I started the story about accessibility from the middle, sorry for that. So, I'm correcting my mistake!
The story about a11y should start with users, because we add it to interfaces for them. We write apps, code websites and create designs for users.
A11y is needed not for certain groups of users, but for all users - and I'll prove it.
A11y helps people get information not only in the way that is convenient for us. The a11y principles help to solve the problems that the user faces.
These problems can accompany a person all his life - for example, blindness. They may last for some time or until certain conditions are met - this is a cataract, a broken arm. The third group of problems depends on the situation - young mother's busy hands and concentration of attention on the child, the difficulty to hear in a noisy room.
Problems are also classified by the reason of their occurrence - visual, auditory, cognitive, motor.
Often, problems prevent us from getting the experience that we put into our interfaces. And here the a11y principles help: we cannot provide the exactly the same experience for all users, but we can convey the information they need or provide the similar experience.
So, any of us can face accessibility difficulties - they depend on the situation or temporary, while others accompany all our life. And the a11y principles help to provide the information to users with different problems in a variety of ways. It also enriches the user experience for all users, and not just opens up access to information for certain groups.
Top comments (2)
You make some very good points!
I’m always trying to make my UIs easier for everyone. Larger fonts, simple layouts etc.
On another note you should make a tutorial on UI design.
It's a really good idea!