Designing Accessible Research Workflows
Summary
Phil will talk through his experiences of creating inclusive research workflows which respect participants rights and agency and how they've managed to operationalize and scale them for hundreds of researchers around the world.
Key Insights
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One in five research participants will have an accessibility need, highlighting the critical importance of accessible design research.
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Accessibility extends beyond disabilities to situational impairments, such as using a phone in bright sunlight.
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Most accessibility improvements require a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach rather than a single expert.
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Waiting for perfect accessibility is less effective than starting somewhere and iterating regularly.
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Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 focus on four key principles: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.
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Automated tools like Google Lighthouse can speed up accessibility audits, though human testing remains essential.
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Non-technical accessibility barriers, such as literacy levels and comprehension of legal language, significantly impact informed consent.
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Nearly 45% of UK adults read at level one or below, limiting their ability to understand complex research consent forms.
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ConsentKit’s modular approach to consent content allowed faster sign-off times and empowered less-experienced researchers.
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Regular dedicated time blocks like 'Fix It Fridays' create sustainable momentum for accessibility improvements.
Notable Quotes
"One in five of those people will have an accessibility need of some kind."
"Accessibility really is a moving target; starting somewhere and iterating is better than waiting for perfection."
"Systems and tools who didn't consider accessibility upfront exclude many people and isolate them from the wider world."
"Not all accessibility needs are obvious – even someone with vision changes related to aging develops needs over time."
"The web content accessibility guidelines emphasize thinking about different ways people interact with our content."
"Automated testing tools saved us several days of manual testing and helped prioritize work more effectively."
"Nearly half of adults in the UK read at a literacy level that makes understanding complex documents very challenging."
"Language in consent forms doesn’t have to be complicated; plain language and user-centered design can make it accessible."
"We reduced the time to approve consent forms from two weeks to minutes through modular content and legal collaboration."
"Fix It Fridays are a dedicated time for the team to fix accessibility issues and make steady progress."
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