Fourteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

If you search for the hashtag a11y on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, you will find thousands of posts. This particular hashtag is being used by a large community of practitioners, including academics, entrepreneurs, and IT leaders. But it’s not just some viral trend like #tbt, #caturday, or #NotToday, it’s an important part of the landscape of inclusive design. The term “digital a11y” refers to the word accessibility, with the letter “a” followed by 11 letters and ending with the letter “y.” The number 11 stands in for the 11 characters omitted from the abbreviation. This shortened version of the word accessibility has a specific meaning. While access means different things to different people, the root of it is inclusion and opportunity. It boils down to the method of inclusive design. I define inclusive design as the appropriate use of the elements and principles of design to avoid exclusion of any person due to differing abilities. However, digital a11y can and should be flexible and nonlinear. Designers of digital content wield a lot of power, and this power can be dangerous if real users of these systems are not brought into the design process at the beginning of a project. Too often, testing with people comes too late (or not at all), and we are left with mediocre designs that are not accessible for many people. When inclusive design is done well, it can be innovative, creative, and growth fostering, not to mention it can make a positive economic impact.