Yossi Langer's June 2017 talk on user experience and interaction design for accessible access methods, specifically when designing for AAC devices.

1. Designing for
Extreme Accessibility
@yossilanger, East Side Strategy
UXPA 2017 Toronto

2. How do you know
when you’ve done
good work?

3. What we’re talking about today
Designing for
assistive
technology
input devices
Things I wish
I’d known
going in
Constraints
& heuristics

4. Specifically
Accessing applications with switches
Accessing applications with eye-gaze
Accessing applications with touch, when the user’s degree of motor
control can’t be assumed

8. Accessibility #a11y

9. P
Perceivable Operable Understandable Robust
O U R

10. Types of impairments
Visual
Hearing
Motor
Cognitive

11. 750 million people
(10% of everyone*)

13. A A C

14. Augmentative
Alternative
Communication

17. ~450k
ALS/MNB
~15mm
Non-verbal from Autism
~6mm
Cerebral Palsy~1.8mm
Traumatic
brain injury
Who needs AAC
devices?

19. Sidebar ...

22. 1. Double research time

23. Anyway

25. “The toolbox is
for her”

26. “The toolbox is
for me”

27. Our Mission:
Improve
● Comprehension
● Recall
● Findability
● Access by ALL users and
ALL access methods

28. 2. Move in with the
support staff

29. Things to know

30. Disability ≠ Access Method ≠ Personality

31. Switches

35. 1 ms
(that’s a thousandth of a second!)

36. Establish clear focus & selected states

37. VS.
Limit selectable items per screen

38. Label all actions clearly
VS.
Straightforward,
Logical
Nonspecific, lack of
context

39. Tab order & multi-select actions

40. Eyegaze &
Head Tracking

44. Eyegaze trackers
Our eyes like:
● Movement
● Shiny things, like contrasts
● Sharp things, like corners
Using your eye to select things is
unnatural and tiring

45. Avoid sharp corners
VS.

46. Increase target size
VS.

47. Selection and travel
VS.

48. Avoid extreme corners
VS.

49. Best Not Great Avoid
High contrasts can trap the eye

50. Touch

54. 3. Accessibility is not
a checklist

55. Allow room to make targets
legible at distance
VS.

56. PAUSE before accepting next input in same spot
Watch for rapid-fire selection

57. Create non-actionable padding
between actions
VS.

58. Keyguards

59. Inaccessible
Accessible Accessible Accessible AccessibleAccessible
Accessible Accessible Accessible AccessibleAccessible
Accessible Accessible Accessible AccessibleAccessible

60. Many keyguard variations
1. 2. 3.

61. 4. Get your hands
dirty

64. Some autistic users prefer/need
...Others don’t prefer/need it
No
Images
No
Animations
No
Icons
Calm
colors

65. 5. One size will never
fit all

66. 5.5 There are no edge
cases

67. Design for calibration and
customization
Design modularly and test thoroughly
● How long a press is an acceptable touch?
● Show or hide icons?
● Size objects for a few centimeters or a meter and a half?
● Calming or high-contrast color palette?
● How fast does focus scan over objects?

70. 6. Ability is a
continuum

71. 7. Seek out projects
like this

72. Thanks!
Find talk here

73. Suggested reading
A WEB FOR EVERYONE:
http://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/a-web-for-everyone/
JUST ASK: INTEGRATING ACCESSIBILITY THROUGH DESIGN:
http://www.uiaccess.com/accessucd/
User research resources:
http://www.uiaccess.com/accessucd/involve.html
WCAG Guidelines: https://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/wcag