Accessibility and inclusivity in UX design
Introduction
As a creative agency that specialises in enhancing charity brands and digital platforms, we believe in the power tech and design have to make a positive social impact.
Across all of our projects, we prioritise accessibility and inclusivity to ensure all users have a positive and memorable experience. Quality UX has a significant role in helping us achieve this.
Throughout our UX process we balance a user-led approach with accessible and inclusive design principles, alongside low-impact technical solutions. This not only works to benefit the partners we work with, but also the users whose lives they impact on a daily basis.
In this article, we’ll look at the meaning and role of accessible and inclusive design principles in UX, and how we at Studio Republic apply them to our services.
What is UX design?
Starting with the basics, User Experience (UX) Design is the discipline and process of creating digital platforms that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users. The ultimate goal is to increase user satisfaction by improving the quality of the platform’s usability and interaction.
Good UX design is always user-centric. It is built around the user and their needs, without making assumptions. It serves a wide range of people, including people of diverse ages, backgrounds, cultures, abilities and disabilities, identities and so on. As more aspects of daily life are translated and adapted into digital platforms, it is paramount to make sure that everyone can access all these platforms and services, and have the same positive experience!
Accessibility and inclusivity are intrinsic to good UX, and good UX is designed with those principles in mind from the very beginning of the design process.
Understanding accessibility in design
Accessibility describes a set of design practices that help build digital platforms for users with disabilities, whether they are long-term, temporary, or created by circumstances. Accessibility specifically ensures that users with sensory, motor and or cognitive disabilities can perceive, understand, use, navigate and enjoy digital platforms.
Making platforms accessible requires consideration of the type of disabilities you need to build for and of the type of technology that might be used. For example, users with visual impairments might benefit from the addition of colour contrast adjustment, to ensure that text or navigational elements are visible against their background. (Check out the colour mode options we created on the Transport for All website!)
There is a large and ever-growing number of accessibility considerations that UX designers should keep in mind, and it is important to keep up-to-date with guidelines on best design practices.
Understanding inclusivity in design
Alongside accessibility, inclusivity takes into consideration users of different abilities and disabilities, and also of diverse ages, backgrounds, cultures, religions, languages, and gender identities. Its aim is to make digital platforms enjoyable and welcoming for all kinds of users.
Inclusive design means that all users feel seen and represented, as it doesn’t make assumptions or exclude certain user groups. This could be seeing the use of different pronouns or people from multiple genders portrayed in illustrations or having translation options for text.
We like to think of inclusive design as a set of practices that create a welcoming and safe digital space for all users. So even though accessibility is a by-product of inclusivity, the latter looks at a wider set of user needs. Of course, there is a remarkable overlap between the two, and they both aim to provide a good and valuable user experience to the widest range of users possible.
Why are accessibility and inclusivity important on digital platforms?
There are a number of reasons why UX should be designed with accessibility and inclusivity at the forefront. First of all, it’s the right thing to do! No user should be left behind, or be excluded because of their age, disabilities, level of tech literacy – or any other factors. It is our job as UX designers to ensure that our platforms are efficient, useful and enjoyable for all. Equal access to information and services is a right, and it’s especially important for those communities that have been historically marginalised and excluded.
From a business point of view, accessibility and inclusivity are also a win. They widen the platform’s reach and therefore its user base, create customer loyalty, and enhance brand reputation. Not to mention that accessibility is also a legal requirement. In the UK, it is covered by the Equality Act 2010, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. Similar legislation ensures web accessibility is also respected in the US and the EU. Crucially, accessibility and inclusivity don’t make designs better just for a specific group – they improve UX for all users.
How good UX enhances accessibility
In order to design accessible digital platforms, it is essential to conduct UX research with people with a range of disabilities. This helps the UX team understand their needs and design solutions accordingly.
Learning from users who experience those pain points is incredibly valuable and the only way to build truly user-centric digital solutions. Accessibility needs to be taken into consideration from the very start of a project, so that it can be reflected in both UX research and design. Designing a platform first and only thinking of accessibility as a series of last-minute fixes doesn’t make for an organic process. It also runs the risk of creating a platform and a UX that isn’t fully satisfactory for any user group.
After launching a platform, it is important to test it regularly with assistive technologies, to make sure that it keeps working correctly. Once your website is built and launched, future updates also need to still bear inclusivity in mind.
How good UX creates inclusivity
As UX designers, some questions that we might want to ask ourselves in order to design inclusively might be:
- Am I considering users with a wide range of perspectives, needs and experiences?
- Are the languages and images I am using understandable across cultures? Do they adapt? Could they be considered offensive?
- Are there barriers to accessibility in my design? This could include assumptions about the users’ level of digital literacy and technological assets.
Just as for accessibility, all of the above needs to be already considered at the research stage before implementing design solutions.
Practical steps for UX designers
Next, let’s look at what this means in practice. Here are five tips for UX designers to make sure that your platform is inclusive.
- Conduct accessibility audits and usability testing with diverse user groups. At Studio Republic we offer a UX audit service to identify accessibility issues, potential pain points and usability problems. We then provide prioritised recommendations to improve your digital platform’s usability and UX.
- Keep inclusivity in mind when you create audience personas, and use inclusive personas to guide your design decisions.
- Don’t forget to stay up-to-date with accessibility standards and best practices. The WCAG or the Normal Nielsen Group are good places to follow.
- Include users with a range of disabilities and backgrounds in the research process. Keep collaborating with accessibility experts and advocates – especially if those needs are not represented in your team.
- Finally, make sure to instil a culture of inclusive design principles within your organisation. At Studio Republic we embrace the responsibility of making the digital world more accessible and inclusive for all. This inspired us to create our own rulebook to follow internally called the Principles of Inclusive Design to support more designers on their journey to creating accessible and inclusive designs.
Conclusion
In summary, accessibility and inclusivity are essential for good UX design. No user experience can be considered good, or valuable, if it doesn’t try to include the largest possible user base. Accessibility is a necessary requirement and a great starting point, but as UX designers we should aim for inclusivity.
We know that UX design needs to be user-centric, and it is vital that we don’t have only one type of user in mind when we say that. We all benefit from truly inclusive design and as the shapers of the digital landscape, UX designers have the responsibility to help create an inclusive digital world.
Conduct a UX Audit With Us To Make Your Digital Platform More Inclusive and Accessible
At Studio Republic we offer a number of services for all stages of a digital platform’s life, across brand, UX and development, for both new and existing platforms. You can contact us to discuss conducting a UX audit of your digital platform: our team will assess your platform with your goals in mind, conduct UX research with the people who use your platform and then review it through the lens of the best and most effective design practices, including accessibility and inclusivity. Here you can find out more about our UX audit service and even take a quiz to check if you need a UX audit!
Resources
The Nielsen Norman Group:
Accessibility and Inclusivity: Study Guide
Accessibility vs. Inclusive Design
W3C:
Introduction to Web Accessibility
Web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG)
Interaction Design Foundation:
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