how to improve ux by implementing accessibility

How to improve UX by implementing accessibility

Radek PAVLÍČEK, Blind Friendly Web

Hi. My name is Radek and I am member of Blind Friendly Web team.

I am also an author of blog Poslepu.cz and I work as accessibility consultant.

In this presentation I would like to go on with topic, which I presented at WebExpo

conference 2012.

What is accessibility good for?

Availability – user must be able to get

on the web.

Controlability – user must be able to

operate the web.

Understandability – user must understand

the web.

Orientation – user must be able to find the way

through the web.

Time – user must be able to fullfil his

or her task in reasonable time.

Accessibility is often perceived as a matter of handicapped people only.

One accessibility to rule them all?Can we fully fullfil needs of all of the

users?

Demands and needs of particular groups of people with impairement vary.

Removing barrier for one group could create barrier

for another.

Real life example. Orientation around this swimming pool was no problem for my

blind colleague.

Although this swimming pools looks very similar to the previous one, it was designed primarily for the needs of wheelchair users and there

were no natural guidelines for the blind. That is why the orientation for them was very complicated.

This lowering is very suitable for wheelchair users, but is not good for the blind, because they don´t know where is the

border between the sidewalk and the road.

Special kind of cobbles makes this lowering accessible also for the blind.

Some adaptations are useful only for users with special

needs

Sign language

Audio description of movies

Hidden headings

But the rest is useful for vast majority of users

Audio information Barrier-less

From accessibility adjustement of this tram profit also those, who travel with pram, or passengers, who use audio information about particular stops to be informed where they are and where they must get off.

Real life examples

Subtitles are useful not only for people with hearing impairement, but also for those, who do not

understand spoken language very well.

Missing text alternative

There is no button which I can click on.

Explicit association of controls with their labels

When you create explicit association, the clickable area is larger, because you can

click also on the label.

Keyboard shortcuts – you can operate the web in very effective way.

Proof, that accessibility is beneficial to all users, can be found in this report.

Scope of the investigation

1 000 home pages

39 000 pagesin total

50 users with variety of

impairements

User testing

Automated testing

Completed tasks

Although control group, that consists of non-disabled web users, was able to complete all the tasks, blind users on low accessibility websites completed only 67 %.

Duration

On low accessibility sites both groups were slower and they need more time to complete their tasks. In other words, on high accessibility sites they were able to complete their tasks faster and easier.

Remember

Accessible web is beneficial to all users, not only to users with

impairement.

More info about accessibility

Contact info

pavlicek@blindfriendly.cz@radlicek

Photo credits• www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-415742494 • www.flickr.com/photos/11407072@N03/2194359747/• www.flickr.com/photos/60207590@N00/2344734563• http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brno,_Mendlovo_n%C3%A1m%C

4%9Bst%C3%AD,_%C5%A0koda_13T_%C4%8D._1923.jpg

• www.flickr.com/photos/nationaalarchief/4025536029/• www.flickr.com/photos/cornelluniversitylibrary/3678984206/• http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__1B7eTIn3jM/SoMylQ_RqWI/AAAAAAAAAAw/

F8u_jtyp3IA/s400/Learn-Hiragana.jpg• http://www.sons.cz/docs/bariery/sons_inet1_01_2010.pdf