Usher Syndrome is a progressive condition and to date there is no cure. It not only affects hearing and sight but also causes considerable difficulty with mobility and communication. Molly will begin this session by talking openly about her progression with Usher Syndrome and share her views and experiences on how technology can be better designed and configured to enhance life for everyone and not just those with Usher Syndrome. Although this is a specific condition, at some point in our lives we might all suffer from an impairment that will limit our abilities to interact with the world around us. This could be temporary or longer-term but as we grow older we are all likely to go through changes that will affect our sight, our hearing, and our overall mobility. We also need to consider the impact that poorly designed digital products and services can have on people’s confidence and independence. Rather than see it as a test before product release, accessibility should be built into your design and development approach from the start. Molly and Chris will guide you through the various challenges and obstacles that commonly prevent users from engaging with digital services and show you some easy to implement accessibility principles that will help you ensure you are providing the best possible experience for the widest range of abilities. Through focusing on how to design for people with specific visual, auditory, cognitive and mobility needs, after this session you will have a better appreciation of how you and your team can deliver fully inclusive solutions.

1. How to design and develop
in an inclusive way

2. Chris Bush
Head of Experience Design
-
@suthen @wearesigma
Molly Watt
Technology, Web Accessibility
& Usability consultant
@mollywatttalks @mollywatttrust
How to design and develop
in an inclusive way

3. My story
► 1994
► 18 months on
► Support > Speech therapy > Included > Happy childhood
► 2006
► 2008
► 2010

4. Deafness + retinitis pigmentosa =
Usher syndrome

5. Toughest thing about usher syndrome?
► Ignorance and lack of understanding - ignorance
► Being born severely deaf and then acquiring blindness
► Access to assistive technology
Inclusion
► Resulting in education being severely affected
► Communication and mobility affected
Depression, anxiety, and isolation

6. Educate, don’t assume
► Most common form of congenital deaf blindness
► 2nd to ageing in number
► I can empathise with the ageing population
► Many will acquire sensory impairment, more turn to technology, more are
subjected to accessibility challenges.

7. How do I, and many people access
the world?
► It's simple, technology.
► Those of us lucky to have access to technology
► Some class as 'assistive technology'
► It's not rocket science either...

8. Evolution of Hearing aid technology
► Analogue
► Digital
► GN Resound Linx2

9. Apple ecosystem = access = inclusion
► iPhone
► iPad
► MacBook
► Apple Watch

10. However, Assistive technology does
not fully compensate
► Almost everything can be done online now...
► However, design can limit effectiveness
► Assistive technologies are valuable to all - BUT
► Those who create online environments must create with ACCESSIBILITY in
mind in order for assistive technologies to be most effective.

11. Anyone can have challenges
► Disability is more common than you may imagine.
► We will all experience disability at some point.
► 1 in 5 (around 20%) of us have some kind of a disability.
► Example : By the age of 45 most of us will need glasses
- glasses are considered as an assistive tech.
► Yet many websites do not enable dynamic text.
► Many on iPhone use 'Large Text,' many apps are still not compatible.

12. Accessibility should not be considered
as an afterthought or as 'help' but as
reasonable built-in adjustments for all...

13. Acquiring a disability
> being born with a disability
► Many like myself, I was born deaf but sighted and then lost vision.
► I am now registered blind however still rely on the remaining vision I have
left (5% in one eye)
► Many think if you are blind you use auditory tech
► Being born blind if different to being born sighted.
► Only 5% of blind people have no useful sight.
► The rest have some, however not completely useful.

14. So, what is the best way to think about
designing for inclusion?

15. Exemplar examples of
inclusive design
are formed from
user needs
not just compliance

16. What’s wrong
with this
picture?

17. Designing for extremes

19. Vision
Ability to see, or
process visual
information
Hearing
Ability to hear, or
process acoustic
information
Motor
Ability to interact
with a device
accurately and
quickly
Cognitive
Ability in mentally
demanding areas;
reading, memory,
attention, complex
concepts or language
Types of impairment

20. Vision
Blindness,
low vision &
colour blindness
Hearing
Hearing loss
Motor
Dyspraxia,
RSI, arthritis
and
cerebral palsy
Cognitive
Down’s syndrome,
Asperger’s and
dyslexia, learning
difficulties
Types of impairment – long term

21. Vision
Forgot my glasses
Glare when using a
device in bright
sunlight
Hearing
Communication
within a noisy
environment
Motor
Temporary injury
such as a broken
wrist
Carrying a child
Cognitive
Medication,
Tiredness, Stress,
Hangover :D
Types of impairment – temporary & situational

23. What can you do to make your products
more inclusive?

24. Design and understanding

25. Consider colour and contrast
2.7 million
people in the
UK are
colour blind

26. Consider colour and contrast
ChromeLens
to the rescue

27. Design hit areas to be easy to click or tap
Standard
touch size of
7-10mm
Provide
3-5mm
inactive
space around
elements

28. Design for comfort
iPhone 4

29. Design for comfort
iPhone 4 iPhone 5 iPhone 6 iPhone 6+

30. Design for comfort
iPhone 4 iPhone 5 iPhone 6 iPhone 6+

31. Design for readability
Clear
visual
hierarchy
A
background
colour
that does
not flicker
10-15
words on
a line
Adequate
line-heights
(120-150%)

32. Ensure that content is easy to understand
readable.com
Reading age
of 11-12 years is
generally good
practice

33. Provide captions for video

34. Help users find your content
Providing
auto-complete
helps to
reduce user
error

35. Help users fix errors
Show;
What the error is,
Where the error is,
and
How to solve it

36. Think carefully before using custom controls
Custom
controls can
be very
empowering
or very
prohibitive

37. Development and implementation

38. Start with solid foundations - ARIA
The Accessible Rich Internet Applications Suite, defines a way to make web
content more accessible to people with disabilities.
It especially helps with dynamic content and advanced user interfaces
► Landmark roles
► States and properties

39. ARIA landmark roles
<header role=“banner”>
<aside role=
“complimentary”>
<main role=“main”>
<footer role=“contentinfo”>
<nav role="navigation">
<div id=“search” role=“search”>
Users are able
to quickly
navigate to
known content

40. ARIA landmark roles
<header role=“banner”>
<aside role=
“complimentary”>
<main role=“main”>
<footer role=“contentinfo”>
<nav role="navigation">
<div id=“search” role=“search”>
29% of users
prefer 6 or
less per page
(WebAIM screen
reader survey)
Don’t over
use them

41. .
Design for the full spectrum of your users

42. .
Can you find any black holes?
Content can
be hidden if
you do not
use A tags
for actions

43. .
Avoiding chatty screen readers

44. .
Avoiding chatty screen readers
<div class="ottSidekickFeedLeadArticleWrapper ">
<a id=“{removed}" href=“http://news.sky.com/story/1020776" class="Article" onclick="{removed}">
<img title="Autumn Statement: Osborne Tightens The Screw"
alt="Autumn Statement: Osborne Tightens The Screw" src="-90x90.jpg">
</a>
</div>
<div class=“{removed}">
<h4 class="hbx-lid"><a href="http://news.sky.com/story/1020776"
title="Autumn Statement: Osborne Tightens The Screw" onclick=“{removed}”>
Autumn Statement: Osborne Tightens The Screw
</a></h4>
<p title="Chancellor George Osborne will warn there are no &quot;miracle cures&quot; as he admi…">
Chancellor George Osborne will warn there are no "miracle cures" as he admi…
</p>
</div>

45. .
Avoiding chatty screen readers
<a href="/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-20603182“ class=“article”>
<img alt="Euromillions logo"
src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/30185-1.jpg">
<h2 class=“secondary-story-header“>Deadline day for £64 lotto prize</h2>
<p>The highest lottery prize ever to remain unclaimed nearly £64m - will go to good causes if
the winner does not come forward by 23:00 GMT</p>
</a>

46. .
Where did the zoom go?
Everybody
finds zoom
useful

47. Why inclusive design really matters

48. Isolation
► Many platforms are still inaccessible, creating everyday barriers
► Without inclusion online, many miss out...
► Getting a job, reading the news, personal banking, applying for
colleges, playing online games, learning new information, making
reservations, shopping online...
► All these can make life incredibly easier with the right access.
► Benefits everybody

49. Reasonable adjustments / accessibility
► One of the best universities in London for Primary Education (to teach children
aged 5-11 years)
► Applying was impossible without help - no independence = confidence knock.
► I was unable to access the course through ignorance and a completely
inaccessible website - where I was referred for my reading material and email.
► I was excluded online as well as in lectures.
► Easily preventable

50. Everyone will experience a real need for
inclusive services at least once in their
lives.
Consider everyone's journey.

51. Chris Bush
Head of Experience Design
-
@wearesigma @suthen
Molly Watt
Technology, Web Accessibility
& Usability consultant
@mollywatttalks @mollywatttrust
Thank you. Any questions?

52. Prepared by Sigma: Putting users at the heart of our
solutions delivers better products to a happier audience
www.wearesigma.com
Prepared by Sigma: Putting users at the heart of our
solutions delivers better products to a happier audience
www.wearesigma.com