Achieving Accessibility through User-Centered Design

1. Achieving Accessibility through User-Centered Design South Carolina Web Accessibility Conference July 28, 2005 Scott Stroud Idea Integration

2. Technology should make our lives easier. Too often,: • We can’t find what we need, when we need it • We get lost because of too much information • We never gain access to content ... the site was never correctly coded for accessibility

3. Who’s responsible for making web sites work for us, not against us? • Web Designers • Web Developers • Web Managers/Owners • Executives • End Users (*through Usability Testing and feedback)

4. What is “Usability”? • Usability is the measure of how well products that are intended to help us actually help us ... WITHOUT unexpected frustrations, errors, and roadblocks ...

5. What is “User-Centered Design” (UCD)? • A design process where the ACHIEVEMENT OF REAL HUMAN GOALS is the measure of success • UCD helps create web sites that • Allow people to SUCCEED. • DO NOT make people FEEL STUPID. • DO NOT FRUSTRATE people.

6. The Relationship between Usability, User-Centered Design, and Accessibility • Usability is a component of Accessibility • Even if a product is accessible, it still may CONFUSE THE HECK out of someone who’s trying to perform a task • User-Centered Design is the process that can help us achieve accessibility AND usability.

7. Know your USERS • Diverse Backgrounds • Various Ages • Wide Range of Computer, Internet Experience • Different Disabilities • Variable Use of Assistive Technologies (AT) Interview your real users; Observe them using your existing sites.

8. Develop “User Personas” • Write 1-Page Fictional Representations of your Audience • List their real-world GOALS • How many Personas do I need? • Depends on your site (typically 3-10) • Enough to fully represent the user base • Include Personas that represent users with disabilities

9. Example of a “User Persona” • William Johnson, • Small Business Owner • Goals: • Understand state tax laws affecting his business • Prepare for any Workers Compensation situations that may come his way • Develop awareness of any environmental laws affecting his business • Benefit from Small Business assistance programs • ... etc.

10. How do User Personas help? • Your developers understand who needs your web site • Your whole organization (management, executives) clearly knows WHO they serve and WHY • You can measure how well your site does its job • How easily can people meet their goals using your site?

11. Understand Real-World Scenarios Now that we know the users ... • What are the scenarios they find themselves in when they need to use your site? • What information will they need? • What information do they already have?

12. Train your Developers • For each of the 508 standards, document code examples • Demonstrate how Screen Readers work for your Developers • Help them understand how their good coding practices help real people • Coding standards will help keep your sites accessible into the future

13. Tools and Techniques • www.Usability.gov (National Cancer Institute site with usability and accessibility information) • Download JAWS (Freedom Scientific) or demo versions of other Assistive Technologies • Card Sorting Exercises • Navigation Design and Content Organization • Use Vocabulary that is natural for your users

14. Design and Develop Now that we know the users and the scenarios ... • Design so that users can fulfill their goals • Start with low-fidelity mock-ups or wireframes • Follow standards and code examples for Accessible Design • Use templates and CSS to ensure consistency • Incorporate Accessibility and Usability Testing to make sure newly developed code is accessible and usable

15. Conduct Usability Tests with Helpfrom theDisability Community • Test early using mock-ups or wireframes • Partner with groups who can supply disability advocates to help test your site • Observe what the users are saying as they work through real-world scenarios • You’ll learn where your site fails

16. Iterate, Iterate, Iterate • Plan for multiple iterations to improve the usability and accessibility of your site • You’ll learn more and more with each usability test as you gradually improve the site • Make UCD part of your process so your site stays accessible and usable. • Quality Assurance is critical for CLEAN CODE

17. Accessible Design is GOOD Design for ALL • Since Accessible Web sites work well through Assistive Technologies, they also work better for: • Handheld & Mobile Devices • Low-bandwidth (modem users) • Designing for Accessibility often cuts through the clutter that gets in the way of all users

18. Reality Check • You can meet the 508 standards and STILL NOT have a web site that is easy to use • Concerned about making large sites accessible under tough deadlines? • Spend time on Accessibility Standards and Templates to keep your site accessible into the future • Train your developers AND your whole team • Gather executive support • Consider that it may take less time and money to rework a site following a User-Centered Design process than it will to fix a site.

19. Final Thought • Focusing on the goals of your users, especially those with disabilities, will help your agency or organization meet its strategic goals

20. Questions?