Overview

Welcome to part two of our design series. If you haven’t already, check out our previous piece on AI.

In this piece, we consider some themes when planning accessible and inclusive design in your digital products. Whether a website or mobile app, removing barriers and maximising accessibility is a crucial step to take. ColorADD is a client we’ve worked with on a truly exceptional product that promotes inclusion and accessibility; we’ll expand on that too.

Accessibility and Inclusivity In Product Design

Accessibility and inclusivity have always been important; they definitely aren’t new trends by any means, but technology is constantly evolving and improving. When you think about it, why wouldn’t you want your product to be accessible to as many users as possible? The benefits of this are pretty clear.

Great accessibility online benefits everyone. Read that again!

Whether users have physical or mental conditions, things can always be done to make content inclusive for all. Everyone is beautifully unique, and it may take some trial and error (and testing, testing, testing!) to find things that work, but making people feel included is a little thing that can go a very long way, especially when it comes to building trust, a positive experience, and brand loyalty.

You may now be thinking… well what can I do to make my website or app inclusive for all? That’s a fantastic question, and we’re glad you asked.

There are certainly too many individual areas to discuss in this article concerning making your product inclusive and accessible. But, it’s a great starting point to consider things such as colours and visuals: keep in mind people who may struggle with their eyesight or colour perception - minor edits to do with font, logo, button sizes, and colour palettes can really help out here! In relation to this, it’s also good practice to make sure your site is compatible with any screen reading software your users could be using.

Making your content easy to read, concise and straightforward, as well as in shorter video formats, can be helpful to people with neurodivergent conditions like ADHD or Autism, etc. Planning customer journeys and ease of navigation can also be beneficial when considering neurodivergent users.

If you’re thinking about any of these things for your existing or new website/app, just ask your UX designer or developers about how to implement them.

Mindera & Accessibility

A project we worked on with ColorADD saw our team as an extension of theirs, developing an inclusive iOS and Android app using React Native to help those with colour blindness.

As a universal sign code, ColorADD represents colours and colour combinations through a series of geometric shapes with the aim of providing a guide for colour-blind people. It’s a remarkable app for many reasons, but most importantly, because it was created with inclusive design principles at the heart of its objectives. The code is already used in many organisations.

The app works by detecting the colour of anything the user’s camera is pointed at; it then delivers a sign code to help the user understand what colour is being observed. Pretty cool, right? With innovation and technology like this, the world can be made more accessible for all.

Digital Product Designer, Declan Bodaly, highlighted:

“Accessibility should be considered and included in UI UX design from the very beginning of the design process. It's most effective to incorporate accessibility considerations right from the ideation stage, continuing through wireframing, prototyping, and final design. By considering accessibility early on, you can ensure that it becomes an integral part of the overall design strategy rather than an afterthought or a patchwork solution.”

Final Thoughts

In this article, we’ve touched on the importance of accessibility and inclusivity and removing any barriers in digital product design, something very close to our hearts here at Mindera. Colour contrast, widgets, user journey, and any user software should be considered from step 1 in the product development journey. Accessible design benefits every user of your product - inclusivity can be advantageous to all.

The ColorADD project was excellent to work on for our partner; it really enabled us to help craft something with love that benefits people experiencing colour blindness, a step closer to making our world a little bit more accessible for everyone. Stay tuned for the final piece in this series on Augmented Reality!

What emerging accessibility and inclusivity trends have you seen in 2023?

Get in touch if we can help you on your digital product journey.