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Chatbot accessibility - empathy, inclusive design and conversational interfaces

Chatbot accessibility - empathy, inclusive design and conversational interfaces

Conversational interfaces relying on artificial intelligence are more popular than ever, and offer never seen before possibilities in terms of user interaction. As a designer or developer, being empathetic towards the people that will be using these systems is a key factor in these interfaces’ success, but empathy is’t something you can order; empathy is something one needs to develop. This raises many questions; how does one evaluate the diversity of users’ needs and expectations? How does one develop the empathy needed to properly cater to those needs and expectations? What factors must one take into consideration to ensure the most inclusive approach possible? Is the use of “classic” personas sufficient to achieve those goals? Here are some of the questions raised in this presentation, where the emergence of new channels of communication can potentially jeopardize some people’s right to access to information.

Presented at:
* Tout le monde UX - Montreal, QC (February 2017)

Denis Boudreau

February 23, 2017
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  1. Tout le monde UX Coop Ecto, Montréal February 23rd, 2017

    Empathy, inclusive design and conversational interfaces Chatbot accessibility
  2. Christie Pitts Manager – Ventures Development Verizon Ventures “ Chatbots

    represent a new trend in how people access information, make decisions, and communicate. Chatbots are the beginning of a new form of digital access… “
  3. Peter Rojas Entrepreneur in Residence Betaworks “ Messaging apps are

    the platforms of the future, and bots will be how their users access all sorts of services... “
  4. Chatbot accessibility - Empathy, inclusive design & conversational interfaces 5

    @dboudreau User eXperience. Accessibility. Inclusive Design. Gamification. Empathy. Empowering all users. Geek. Introvert. Pragmatism. Good design = inclusive design. Deque Systems / Knowbility / W3C Denis Boudreau
  5. Anja progressively became blind after a severe car accident where

    she suffered a head trauma. As a blind user web developer, she no longer uses a mouse and has no need for a monitor. She now relies exclusively on a keyboard and screen reader software to work and browse the web. As an engineer, she understands web technologies really well, but there’s very little she can do when information is provided through graphics that are not described in text, when web interfaces are not supported through semantic code, or when content is not conveyed to her screen reader. Anja Beckett 33 years old #bada55 Web developer Meet Anja
  6. Blindness Cognitive Situational disabilities Chemo brain Color blindness Neurodiversity Gamer’s

    thumb Dyslexia Language barriers Photosensitive epilepsy Astigmatism Hard of hearing Lazy-Eyes Directionally challenged Poor hearing Age-related macular degeneration Multiple sclerosis Learning difficulties Visual impairments Tremors Muscle slowness Deuteranopia Monochromacy Dichromacy Anomalous trichromacy Protanopia Protanomaly Deuteranomaly Tritanopia Tritanomaly Deafness Achromatopsia Loss of fine muscle control Parkinson’s disease Muscular dystrophy Cerebral palsy Stroke Photoepileptic seizures Developmental disabilities Dyscalculia Attention deficit disorders Dementia Acquired brain injuries Neurodegenerative diseases Difficulty concentrating Dysgraphia Getting older Post-concussion syndrome Sleep deprivation Vertigo Illiteracy Amputation Cataracts Glaucoma Auditory Autism spectrum disorders Motor Diabetic retinopathy Low vision Noise-induced hearing loss Aphasia Reading disorders Visual Vestibular disorders Arthritis Corneal opacification Trachoma Amblyopia ADHD Alzheimer's disease Spino-cerebellar ataxia Dysphasia Dyspraxia Dysorthographia Chronic migraines Fatigue Motion sickness Post traumatic stress disorder Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo Carpal tunnel syndrome Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease Down syndrome Dystonia Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Tendinitis Huntington's disease Wrist pains Achromatopsia Retinal detachment Tunnel vision Noonan syndrome Retinoblastoma Nearsightedness Fuchs' dystrophy Optic neuritis Actually, too many to count! Asperger’s syndrome Bipolar disorders Cystic Fibrosis Narcolepsy
  7. According to Anja Top 3 Issues with chatbots Anja Beckett

    – Blindness Buttons are not labeled properly While navigating through the CNN chatbot, I kept hearing about buttons that were only labeled as “button”, and text fields that were not labeled at all. How can I possibly tell what those are? Keyboard focus is not managed properly As I was making choices using the chatbot, the keyboard focus would constantly be sent back at the top of the screen, forcing me to start over each time. That was a frustrating waste of my time. Content not visible to screen readers At some point, I managed to trigger the call to action for “Topics” but the list of topics was not detected by VoiceOver. Later, when I managed to display some content, it was completely skipped as well. All these efforts, only to realize I would not get the news.
  8. Empathy The ability to share someone else’s feelings or experiences

    by imagining what it would be like to be in their situation.
  9. Designing for Empathy Designing for the average user • What

    about people with various disabilities? • What about seniors with deteriorating senses? • What about people with temporary disabilities? Do your personas even account for them?
  10. People using smart phones People using tablet devices Average users

    People getting older People with disabilities Letting the middle take care of itself Designing for the extremes
  11. Anja Beckett #bada55 web developer I look forward to the

    day when designers and developers finally realize the power they have over MY ABILITY TO SUCCEED. “ “
  12. Chatbot accessibility recommendations A few things to keep in mind

    for a more inclusive user experience Make sure buttons and other calls to action are properly labeled Ensure that keyboard focus is properly managed, and set where it needs to be Verify that every piece of information is programmatically conveyed in text Run high-level tests on your product and interfaces with screen readers Involve users with disabilities to identify issues you might otherwise miss
  13. It’s up to all of us to ensure the chatbots

    we create contribute to bridging the gap for people with disabilities on the Web.