What does someone who’s hard of hearing, someone with a severe ear infection, and a commuter on a packed subway who forgot their earphones have in common? They would all struggle to interact with audio content in a digital interface. There are two primary ways to approach design that can solve problems such as this: accessible design and inclusive design.
Today, I’m gonna share a few tips so that you can make your website more accessible and inclusive to all. Basically, these are the low-hanging fruit that can instantly improve your website, giving you a starting point for making your sites more inclusive.
Inclusive design is about serving all types of people, and being exceptionally aware of our biases when creating designs. If you’re doing it right, you’re building a product that is usable for people from all backgrounds, including people with disabilities. The truth is inclusive design is just better design.
While not all social media platforms have accessible interfaces, there’s nothing stopping social media marketers from creating accessible content and becoming advocates for inclusive social media. After all, you want as many people as possible to be able to enjoy your social presence, right?
Many people use accessibility and inclusive design as interchangeable terms. However, they are not the same thing. Accessibility is an outcome, and inclusive design is a process. As an outcome, accessibility is a thing that we measure — how well does a digital asset meet technical requirements such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines? How easy is it for someone with a disability to use? Can people with different disabilities complete tasks?
“If I fought to change everything that wasn’t accessible to my disabled body, I would have to mold society between my warm palms, stretch it like putty, and reshape its very composition. I would have to ask, make a request.”
Design Core Detroit has launched The Detroit City of Design Podcast, hosted by Design Core’s Executive Director, Olga Stella.
The Singaporean government is committed to creating a more inclusive society, yet there’s a lack of initiatives which will make this a reality for all.
University of Arkansas honors students in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design spent a recent Sunday grappling with issues of diversity, inclusiveness and design on campus.
Tracey Proudlock from Proudlock Associates – the award-winning disability and inclusive design consultants – talks to us about inclusive design, how it is letting down disabled people and what can be done better.