The Future of Accessibility is Choice

A presentation at Drupal Camp Asheville by Carie Fisher

The Future of Accessibility is CHOICE

The Future of Accessibility is CHOICE

Hello! I am your tour guide for today. My name is Carie Fisher...

Hello! I am your tour guide for today. My name is Carie Fisher...

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

Many choices

Many choices

In the past...

In the past...

Now

Now

LIFE IS THE SUM OF ALL YOUR CHOICES

LIFE IS THE SUM OF ALL YOUR CHOICES

ACCESSIBILITY 𐆑 CHOICE = SUBPAR UX

ACCESSIBILITY 𐆑 CHOICE = SUBPAR UX

ACCESSIBILITY﹢ CHOICE = EMPOWERMENT

ACCESSIBILITY﹢ CHOICE = EMPOWERMENT

Our job is to create options & let people choose their own digital adventure

Our job is to create options & let people choose their own digital adventure

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONLY ONE ELEMENT...

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONLY ONE ELEMENT...

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONLY ONE ELEMENT...

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONLY ONE ELEMENT...

FONT SIZE & FAMILY

FONT SIZE & FAMILY

21.9% Font Size & Family

21.9% Font Size & Family

FONT SIZE & FAMILY CONSIDERATIONS

FONT SIZE & FAMILY CONSIDERATIONS

FONT SIZE & FAMILY - how complex to fix?

FONT SIZE & FAMILY - how complex to fix?

COLOR & CONTRAST

COLOR & CONTRAST

12.5% Color & Contrast

12.5% Color & Contrast

COLOR & CONTRAST CONSIDERATIONS

COLOR & CONTRAST CONSIDERATIONS

COLOR & CONTRAST - how complex to fix?

COLOR & CONTRAST - how complex to fix?

REDUCED MOTION

REDUCED MOTION

16.9% Reduced Motion

16.9% Reduced Motion

REDUCED MOTION CONSIDERATIONS

REDUCED MOTION CONSIDERATIONS

REDUCED MOTION - how complex to fix?

REDUCED MOTION - how complex to fix?

CLEAR NAV & LAYOUT

CLEAR NAV & LAYOUT

48.8% Clear Nav & Layout

48.8% Clear Nav & Layout

CLEAR NAV & LAYOUT CONSIDERATIONS

CLEAR NAV & LAYOUT CONSIDERATIONS

CLEAR NAV & LAYOUT - how complex to fix?

CLEAR NAV & LAYOUT - how complex to fix?

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONLY ONE ELEMENT...

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONLY ONE ELEMENT...

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ANY ELEMENT...

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ANY ELEMENT...

Allowing your users to choose their experience is always better than assuming you know what they want.

Allowing your users to choose their experience is always better than assuming you know what they want.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” 𐆑 HELEN KELLER

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” 𐆑 HELEN KELLER

THANKS!

THANKS!

Every day we have a series of choices to make. Get up early to work-out or hit snooze and sleep a bit longer? Make a nutritious meal at home or order something maybe just a bit less healthy to go? Finally, stop rocking sweatpants at work or switch to wearing PJs instead? All the choices we make - even the little ones - shape our identities and empower us in our own lives. In today’s world, we all expect to have multiple choices regardless of the product or service we are researching. And yet, in the digital sphere, we often don’t give our users many options.

By allowing a user to make choices, we could help them accomplish the tasks they set out to do, connect more easily with others, and ultimately help empower them. When we don’t offer choices, we are sending the message that we think we know what is best for the user. While we might get it right sometime…how can we possibly know what the 7 billion people inhabiting the earth really prefer? Don’t users know best when it comes to their own needs?

This talk will cover some of the pain points users face while using digital products such as: font size/family, color contrast, reduced motion, and navigation/layout. This talk will also cover the level of effort it would take for designers, developers, and users to create choices in these spaces. Allowing your users to choose their experience is always better than assuming you know what they want.