4. UNDERSTANDING HARM
REDUCTION
Harm reduction is a pragmatic and humanistic approach to
diminishing the individual and social harms associated with
drug use.
The defining features are the focus on the prevention of
harm, rather than on the prevention of drug use itself, and
the focus on people who continue to use drugs.
Compassionate pragmatism instead of moralistic idealism
5. WHAT IS HARM REDUCTION?
Targets Risks & Harms
Evidence Based & Cost Effective
Incremental
Dignity & Compassion
Universality & Interdependence of Rights
Challenges policies and practices that maximize harm
Harm reduction is about people
Harm reduction is user centric
6. WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO
WITH THE WEB?
Obviously Bad Web Design isnât Drug Addiction
What can we learn from Harm Reduction?
Can we achieve better outcomes by using the principles
of Harm Reduction?
8. THE PROBLEM
What am I trying to solve?
Weâve all had client frustrationsâŠ
We need to avoid us & them interactions
It is our professional responsibility to
achieve the best possible outcome
18. HARM REDUCTION FOR THE WEB
Inclusive Design
AX: Accessibility Experience
Progressive Enhancement vs. Graceful Degradation
Compassionate Pragmatism vs. Moralistic Idealism
19. PREFERRED VS. BEST
Harm Reduction is about making a better choice
It isnât about making the best choice
âBest Practicesâ can be a contentious term
âPreferred Practicesâ aligns with the idea of the
better choice
20. ACCESSIBILITY HARM
Misuse of headers
Make everything an image
Belief that a web site can be finished
Assumption that disabled people donât
use the web
21. A VERY SMALL EXAMPLE
The Auto Redirect Page
Principle: Donât take control of the Userâs Experience
Preferred Practice: Donât use an auto redirect
Client Decision: Use an auto redirect
22. WHATâS THE HARM?
Webpage takes an action that is not user-initiated
Short time to notice the change
Low Vision/Cognitive Challenge
Screen reader users may not get focus in time
23. HOW CAN WE REDUCE THE
HARM?
Provide a clear advisory message of the autoredirect
Use the max acceptible time to redirect: 10 Seconds
Include a link so the user can go to the redirect page
Use a large font size and high contrast to increase
readability to mitigate the short time of the advisory
message
Prefix the page title with âYou are being redirected to
our new address ââ
25. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
âą Is this a terrible idea?
âą Do you like this idea?
âą Does this help Make a Better Web?
âą Is this a good fit for Accessibility?
âą How does this not work?
26. HARM REDUCTION & THE WEB
seanyo.ca
@seanyo
me@seanyo.ca
Accesconf.ca
a11ycamp.org
A11ycamp Guelph
Guelph Web Makers Meetup
Hack Guelph
K-W Web Design Meetup
Ignite Waterloo
www.ihra.net/files/2010/05/31/IHRA_HRStatement.pdfWhat does that sound like to you?
Web design problems are not comparable to addiction
"Our clientâs competitors has put something on their website that we donât like, can you take it off there?â "That other website is stealing our business. Can you make it so that when someone types in their address they come to our site?â "Most of our photos are all white people, but we need to show more diversity, and we donât have the budget for another photoshoot. But Iâm sure you can just change them to various races, I mean, thatâs what a graphic designer does, right?" "The woman in this photo is perfect, but she needs to be disabled. Can you photoshop her so she only has one arm?"