UXRTO - Conducting Generative and Evaluative Research for the Visually Impaired

I’d like to ask you a question- who are you not designing for? Take a moment, and make a mental list. Now, I’d like to introduce a challenge. How can we amplify the voices and experiences of these groups? How can we integrate the voices of people with accessibility needs into our research and product development processes? This talk covers tactical ways to weave accessibility testing into all phases of the product life cycle.

Transcript

1. Generative and Evaluative Research for the Visually Impaired Andréa Crofts Senior Product Designer, TWG
5. Source: The World Health Organization, Global Data on Visual Impairments [2010] 15% Of the world’s population has some form of disability.
6. Source: The World Health Organization [2010] 11% 70% 10% 9% Colourblind Partially Blind Low Vision Blind 285 Million People are estimated to be visually impaired, worldwide. 4.1% Of the world’s population
7. Usability and Empathy Comin’ right up… CHAPTER ONE Inclusive Research CHAPTER TWO Tips CHAPTER THREE Quick Wins CHAPTER FOUR
8. Usability + Empathy CHAPTER ONE
9. “ Accessibility is out of scope. We don’t have budget for it. We just need to ship the product. They’re not our target persona. OVERHEARD AT TECH COMPANIES
11. Illustration Source: Igor Kozak on Dribbble
13. TWG has worked with these companies to research, design, build, and audit digital products for accessibility.
17. Article: "Living in the Dark," Toronto Life [2016]
21. The Tapper The Swiper Defining Characteristic • Comfortable with technology Attributes • Tend to be younger • Tend to be more active and mobile Directional Information Processing • Procedural • Linear, horizontal motions • Reliant on voiceover Defining Characteristic • Somewhat or not very comfortable with technology Attributes • Tend to be older • Tend to be less active and mobile Directional Information Processing • Spatial information processing • Using the surface area of the screen to navigate BEHAVIOURAL PERSONAS
23. Inclusive Research CHAPTER TWO
25. Source: CNIB.ca CNIB A charitable organization dedicated to assisting Canadians who are blind or living with vision loss. Canadian National Institute for the Blind cnib.ca TESTING CENTERS CONTACT CNIB Community Hub CNIB Toronto Office
26. Source: CHS.ca CHS The CHS advocates and provides support for the hearing impaired community in Canada. Canadian Hearing Society chs.ca TESTING CENTERS CONTACT CHS Toronto
27. Source: LDAC-ACTA.ca LDAC Provides leadership and support to people with learning disabilities (LD) and their communities. Learning Disabilities Association of Canada LDAO.ca TESTING CENTERS CONTACT LDA Ontario
28. Source: CDACanada.com CDAC Promotes human rights, accessibility and inclusion for people with communication disabilities. Communication Disabilities Access Canada cdacanada.com TESTING CENTERS CONTACT CDAC Toronto
29. Custom Screener Survey Example We are particularly interested in including people with disabilities in [developing our products | this study]. 1. Do you have a disability?
 If yes, please briefly describe your disability and how it affects your use of [product type—such as mobile phones, websites]. 2. Do you use any assistive technologies, specialized computer access software or hardware, or adaptive strategies when you use [product type]? (if needed, can provide examples: such as screen readers, voice input, alternative keyboard or pointing device)
30. Tipsssss CHAPTER THREE
31. Requirements Gathering Field Study / User Interview Diary Study Task Analysis Journey Mapping Design Review User Stories Clickable Prototype Testing Persona Building Paper Prototye Testing Competitive Analysis Card Sorting In-Person Usability Study Accessibility Evaluation Remote Usability Study Test Instructions, Help Analytics Review Survey Search-Log Analysis 89% 74% 22% 92% 83% 82% 80% 80% 77% 68% 61% 48% 84% 62% 58% 51% 82% 76% 47% Generative Discover Explore Test Listen Evaluative Source: Nielsen Norman, 2017
32. Requirements Gathering Field Study / User Interview In-Person Usability Study Accessibility Evaluation Remote Usability Study 89% 74% 84% 62% 58% Generative Discover Test Evaluative Source: Nielsen Norman, 2017
33. Conduct interviews on the phone for less mobile participants. 02 Ask about lifestyle, mobility, assistive devices, and hobbies. 03 Offer generous incentives. Many participants are low-income. 04 [1] Source: UI Access and TWG Primary Research Create a custom screener survey for this demographic. 01 [1] Generative Research USER INTERVIEW FIELD STUDY REQUIREMENTS
34. Observe the use of accessibility features and micro-interactions. 02 Allow ample time for transportation drop-off and pick-up. 03 Test early, and test often. An ideal cadence is 5 test sessions per sprint. 04 Usability tests are best conducted 
 in-person with the VI community. 01 Evaluative Research USABILITY TESTING CARD SORTING ACCESSIBILITY AUDIT Act as a guide, anticipating their needs and describing the space. 05
35. The role of the designer is that of a thoughtful host, anticipating the needs of their guests. Accessibility Researcher Ray and Charles Eames Prolific Designers of the Eames Chair
36. Watch your contrast ratios and use familiar UI patterns. 02 Have developers use their own product using a screen reader. 03 Incorporate screen readers in your QA testing process. 04 Design an onboarding sequence to give users the lay of the land. 01 Design 
 & Build VISUAL DESIGN PRODUCT FEATURES ACCESSIBILITY AUDITS
37. Quick Wins CHAPTER FOUR
38. Source: xello.world [2018]
39. Source: xello.world, 2018
40. For sighted people, technology makes life better. For the visually impaired, it makes life possible. Merna H. BLIND USER