In 2018, the intersection of technology and human rights is a hot topic. But while we debate net neutrality and the web as a utility, 92% of US government sites still fail to meet basic accessibility standards (as the law requires). A lot of lip service is given to the need to build inclusive, accessible sites, but when it comes down to it, we treat accessibility like something nice to have rather than a core principle and necessity. Sarah Federman explains why inclusive design is so vital to the future of the web and shares techniques for making accessibility a priority in your org through efforts both top-down and grassroots. You’ll leave knowing why it’s so easy to cut corners in the most basic and core task of making everyone feel welcome when they visit your site, and what you can do to make the internet a better place. It’s time for technology to truly be for everyone.

1. Sarah Federman
Design Engineer
Inclusive Design:
Putting humans
back in focus
@sarah_federman

2. What we are going
to cover today

3. Inclusive design is the process of
designing for as many audiences as
possible in order to create the most
inclusive product.

4. “Your product is inclusive when it is the
most usable by the widest range of people,
including—but not limited to—people with
disabilities.”
- Allison Shaw

5. https://www.youtube.com/embed/U5hRXwPE5a4

6. What is inclusive design?
Varied abilities vs. disabilities

7. What is inclusive design?
Varied abilities vs. disabilities
Accessibility is an outcome

8. What is inclusive design?
Varied abilities vs. disabilities
Accessibility is an outcome
Designing for individual environments

9. Abilities are not fixed in time.
20% of people in the United States
will have a disability during their
lifetime.

10. Why should you
care?

11. “We’re all just temporarily abled”
- Cindy Li

13. You benefit.
Reason #1

14. Design for the future you.

15. Everyone benefits.
Reason #2

16. Automatic Youtube captions

17. Automatic sliding doors

18. Remote controls

19. Potato Peeler

20. Voice UIs

21. It’s just good business.
Reason #3

22. It’s just good business.
Reason #3
(NOT charity work)

23. 8% of men are colorblind
Children with disabilities are less likely
to attend school
15% of people in the world have disabilities

24. People with accessibility needs are
already using your product.
(and it probably sucks)

25. You might legally have to.
Reason #4
But remember it’s the bare minimum.

26. You might legally have to.
Reason #4
But remember it’s the bare minimum.

27. Target lawsuit

28. Inclusion, not compliancy.

29. How do you do it?

30. How do you not do it?

31. Movie caption glasses

32. Bad wheelchair ramps

33. Bad wheelchair ramps

34. Fighting the hydra (source: Darkcloud013)

36. The fastest working team is a bunch of
people who think alike.
You get to wrong answer really quickly.

37. “Ramp Stairs”

38. Braille Neue

39. “Breaking real accessibility for a dream of
inclusivity is not good design.”
- Alastair Somerville

40. Inclusive braille

41. How do you do it?

42. Arm yourself with empathy.

43. “I've had a number of product teams understand accessibility
problems academically, but fail to do anything about them. Or
show any interest in doing so. The teams that show empathy do
the work, and they require a minimum of hand-holding as they
do it. They have accepted responsibility. That's where we want
everyone to be.”
- Matt May, Head of Inclusive Design @ Adobe

44. Observe real people.

46. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/design/inclusive

47. Walk in their shoes.

48. Funkify disability simulator

49. Dropbox Assistive Technology Lab

50. Normalize inclusion.
Small actions help.

51. Get people involved

52. Microsoft Toolkit

53. Airbnb Lens

54. When it works…it’s
amazing.

58. Be an inclusivity
advocate.

59. Thank you!
Sarah
@sarah_federman
Slides will be tweeted later today!