Rosenverse

This video is only accessible to Gold members. Log in or register for a free Gold Trial Account to watch.

Log in Register

Most conference talks are accessible to Gold members, while community videos are generally available to all logged-in members.

Accessibility: An Opportunity to Innovate
Gold
Thursday, September 8, 2022 • DesignOps Summit 2022
Share the love for this talk
Accessibility: An Opportunity to Innovate
Speakers: Sam Proulx
Link:

Summary

Many organizations struggle with justifying and prioritizing accessibility. One of the primary reasons is because they’re thinking about accessibility all wrong. Instead of a checklist, a list of legal requirements, or a set of shackles holding designers and developers back, it’s time to start thinking of accessibility as what it is: an opportunity to innovate! In this presentation, Fable will draw from our expertise helping organizations like yours start the accessibility journey, to change the way you think about disability, assistive technology, and accessibility. We will demonstrate that accessible products are more flexible, customizable, and useful for all users. We’ll also show you how accessibility is directly tied to the creation of many of the most exciting and innovative technologies of the last 50 years, and how it’s changed the entire world for everyone. This presentation will inspire you with the information and ideas you need to accelerate your accessibility journey.

Key Insights

  • Accessibility features improve user experience for everyone, not just people with disabilities.

  • Diverse teams create better products by considering a wider range of needs.

  • Common tools like dark mode and voice assistants were developed for accessibility purposes but benefit all users.

  • Temporary and situational disabilities affect everyone at some point, emphasizing the need for adaptable designs.

  • Rethinking accessibility can lead to innovative design solutions that enhance usability across the board.

  • Accessibility requires flexible, not limited, design to create inclusive experiences.

  • Not all companies integrate accessibility effectively; collecting user feedback is crucial for improvement.

  • Accessibility must be seen as an ongoing journey, not a final destination.

  • Designing for edge cases leads to better experiences for the majority of users.

  • Simple checklists can hinder the creation of truly inclusive designs.

Notable Quotes

"One in five people do right now based on the number of attendance in this call, I am not the only person with a disability who is here today."

"When you design for the edges, you get the middle for free."

"Accessibility requires flexible designs, not limited designs."

"If you are not designing and creating accessible products and experiences, you are creating designs that won't work for your future selves."

"Accessibility changes remove barriers and make new experiences possible."

"The electric toothbrush was originally invented for people with disabilities and now it’s a common tool everyone uses."

"Hand-free phone modes were innovated for those who couldn’t use a touchscreen and now benefit all of us."

"Complex designs can be made accessible; it’s about customization, not simplification."

"You have existing customers with disabilities who want to tell you how you could be better, so make it easy for them to give feedback."

"When we think about accessibility, we need to move beyond thinking about this tiny percentage of the population."

More Videos

"We also looked at various measures of delight."

Discussion

June 9, 2017

Bria Alexander

"We're gonna close out the day with Silka Bcha, ALA Weinberg and Zaria Cameron discussing bettering ourselves."

Bria Alexander

Theme 1 Intro

September 23, 2024

Benjamin Wiedmaier

"Sometimes it's better to get a specialized tool that does that methodology particularly well."

Benjamin Wiedmaier Annie Mayfield

Redefining Toolkits: Unbundling to Create a Perfect Match

March 11, 2025

Eniola Oluwole

"Real-time communication became key in addressing design system questions and concerns."

Eniola Oluwole

Lessons From the DesignOps Journey of the World's Largest Travel Site

October 24, 2019

Justin Entzminger

"It’s worth taking the risk to ask community members what they want."

Justin Entzminger Terrance Smith Tracy M. Colunga Mai-Ling Garcia

Risk and Reward: How to Diversify the Field of Civic Innovators and Designers

November 17, 2022

Bria Alexander

"You don’t need to take notes, all session resources will be shared on the website shortly after."

Bria Alexander

Opening Remarks

October 4, 2023

Holly Cole

"When you onboard somebody new, give them a journal."

Holly Cole

Understanding Experiences: When you have to do more than work

November 8, 2018

Mohammad Hossein Jarrahi

"The balance between rich contextual understanding and generalizability is crucial in research."

Mohammad Hossein Jarrahi

Contextuality problem: Exploring the Benefits of Qualitative and Quantitative Research

January 20, 2023

Brad Peters

"Understanding the difference between all these data streams is crucial."

Brad Peters Anne Mamaghani

Short Take #1: UX/Product Lessons from Your Industry Peers

December 6, 2022