible and inclusive system is not by evaluating a final product at the end of a project; it’s by assessing user needs at the start and then evaluating any outstanding unknowns as part of the iterative prototypes along the way, then gathering data that can be segmented by need to ensure continual optimisation. For shift left to work I believe the key is to build on a knowledge base rather than treat user research data and inclusive design knowledge as a disposable commodity.
Making Accessibility Work || UX & Accessibility Consultant making accessibility accessible and increasing disability inclusion
It’s a given that conducting #UXResearch inclusive of participants with a variety of disabilities is vital to building inclusive technology, especially during iterative prototype phases. However, there’s a glaring problem we don't discuss enough: You need an accessible prototype to run user testing, but most prototypes used for testing are inaccessible. I wrote about this conundrum and proposed 5 workarounds to overcome the current barriers. Thanks to Smashing Magazine for the opportunity to publish my thoughts on this! https://lnkd.in/euUP67gr #Accessibility #UX #InclusionMatters
