When you design user interfaces, be sure that you are designing with all users in mind. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ensures that people with disabilities can access physical spaces, but digital spaces need to be accessible, too.
What Does Accessibility Mean?
ADA passed in 1990 required public and commercial buildings to be accessible to people using wheelchairs and other mobility aids. Captioning on television, sign-language interpreters, audio cues for street crossing signs, and many other ways in which the activities we all do every day were made more inclusive of everyone.
This is extending into the digital world as well. In 2019, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) were introduced to address problems that people with disabilities have using websites and mobile applications. Some disability rights groups are taking companies to court to improve website accessibility. UI Designers can have a great impact on making the digital world inviting for everyone.
Why is Accessibility Important?
One of the big arguments behind the ADA was that disabled people were consumers and by limiting their ability to get into stores, businesses were losing money. This is even more true of web commerce. About a quarter of the U.S. population has a disability, including mobility issues, vision and hearing problems, and cognitive deficits including concentration, memory, or decision-making problems. Theoretically, it should be easier for people with disabilities to shop online than in physical stores, but that is often not the case.
Increasing Accessibility Through Design
Accessibility isn’t just for people with disabilities; it’s for everyone. Websites and apps that are easier to use or customize can benefit all users. To make digital products more inclusive, it is important to keep an open mind. Don’t look at it as an issue of accessibility by disabled people who are not normal, look at it as design that anyone can benefit from. Don’t exclude or marginalize some users. After all, some disabilities are temporary. If you break an arm it will heal, but being able to use voice commands is really helpful while you are in a cast.
As the US population ages, seniors should be considered in web design as well. Senior. Citizens are using computers more and more and despite the myths, they are not afraid of technology. They do, however, have slower reflexes, decreased memory, poor hand function, and vision problems, all of which can be addressed through accessible, inclusive design.
Some examples of inclusive design for seniors include:
- High contrast helps people with vision problems distinguish differences. You can use a contrast checker to see if your page has enough contrast.
- Give context cues so people can recognize where they are rather than forcing them to recall what they have done.
- Make links and buttons large enough and add space around them.
- Maintain global navigation unless absolutely necessary. Seniors often make written notes on how to navigate a website and making changes means they will have to learn a new way to get around your website and change their notes.
Testing for Accessibility
One of the mantras of UX/UI design is “Don’t design for designers.” One way to be sure that your design is for everyone is to include people of all abilities in user research. Create personas with disabilities to help your team stay on track, and when it is time for usability testing, test on a wider population with varying abilities.
Inclusive Design Principles
WCAG version 2.1 lays out four principles of accessibility in website and app design to help design teams create digital products that everyone can use. To be inclusive, websites should be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. They should be created in a way that works well with assistive technology such as magnifiers, screen readers, text to speech software, speech recognition software, alternative keyboards, and alternative pointing devices.
Principle 1—Perceivable
“Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.”
- Provide text alternatives for images when they don’t load or can’t be read.
- Time-based media (visuals or audio designed to be experienced over time) should be captioned.
- Content should be adaptable so that it can be presented in different ways without losing information or structure. An example of this is the ability to change screen orientation and size. Elements need to be distinguishable by color, sound level, contrast, resizable text, or text spacing. Don’t use color as the only signal and be careful to provide enough contrast.
- Use of headings <H1-6> helps screen readers scan a page. Hidden text that appears when the mouse hovers over it can’t be read by screen readers.
Principle 2—Operable
“User interface components and navigation must be operable.”
- All content needs to be accessible through a keyboard if a user can’t operate a touch screen.
- The timing of operations should be adjustable.
- Content should be designed to avoid causing seizures and physical reactions.
- Elements should not flash more than three times per second.
- Users need to be able to turn off motion animation without losing functionality.
- Webpages need to provide alternative navigation options.
- Different input modalities should be available to users.
Principle 3—Understandable
“Information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable.”
- Text content needs to be readable and understandable.
- Web pages should operate in predictable ways. Don’t make the user search for information. This is a principle of good UI design.
- Help the user avoid making mistakes and provide an easy and obvious way to correct them when they happen. This is another principle of good overall design.
Principle 4—Robust
“Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.”
Websites need to be compatible with assistive technology.
Design for Physical and Cognitive Disabilities
Most accessibility measures are geared toward physical disabilities, not cognitive, yet more can be done in this area, too. Simplified website navigation helps everyone. Don’t expect users to remember things.
Where to Learn UX/UI Design
If you would like to learn more about UX/UI design to switch to a new career, one of the best ways to do that is to sign up for classes. You can choose classes that meet in-person or online to learn design software and other applications. Some people prefer to attend brick-and-mortar sessions when learning new information, but that isn’t always available. Live online classes have a similar set-up with a real-time, remote instructor who can answer questions and take control of your monitor—with permission—to show you how to do things. Training is part or full-time and available weekdays, weeknights, or weekends.
The best way to prepare for a career shift to a field like UX design is to enroll in a bootcamp or certificate program. These are intensive training courses that run from a few weeks to a few months and another plus of training is that you will leave class with a professional-quality portfolio that you can show to prospective employers.
Conclusion
It’s easy to take UI design classes and start a new career. Choose between in-person sessions in NYC at Noble’s location or sign up for live online UI design courses and attend from anywhere. Find UI bootcamps in your area and get started in a new direction today.