What Product Design Techniques Improve User Accessibility?
In the quest to make digital experiences more inclusive, we've gathered insights from an Accessibility Product Manager on techniques to enhance user accessibility. Alongside expert advice, we've also compiled additional answers that offer a variety of strategies. From addressing common accessibility issues to selecting large, legible fonts, discover six methods Designers are using to create more accessible projects.
- Address Common Accessibility Issues
- Prioritize Clear Alt-Text
- Implement High-Contrast Color Schemes
- Integrate Text-to-Speech Functionality
- Enable Robust Keyboard Navigability
- Choose Large, Legible Fonts
Address Common Accessibility Issues
Multiple techniques can be used to improve user accessibility, and one of the best ones is to address the most common issues found within products, such as keyboard navigation issues, focus order, and color contrast, and to ensure all user inputs are accessible for the users. (Provide multiple forms of user input to provide equitable access.)
In a recent project with Zoo Atlanta, where we were working on creating an equitable experience for users with visual impairments, we found that different users, based on their lived experiences and disability, have a preferred method of interacting with technology. The biggest technique we used to improve accessibility was to remove barriers to access through multiple input modalities. Different users prefer to interact in varied ways—whether they prefer conversational AI to talk through their preferences, speak to an actual person, or complete a form online. We provided all three ways for user input, which improved the accessibility for our overall user experience.
Prioritize Clear Alt-Text
Incorporating alt-text for images is a crucial technique for making content accessible to users who rely on screen readers to navigate the internet. Alt-text should be clear and descriptive, providing a textual alternative to visual information. This enables users with visual impairments to understand image content and context, which might otherwise be inaccessible.
It's important for product designers to regularly update and review alt-text to ensure it remains relevant and informative. Consider how each image contributes to your content and describe it thoughtfully. Make providing quality alt-text a priority in your design process.
Implement High-Contrast Color Schemes
Another important design consideration is the use of high-contrast color schemes, which will make the text and important graphical elements stand out. This is particularly vital for users with visual impairments, such as color blindness, ensuring that they can distinguish content with greater ease. When choosing color schemes, product designers should consider various color combinations and the contrast ratios that meet or exceed accessibility standards.
Tools exist to help evaluate contrast levels, and these should be utilized to ensure that your design is accessible to everyone. Remember to keep contrast in mind when developing new products.
Integrate Text-to-Speech Functionality
Integrating text-to-speech functionality provides users with an alternative way to consume information, which can be essential for individuals with reading difficulties or visual impairments. This functionality allows text to be converted into spoken dialogue, enabling equal access to the information presented. Product designers should ensure this feature is easily discoverable and that it works seamlessly with the content across different platforms and devices.
The voice used should be clear and easy to understand, and there should be controls for users to adjust the speed and volume as needed. Implement text-to-speech in your next project to open it up to a wider audience.
Enable Robust Keyboard Navigability
Ensuring that all interactive elements of a digital product can be navigated using a keyboard is essential for accessibility. Not all users can use a mouse due to physical limitations, and having robust keyboard navigability allows users to use the tab and arrow keys, as well as other keyboard shortcuts, to access features and content. Designers should not only enable all interactive elements to receive keyboard focus but also create visible indicators that clearly show which element is currently selected.
This enhances the user experience for those who depend on keyboard-only navigation. Take the time to keyboard test your product thoroughly.
Choose Large, Legible Fonts
Using large and legible fonts can greatly increase the readability of a product. It benefits a range of users, including those with limited vision and older adults who may have difficulty reading small text. When selecting fonts, consider the size, spacing, and typeface; these play a significant role in legibility.
Sans-serif fonts often prove to be more readable on-screen compared to serif fonts. It's crucial to test your text's legibility against different backgrounds and resolutions. Make legibility a core factor in your design considerations.