Understanding the Everyday Relationship Between UX and Accessibility The world we design for is increasingly complex and diverse, demanding considerations for user accessibility and real-world contexts. We often project the user as a mirror image of ourselves, making the mistake of imagining the best-case scenario—that users are calm, happy, and want to use the product. But this assumption is often false. In this talk, designers Anthony D Paul and Kelly Driver from idfive look at the role of stress cases, or common pain points, in user experience design, and share methods of building empathy between creatives and decision-makers in order to elevate product experiences for all.

1. @anthonydpaul + @kdriver4 #bmoreDW16

2. How People Do Things
The Gulf of Execution & Evaluation

3. Don Norman, The Design of Everyday Things

4. What happens when we fail?

5. How Bad UX Killed Jenny
Jonathan Shariat https://medium.com/@designuxui

7. What if circumstances
are not ideal?

9. By identifying stress cases and designing
with compassion in mind, you’ll create
experiences that support more of
your users, more of the time.
Eric Meyer, WordCamp NEO Keynote https://is.gd/UIDQVf

10. What is accessibility?
What inhibits access to our designs?
Our information?

11. accessibility
usability understandability

12. our
design

13. our
design
physical or
cognitive
limitations
person

14. our
design
physical or
cognitive
limitations
social or
cultural
norms
person influencers

15. our
design
physical or
cognitive
limitations
social or
cultural
norms
device or
network
limits
person influencers

16. our
design
physical or
cognitive
limitations
social or
cultural
norms
journey or
lifecycle
device or
network
limits
person influencers

17. our
design
physical or
cognitive
limitations
social or
cultural
norms
location,
weather,
climate
journey or
lifecycle
device or
network
limits
person influencers

18. our
design
physical or
cognitive
limitations
social or
cultural
norms
location,
weather,
climate
specific
situation or
story
journey or
lifecycle
device or
network
limits
person influencers

19. Whoa, that’s a lot to think about.
How do we get started?

20. Anthony D Paul
Director of User Experience
Kelly Driver
Senior Interactive Designer

21. We’re probably familiar with personas.

23. Our instinct is to imagine someone
like ourselves. But so many of our users
are nothing like us in any way.
Eric Meyer, WordCamp NEO Keynote https://is.gd/UIDQVf

24. We use design differently.
We use it with a myriad of limitations
—both permanent and temporary.

37. Stress Cases =
Personas and stories,
with fewer high-fives

38. There is no such thing as a normal human.
Our capabilities are always changing.
Xbox's August de los Reyes (Cliff Kuang) https://is.gd/SJ6C4K

40. Permanent vs. Transient (vs. Onset)
User-Specific vs. Environmental
attributes of stress cases

41. physical/cognitive
non-transient
Vision/Color
Motor
Hearing
Learning/Memory
PTSD/Trauma
Headache (temporary)
social/cultural
semi-transient
Peer pressure
Taboo
Color theory
Politeness theory
Iconography (e.g. Gerber)
Education level
Terminology/Slang
Safety/Urgency
lifecycle
transient
Tech affluency
Brand familiarity
Subject matter expertise
Time of day
Situational (flat tire)
Part of task series
Distractions (children)

42. environmental
non-transient
Workplace
Home
Lighting
Internet quality
Power
Ambient temperature
environmental
transient
Outdoors/Travel
Sun
Weather
Physical jostling (subway)
devices
semi-transient
Display size
Input (touch/keyboard)
Audio control
Gesture control
Internet quality
Battery life

43. They’re usually in concert
attributes of stress cases

44. Activity time!

45. introduction
1. Break into groups of
2–3 people
2. Grab at least one worksheet
per group
You've built a website for a college
commencement. The website does
typical graduation things, like help
families get driving and parking
directions, check schedules, look for
tourism information, learn about
the speaker, and more.

46. worksheet section A
1. Choose an audience type for each side
2. Assign each one or more tasks to perform in a single session
3. Define a stress case inherent to the user (e.g., physical/cognitive)
4. Define a stress case imposed by the situation/environment
10 minutes

48. worksheet section B
Open a commencement site; for example:
➔ commencement.osu.edu
➔ commencement.umich.edu
➔ commencement.syr.edu
➔ commencement.utexas.edu
➔ commencement.wisc.edu

49. worksheet section B
Who is it designed for?
What tasks or content are most prominent?
At first glance, is this website for your user?

50. worksheet section B
Trade sheets with another team

51. 1. Capture difficulty notes
2. Repeat this exercise for both
of your users
3. Optionally simulate inhibitor
(dim screen, move device)
You are no longer the designer. You
are a user participating in a usability
study, using this website in the real
world, within the context that has
been given to you.
10 minutes
worksheet section B

53. ➔ Note they don’t have to be
implemented.
➔ These are objective
suggestions.
➔ Use the word “consider.”
Put your designer and researcher
hat back on. Suggest design
revisions to remedy the difficulties
you observed in usability testing.
5 minutes
worksheet section C

55. Cheeky
Now do this in real life.

56. set research goals
Define all important audience groups
➔ Their respective tasks
➔ How needs change throughout their lifecycle
Think about any limitations
➔ User abilities
➔ Environmental and situational hurdles

57. run multiple studies
Across devices
Field research, outside, in the weather
With real people
With multiple types of tests
➔ Interviews
➔ Betas
➔ Treejack surveys
➔ Usability tests

58. Build empathy among your team.

59. share audience definition
Based on research findings
Avoid demographics and stereotypes
Focus on tasks

60. @alanklement http://is.gd/6RQRwO

61. Audience types

62. Audience types (with motivations, anxieties, influencers)

63. User scenario

64. Decision flow with UI conversations

65. Single user and scenario journey map

66. Multi-user journey map

67. Talk about accessibility.
What inhibits access to our designs?
Our information?

68. Disability is an engine of innovation.
Xbox's August de los Reyes (Cliff Kuang) https://is.gd/SJ6C4K

69. Cliff Kuang https://is.gd/SJ6C4K
1808, Pellegrino Turri
invents typewriter to help
blind friend write legibly
1937, Joseph Friedman
creates bendy straw for
his young daughter
1973, Vint Cerf
creates email to remotely
communicate with deaf wife

70. By designing with the disabled
in mind, we can create projects that
are better for everyone else.
Xbox's August de los Reyes (Cliff Kuang) https://is.gd/SJ6C4K

71. If you really want that thumbs up
experience, your best bet is to
design for stress cases.

73. speaking
Responsive wireframing (2016)
at edUi (Charlottesville, VA)
Atomic brand libraries workshop (2017)
at UXCamp DC and UXPA International (Toronto)
organizing
➔ http://baltimore.wordcamp.org (Nov 19-20)
➔ http://wiaddc.org (Feb 18)
Anthony D Paul
http://adp.rocks
http:// .ws
http:// .ws
@anthonydpaul
Kelly Driver
http://kellydriver.com
@kdriver4