Upgrade to Pro — share decks privately, control downloads, hide ads and more …

Embracing Minds of All Kinds: Making Digital Co...

Embracing Minds of All Kinds: Making Digital Content Usable for People with Cognitive Disabilities

MCN (Museum Computer Network) conference 2021

Christina Deemer

October 18, 2021
Tweet

More Decks by Christina Deemer

Other Decks in Technology

Transcript

  1. Embracing Minds of All Kinds: Making Digital Content Usable for

    People with Cognitive Disabilities CHRISTINA DEEMER, UX DEVELOPER, ALLEY GROUP OCTOBER 18, 2021
  2. MCN 2021 Hi, I’m Christina! 󰗞 3 • Developer at

    Alley, a full-service digital agency ◦ Non-profit clients: American Association of Museums, Kauffman Family Foundation, Direct Relief, Cooper Union • Web Accessibility Specialist, certified by International Association of Accessibility Professionals • Autistic • Live in the Philadelphia suburbs • Interests: reading, quilting, cooking, Star Trek 󰙾 • Twitter: @cahdeemer
  3. MCN 2021 Objectives 5 Identify some common access barriers that

    people with cognitive disabilities experience with digital projects. Recognize design patterns recommended by the W3C for making content usable by people with cognitive disabilities. Utilize those design patterns in your digital work. Advocate for incorporating these design patterns into your work during all lifecycle stages of a digital project
  4. MCN 2021 Agenda • Terminology & Language • Toolkit •

    Example • Next steps & Resources 6
  5. MCN 2021 Terminology & Language W3C - World Wide Web

    Consortium is an international community that develops and maintains standards for the web. 8
  6. MCN 2021 Terminology & Language WCAG - Web Content Accessibility

    Guidelines are part of a series of international guidelines published by the Web Accessibility Initiative of the W3C. 9
  7. MCN 2021 Terminology & Language 11 • Disability is not

    a shameful or dirty word • Cognitive disabilities is an umbrella term that includes neurodiversity, neurological disorders, mental and behavioral disorders
  8. MCN 2021 Terminology & Language 12 • Disability is not

    a shameful or dirty word • Cognitive disabilities is an umbrella term that includes neurodiversity, neurological disorders, mental and behavioral disorders • Both identity-first and person-first language is acceptable
  9. MCN 2021 Terminology & Language 13 • Disability is not

    a shameful or dirty word • Cognitive disabilities is an umbrella term that includes neurodiversity, neurological disorders, mental and behavioral disorders • Both identity-first and person-first language is acceptable • Functional terminology for cognitive disabilities is more useful in this context than clinical diagnostic terms
  10. MCN 2021 Terminology & Language 14 We use functional terms

    over clinical terms because: • Not everyone with a cognitive disability has a clinical diagnosis. • Not everyone with a cognitive disability has only one diagnosis. • Not everyone with the same disability experiences it the same way.
  11. MCN 2021 Terminology & Language 15 Functional aspects of cognitive

    disabilities that affect the way people use the web include • Memory • Problem solving • Decision making • Attention & focus • Time management • Processing speed • Math comprehension • Reading and language comprehension NOT A COMPLETE LIST 🙂
  12. MCN 2021 About the toolkit 17 • Based on a

    W3C Working Group Note • Assumes that WCAG has already been met • Non-normative - not required to meet the existing standard • Cannot be tested with existing automated tools
  13. MCN 2021 Tool 1: Common design patterns 18 Place elements

    where users expect them • Link to home page in the top left • Search in the top right Logo 🔎
  14. MCN 2021 Tool 1: Common design patterns 19 Links and

    buttons should have distinct designs • Links take the user to a new page • Buttons perform an action Resources Submit
  15. MCN 2021 Tool 1: Common design patterns 20 Create a

    clear visual hierarchy Logo 🔎
  16. MCN 2021 Tool 1: Common design patterns 21 Why New

    design metaphors can be hard to learn. Who is affected Learning a new layout can be difficult for people with difficulties processing, making decisions, or remembering things. Advocacy • During the design phase so you don’t have make costly remediation steps later • During testing phases listen to users when they comment on layout or structure
  17. MCN 2021 Tool 2: Media that is in chunks 22

    Divide media into chunks logical and short • less than 6 minutes • easy to jump into and out of
  18. MCN 2021 Tool 2: Media that is in chunks 23

    Why Media that is long can cause users to lose focus Who is affected Staying focused on long blocks of media may be difficult for users who struggle with focus or attention issues Advocacy Talk to the media teams as early as possible about accessibility so you can make thoughtful decisions about how to appropriately chunk content
  19. MCN 2021 Tool 3: A friendly search mechanism A friendly

    search mechanism includes • autocomplete • spell check 24 🔍 acessibil 🔍 accessibility definition 🔍 accessibility synonym 🔍 accessibility meaning 🔍 accessibility checker
  20. MCN 2021 Tool 3: A friendly search mechanism Why &

    Who Search functionality that demands complete, accurately spelled words can fail users with language impairments and memory issues When to Advocate During just about any phase of a project lifecycle How to implement Your engineering team will be experts in identifying the right solutions for your product and tech stack 25
  21. MCN 2021 Tool 4: Back buttons Back buttons should exist

    in every site, in-gallery interactive, kiosk, online exhibition, and game. Back buttons should be distinct from “start over” buttons. Users should be able to go back without losing their progress. 26
  22. MCN 2021 Tool 4: Back buttons Why Users need to

    be able to review their progress and correct mistakes. Who is affected Enabling users to go back can help users with anxiety and memory issues as well as users who have difficulties following instructions complete tasks successfully because they can review information, instructions, or their responses. Advocacy During the design phase -- although the need usually comes up during testing 😬 27
  23. MCN 2021 Tool 5: A simple interface • Avoid text

    that runs edge to edge • Break up content with headings • Make it easy to dismiss pop ups, banners, and other distractions • Don’t distract users during critical steps in a process • Limit users to 5 or fewer choices 28 Logo 🔎
  24. MCN 2021 Tool 5: A simple interface Why Messages can

    get lost with too much information and activity Who is affected Busy, crowded screens can cause anxiety and users with attention issues can lose focus and abandon their task Advocacy Advocacy is most needed during the maintenance phase when features are piled on a basic interface without the team understanding the cumulative effect on users 29
  25. MCN 2021 Tool 6: A login that doesn’t rely on

    memory 30 Provide options for users to login in the way that is most comfortable for them Do not make users • Memorize character strings • Perform calculations • Solve puzzles • Recognize characters on a screen and input them into a field
  26. MCN 2021 Tool 6: A login that doesn’t rely on

    memory Why Users should be able login, register, and reset credentials without more effort than it takes to navigate a standard webpage Who is affected People with memory impairments may not be able to login if they don’t remember their passwords. People with language and math impairments may struggle to solve puzzles or input character correctly with a limited number of attempts. Time-limited procedures may also block users from accessing their accounts. Advocacy - Here be dragons 🐲 31
  27. MCN 2021 Tool 7: Help for forms and non-standard controls

    32 Provide help for anything complex or non-standard • An accessible help text next to a non-standard control • Clear and unambiguous instructions
  28. MCN 2021 Tool 7: Help for forms and non-standard controls

    Why It’s easy to get lost or confused when something doesn’t operate in the expected way. Who this affects Users with issues around anxiety, processing speeds, and math or language comprehension may give up on a task or require additional assistance to complete a task. Advocacy Don’t dismiss users or testers who complain that an interface or control is confusing. 33
  29. MCN 2021 Toolkit: Recap Use common design patterns so users

    who struggle with decision making and memory don’t have to learn new visual metaphors. 34
  30. MCN 2021 Toolkit: Recap Divide media into short chunks so

    users with attention impairments don’t lose focus and stay engaged. 35
  31. MCN 2021 Toolkit: Recap Employ a friendly search mechanism so

    users with language and reading comprehension issues can successfully find things. 36
  32. MCN 2021 Toolkit: Recap Ensure apps have a back button

    so users who struggle to follow instructions or have memory issues can check their work and correct mistakes. 37
  33. MCN 2021 Toolkit: Recap Use a simple interface so users

    who struggle to stay focused or get easily overwhelmed can successfully complete tasks 38
  34. MCN 2021 Toolkit: Recap Provide options for logging in that

    don’t rely on memory or tests so users with memory and cognition issues can successfully access their accounts 39
  35. MCN 2021 Toolkit: Recap Provide help for non-standard and complex

    controls so users who struggle with reading and math comprehension, anxiety, and decision making can complete tasks independently 40
  36. MCN 2021 • Employs common design patterns so that users

    don’t have to learn new visual metaphors • Media is in short chunks that are less than 6 minutes so users can stay focused • Search does not include autocomplete or spell check and there is no search on exhibition site so it’s difficult to find things unless you spell them correctly • Browser back buttons work as expected so users can retrace their steps • Interface is simple so users can complete tasks without getting overwhelmed • No login is needed • Help for non-standard controls is provided 43 Example
  37. MCN 2021 • Accessible features can be beautiful and creative

    • Even award-winning sites aren’t perfect 44 Takeaways
  38. MCN 2021 Testing with Real Users 46 1. Ask ahead

    of time what accommodations will be needed 2. Ensure that testers know it is not their fault if something goes wrong 3. Make it clear that testers are in control 4. Compensate testers
  39. MCN 2021 Getting buy-in from Stakeholders 47 Make a multi-dimensional

    case for prioritizing accessibility that includes legal, business, and strategic perspectives
  40. MCN 2021 Getting buy-in from Stakeholders 48 Make a plan

    that outlines the specific measures that need to be taken, prioritizing issues based on severity and cost while also considering visual impact
  41. MCN 2021 Final Takeaways • Focus on functional terms rather

    than clinical diagnoses • Break content into chunks • Make the implicit explicit • Provide help • Advocate for accessibility throughout the product life cycle • Remember that accessibility and good design go hand-in-hand • Involve everyone on the team! 49
  42. MCN 2021 Resources 51 W3C Working Group Note: Making Content

    Usable for People with Cognitive and Learning Disabilities https://www.w3.org/TR/coga-usable/ W3C Web Accessibility Initiative on Diverse Abilities and Barriers https://www.w3.org/WAI/people-use-web/abilities-barriers/ WebAIM on Cognitive Disabilities https://webaim.org/articles/cognitive/ National Center on Disability and Journalism’s Disability Language Style Guide https://ncdj.org/style-guide/ Penn State Social Science Institute: Privilege plays a huge role in getting an ADHD diagnosis https://ssri.psu.edu/news/privilege-plays-huge-role-getting-adhd-diagnosis Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Race Differences in the Age at Diagnosis Among Medicaid-Eligible Children With Autism https://www.jaacap.org/article/S0890-8567(09)60739-5/fulltext
  43. MCN 2021 Resources, Cont. 52 WCAG 2.2 Working Draft (May

    2021) https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/ WCAG 2.1 (current international standard) https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/ Deque University - web accessibility training and courses https://dequeuniversity.com/ International Association of Accessibility Professionals - training and certification https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/ On the Trouble with accessibility overlays https://shouldiuseanaccessibilityoverlay.com/ https://overlayfactsheet.com/