What exactly is global accessibility? And what does it have to do with design?

No two users are exactly alike. Physical and cognitive disabilities, as well as environmental factors, can inhibit people from fully engaging with technology: hardware, software, and beyond.

As UX researchers, we often find similar—sometimes even identical—issues that impact users’ ability to interact with their tech; and while the restrictions across users and use cases vary, the design implications are similar. For example, bright sunshine, low vision, or a cracked phone screen can all be factors that motivate the need for better contrast ratios.

Living in an increasingly globalized world means that there's an opportunity to proactively build ethical and meaningful products that are inclusive of societies and cultures worldwide. Let’s start that journey by learning more about designing for global accessibility.

Learn About Global User Communities and How They Use Technology  

Use cases for your application might surprise you. Sarita, from Bangalore, India, fell from her roof a couple of years ago, and was left paralyzed in her early 40s. Unable to leave the house for work, she turned to the Internet to create an income for herself. These days she ships the traditional garments from her home town all across the country, and lives financially independent from her family. She also operates her laptop with one hand. Make an effort to understand how people with a variety of needs will make use of your technology.

It’s also important to understand that accessibility is almost always intersectional; norms of gender, religion, or class may further include or exclude people from technology.

Be mindful about representing users inclusively

Designers and developers of apps often imagine a “target” user, who is represented in design choices, onboarding, and marketing--somebody from the majority population due to familiar assumptions. Don’t exclude people with disabilities from advancing and meaningfully making use of your app; expand your idea of the “average” in representation choices. Remember that representation does not mean adding a token solo shot of a technology user with disability, but truly aiming for broader inclusion in society.

No two users are exactly alike. Physical and cognitive disabilities, as well as environmental factors, can inhibit people from fully engaging with technology: hardware, software, and beyond.

As UX researchers, we often find similar—sometimes even identical—issues that impact users’ ability to interact with their tech; and while the restrictions across users and use cases vary, the design implications are similar. For example, bright sunshine, low vision, or a cracked phone screen can all be factors that motivate the need for better contrast ratios.

Living in an increasingly globalized world means that there's an opportunity to proactively build ethical and meaningful products that are inclusive of societies and cultures worldwide. Let’s start that journey by learning more about designing for global accessibility.