Around 15% of the world's population lives with disabilities. When designing websites and interfaces, accessibility and inclusion should be considered from the start through research, personas, and user testing. It is important to make interfaces usable for all, as discrimination based on disability is illegal. Accessibility options should be prominently displayed and intuitive for any user, as people may have disabilities that are invisible or situational. The goal is to design interfaces that are accessible and welcoming to all.

1. user experience agency

2. Web Accessibility: User interfaces for people with disabilities or not

3. Number of people with disabilities
• Around 1 billion people or 15% of world population live with disabilities.
(World Health Organisation)
• This is a significant portion of people and can affect your website
effectiveness.
15%
Non-Disable
85% Disable
Number of people with disabilities

4. About disabilities
• “Disability is a complex phenomenon, reflecting an interaction between features of
a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives”. (World Health
Organisation)
• “A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental
or some combination of these”. (Wikipedia)
• Disabilities can be visible or non-visible. Examples of invisible disabilities are
diabetes & asthma.
• There are inborn disabilities but also disabilities obtained or appeared at a later
stage of person’s life. A disability can be inherited or not.
About disabilities

5. How people with disabilities behave?
Majority of people with disabilities don’t call themselves disable.
Kubler-Ross model can be used to explain persons’ behaviour.
The theory is that the reaction to illness, death and loss are as unique as the
person experiencing them. Some people may get stuck in one stage.
1.Denial 2.Anger 3.Bargaining 4.Depression 5.Acceptance
Only a small amount of people reach stage 5
How people with disabilities behave?

6. Disabilities & your Online Interface
• Have you ever thought about how many people haven’t managed
to explore your site because it was inaccessible to them?
• Why is it important to consider users with disabilities while you
are designing?
Disabilities & your Online Interface

7. Web Accessibility
“Web accessibility refers to the inclusive
design of making websites usable by
people of all abilities and disabilities”
Wikipedia
Web Accessibility

8. Why Website Accessibility matters?
The Disability Discrimination Act 1995, the Equality Act 2010 , other social rights
or criminal laws make a similar provision; “it is unlawful to discriminate against
people in respect of their disabilities in relation to employment, the provision of
goods and services, education and transport”. This applies to websites & internet
services.
Increasing your website (online interface) accessibility will:
• Improve users reach & satisfaction
• Increase conversion
• Ensure your interface complies with the law
Why Website Accessibility matters?

9. What to consider while designing
It is crucial to start considering users with disabilities/impairments from the early
stages of your UXD (User Experience Design). This approach will make your
online interface accessible to the majority.
UXD stages:
1. Research
2. Persona
3. User Journeys
4. User Interface (Wireframes & Designs)
5. Evaluation (Testing)
Critical stages!
What to consider while designing

10. Research & Personas
While researching the internal/external audience,
explore the number of potential users with
disabilities.
Some sectors may have an increased number of
users with impairments e.g. charity.
Add users disabilities on your Persona.
A great practise to help you define users’ needs &
traits at the early stage of your UX work.
Research & Personas

11. User Interface
Create User friendly Interfaces & if
accessibility options are necessary, place
them at a prominent position of the page.
It is preferable to give users the
‘accessibility’ options straight away.
Users who don’t consider themselves
disable they will not select an option with
the label ‘accessibility’.
User Interface

12. Who else needs Web Accessibility options
It is not only the physical, sensory, mental or other
impairments that restricts users from accessing an
interface but also the external factors
(environmental conditions). For instance:
– People are using their mobile to access your site
on the road.
– iPad users like watching videos whilst on the move
(on trains, planes, buses etc.).
Who else needs Web Accessibility options

13. Summary
• People hardly accept any disability/impairment.
• Avoid using the term Accessibility.
• Add users disabilities on your Personas.
• Make accessibility options as prominent as possible.
• Make your interface accessible and user friendly having clear layouts, colour contrast, appropriate
text size, universal symbols and icons etc.
• Avoid bad UX practice that hurt people with disabilities e.g. small italicized text is practically
illegible for people with dyslexia. (UX movement example)
The most important:
“Create Inclusive User Interfaces!”
Summary

14. Thank you!
Mariza Samartzi
mariza@zabisco.com