Everyone is Invited
The Importance of Accessibility in Design
As a designer, I want to create designs that are both aesthetically pleasing and functional for everyone. However, as I gain more experience, I have come to realise that not all users have the same abilities or needs when it comes to using digital products.
That’s when I learned the importance of designing for accessibility.
Imagine going to a party and the hosts only cater to a specific group of people. Everyone else is left feeling excluded and unwelcome. The same can be said for designing digital products that aren’t accessible to everyone.
It’s like a party where everyone is invited, but only a few can participate in the activities.
But don’t worry, designing for accessibility is not rocket science. It’s simply about creating designs that are usable and understandable by as many people as possible.
Here are some reasons why designing for accessibility is important and some best practices for making designs more inclusive.
Why Designing for Accessibility is Important
Designing for accessibility is important for several reasons:
- It’s like an all-access pass to your product or service: By designing for accessibility, you’re creating an all-access pass for everyone to use your product or service. When you invite everyone to the party, you create a more inclusive and equitable experience for all users.
- It’s like a personalised customer service: By catering to the needs of users with disabilities, you’re providing a personalised customer service that shows you care about all of your users, not just a select few.
- It’s like being a superhero: By designing for accessibility, you’re like a superhero that saves the day for users with disabilities. You’re creating an experience that they can enjoy and participate in just like everyone else.
Designing for accessibility isn’t just about meeting legal requirements, it’s about creating a more inclusive and equitable experience for all users.
Here are some best practices for making designs more inclusive:
1. Use descriptive text: Adding descriptive text to your designs helps users who use screen readers or have visual impairments to understand the content on the page. This is similar to adding subtitles to a movie so that everyone can understand the storyline, regardless of their hearing abilities or the language they speak.
2. Ensure color contrast: Ensuring that there is enough contrast between text and background colors helps users with low vision to read the text easily. It’s like making sure the lighting at a party is bright enough for everyone to see.
3. Provide alternative navigation options: Providing alternative navigation options, such as keyboard navigation or voice commands, helps users who have difficulty using a mouse. It’s like having a dance floor that accommodates everyone’s different styles of dancing.
4. Use simple language: Using simple, clear language that is easy to understand for all users, including those who speak English as a second language or who have cognitive disabilities. It’s like making sure everyone at the party can understand the music and have a good time.
5. Test with real users: Testing your designs with real users who have different abilities and disabilities ensures that your design is accessible to everyone. It’s like asking your guests what they like and dislike about the party so that you can improve it for the next time.
In conclusion, designing for accessibility is not just about meeting legal requirements, it’s about creating a party that everyone can enjoy.
It’s like being the best host at a party, where everyone feels welcome and included. So let’s put on our party hats and strive to design for everyone, making the digital world more accessible to all.
After all, the more, the merrier!
