Accessibilty Testing
If you were to close your eyes, and I told you I was looking at a student right now, what would you be picturing? How about if I said he was a postgraduate engineering student working in the new electron microscope lab… is that easier to picture?
Image taken from: https://www2.le.ac.uk/webcentre/plone/build/basics/add-images/alt-text
As someone who does not have a visual impairment of partial or full blindness, Alt-text is somewhat a foreign concept. But as a designer, making sure the website I am working on is accessible is vital. Ensuring we have proper Alt-text is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to inclusive design principles.
So how does someone like me, a non-disabled designer, build empathy when designing for accessibility? As I learned in a webinar this week hosted by Dr. Paul Sherman, Program Director for Kent State University’s UX Design Masters program and principal consultant of ShermanUX, a multi-method approach including automated code review, manual code review, and performing an experience walkthrough is a highly effective technique. In addition, administering Accessibility Testing on actual users with disabilities, preferably using their own assistive equipment, is one of the most effective means at gaining actionable insight.
For some additional tips on how to make your website more accessible, check out this UC Berkeley resource: Top 10 Tips for Making Your Website Accessible
For a couple fun reads on gadgets helping kids who are blind and controllers making gaming more accessible, check out these articles from Microsoft: The Power of Technology for People with Disabilities
Happy (inclusive) UX-ing!
