User Interface Design Methods Explained: Accessibility Design – Part 1
This blog post is the first in a series of two about accessibility design as a usability method
What is accessibility and why is it important?
In general, accessibility describes the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is easy and straightforward to use by as many people as possible. In addition, accessibility concerns itself with the benefits of the entity being accessed: How does easy use of a product benefit the user and the creator?
Accessibility results from proper design of products and services. Take public transportation for example. Public transportation is designed to optimize the routes which users (by bus, tram, or train etc.) must take to get to their given destinations. Public transportation provides users with maps, internet sites that help them plan their routes, elevators and wheel chair lifts for the disabled, and many other features that make it easy and beneficial for people to use. When public transportation is easily accessible, the benefit is that the users have efficient, cost-effective means of travelling and the creators are able to earn money and sustain the transport system.
Computer science, accessibility design and user interface design
In computer science, accessibility design means creating websites or software that is easily usable and available to people of all abilities. This means that each interface design should grant users equal access to the functionality of and the information contained within the site. In computer science, accessibility design concerns itself mainly with the construction of interface designs that are accessible to the disabled. For example, how can a designer code the HTML to provide or enable text-to-speech software for the deaf or text-to-Braille hardware for the blind? The concept behind accessibility design is clear: Disabilities should not hinder users from accessing and using a given software or website due to shortcomings of its user interface design.
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