This guide is intended to help remind us how to build greater empathy in our work to build better products.
Table of Contents
Effects and Impact
Imbalanced harm, and imbalanced benefit occurs all the time as a result of what we design.
Intent
The intended effects do not outweigh and may not change the outcome or interpretation of our design.
<aside> 🏮 Turning our focus and imagination to reducing or avoiding harmful impacts, instead of focusing on our intentions alone, can help us cut down on unintended effects.
</aside>
1 in 4 adults live with a disability - CDC
How People with Disabilities Use the Web
Beyond Accessibility: Treating Users with Disabilities as People
Beyond Accessibility: Treating Users with Disabilities as People
You'll notice from this list of best practices, accessible design simply makes better sense. When a design is thoughtful, you aren't going "out of your way" to introduce accessibility, being accessible becomes part of what makes it a good design.
*"Unusual things happen when products are designed to be accessible to people with disabilities. It wasn't long after sidewalks were redesigned to accommodate wheelchair users that the benefits of curb cuts began to be realized by everyone."
<aside> 💡 Acknowledging and reflecting the various ways that culture, race, gender, sexual orientation, language, and ethnicity intersect and influence ourselves and our world can only serve to improve the products we create.
</aside>
<aside> 💡 Asking the right questions to more people can help you break out of your or your team's hidden assumptions.
</aside>