Live: Integrating Accessibility into the Product Life cycle

Session Summary

There is a need to bake accessibility into our overall product lifecycle, but how do we know where to start? This hands-on session will cover tangible ways to bake accessibility into a design process, specifically within the realm of human-centered design with a focus on the phases of UX Research, Design and then Implementation. I will use examples from both academic and professional projects that I have been involved with to help attendees understand further.

Description

Watch this presentation in the Knowbility Learning Center

There is a lot of information on UX, design thinking, design processes and system but how do we ensure that inclusion and accessibility are baked into these phases to create inclusive products? This session will kick-start by outlining what we plan to cover, where we will go through tangible ways to bake accessibility and inclusive design within the human-centered design process. This will be conducted through a hands-on session where participants may choose to follow along and design a product/process using these tips and tricks we outline during the session. For those who choose to listen, we will provide examples from previous projects as well, but ideally this session is designed to learn through hands-on exercises and reflection questions baked throughout the session. There will be a digital outline/handbook of this information provided as well, that would serve as a guide for those who choose to use this after the session as well.
Here is the overall session outline with a brief description of what would be covered in each phase. The first phase we will focus on is UX Research that will include the following:

Inclusive research practices
Ensuring accessible research materials
Other tips and tricks to bake accessibility early in the process

The second phase is Design which will include:

Design considerations to keep in mind
How to connect insights from UX research into tangible accessibility inclusion opportunities
How to set up for success for the next phase of implementation

Finally, the third phase will be implementation/development which will cover:

Using tools to catch issues early on
Overall tips and tricks to ensure this process is accessible
Tying back to conitnued feedback and evaluation to catch accessibility issues
Using evaluation studies and feedback to iterate successfully

Practical Skills

Baking accessibility into 3 phases of product lifecycles - UX Research, Design and Development/Implementation.
The benefits of including accessibility on the front end of the product lifecycle, and not just towards the end.
Overall framework, and tips and tricks that would help anyone get started with small steps into baking accessibility into different phases with UX.