829 Studios - Digital Agency & Marketing Consultancy reposted this
Product Strategy & UX Executive | Alum: Virgin Group, Microsoft, Havas | Entrepreneurial Leader | Creating Clarity From Complexity
Universal design principles like the curb cut effect show that raising access of experiences for those with disabilities tends to benefit everyone across abilities for broader general-purpose use. For example, closed captions on video when available beyond assistive technology do not only benefit the deaf and hard of hearing; they help in loud rooms and have been found to improve learning. This is called the “curb-cut effect” because of the way that curb ramps have many positive impacts beyond their key use for wheelchair access—such as for strollers, people using walkers or canes, etc.; in other words, across a full ability and situation spectrum. In digital tech, orgs sometimes treat WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) as a compliance box to be checked, yet it's much more than that; here too the benefits to general population are many. For example, assistive tech for low-vision users requires the ability to reflow content to a highly zoomed in view. That same front-end investment and technical underpinnig allows Web content to be more easily viewed across mutiple form factors such as mobile and tablet devices. Experiences are more effective, inclusive, and relevant for everyone when anyone regardless of their personal situation and context can access them without considerable friction. It’s also worth noting that an estimated 16% of the global population has a significant disability. It takes not only policy but also interest, investment, empathy, and expertise to provision experiences flexibly this way and to be able to imagine and empathize access needs and implications often falling outside our our own experiences—and how we can unsilo solutions to unite access for general use as well. #accessibility #design #healthcare #userexperience #compliance #productdesign #branding
I make learning tech and AI easier and more accessible to creators and businesses
2moSo important! Something we don't notice if it isn't something we "need" right now, but eventually everyone will experience some level of disability. Thanks for the discussion! I loved working on a project with Gustavo Serafini, www.enableddisabled.com