Upgrade to Pro — share decks privately, control downloads, hide ads and more …

Making content accessible

Laura Parker
October 27, 2020

Making content accessible

Exploring user empathy and accessibility with Content UK.

Laura Parker

October 27, 2020
Tweet

More Decks by Laura Parker

Other Decks in Design

Transcript

  1. Making content accessible
    ContentUK

    View Slide

  2. Hello, I’m Laura
    I’m a content designer at HMRC.
    I’ve previously worked as a UX writer with app developers to create accessible
    services and games.
    I’m doing a Masters in UX design.
    It’s good to be here!
    @LauraParkerUX

    View Slide

  3. Let’s explore:
    ● who are users are
    ● why accessibility matters
    ● how to test your work
    ● my path to UX Writing
    ● resources

    View Slide

  4. £249 billion

    View Slide

  5. £249 billion = the purple pound
    The purple pound refers to the spending power of disabled households in the UK.
    It’s the amount of money people with disabilities do not spend on products and
    services because they are not accessible.
    Very few businesses have strategies to tap into this customer market.
    Make your service accessible = better experience for everyone = more market
    share.
    We are purple

    View Slide

  6. Why disability is important to business
    According to wearepurple.org.uk
    ● Nearly 1 in 5 working adults have a disability
    ● 75% of disabled people and their families have walked away from a business
    because of poor accessibility or customer service
    ● In 2016, a survey found that more than 4 million people in the UK abandoned
    a retail website because of the barriers they found, taking with them an
    estimated spend of £11.75 billion
    ● The “click away pound” was worth £17.1 billion in 2019
    We are purple

    View Slide

  7. Inaccessible content
    Top content accessibility mistakes
    1. Labelling hyperlinks as “click here”
    2. Missing alt text for images
    3. Using different fonts and all caps
    4. Colour contrast
    5. Inaccessible PDFs
    6. Unhelpful error messages
    1
    6
    4
    Click here links are not informative
    3

    View Slide

  8. Accessibility means content is better for all

    View Slide

  9. User empathy
    Someone’s ability to access the content you work on could be affected by their:
    ● location – they could be in a noisy cafe, sunny park or area with slow wifi
    ● health – they may be tired, recovering from an operation or have a broken arm
    ● equipment – they could be on a mobile phone or using an older browser
    When some people are tired or stressed, information can be harder to understand.
    We need more empathy is our work.
    Introduction to Content Design by GDS

    View Slide

  10. User empathy case
    study
    OXO Good Grips kitchen utensils
    based in New York.
    Sam Farber designed the first OXO
    peeler for a pair of hands he loved
    more than his own.
    Sam and his wife Betsey were cooking
    together when Betsey’s mild arthritis
    made using an old-fashioned metal
    peeler a struggle.
    About OXO

    View Slide

  11. Dos and don’ts of designing for accessibility for a range of users. The posters were created by
    a group of designers at Home Office Digital.
    Dos and don’ts on designing for accessibility

    View Slide

  12. Download the government’s design for everyone poster

    View Slide

  13. Writing for specialists
    ● Use plain language - according to GOV.UK research, people understand
    complex specialist language, but don’t want to read it if there’s an alternative
    ● Technical terms are not considered jargon but you should explain what they
    mean
    ● People with the greatest expertise tend to have the most to read so make
    sure your content is helpful and easy to scan
    Writing well for specialists

    View Slide

  14. Think about how the user feels in the moment

    View Slide

  15. Minimal viable content (MVC)

    View Slide

  16. Minimal viable content means
    the least amount of content a user needs to complete a task.
    It’s tempting to add words when there’s a problem or user error. Good UX writing
    removes the need for more words.
    Adding more words, pictures or whatever means adding more information, which
    adds complexity.
    To help users complete tasks we need to remove complexity, not add it.
    Content is crucial but the right design is essential

    View Slide

  17. MVC case study
    Prove your right to work to an
    employer service.
    Previously users had to create a
    unique code to send to employers.
    During user testing, some users didn’t
    know what to do with the code.
    Instead of adding more words, the flow
    was changed.
    Users enter an employer’s email and
    the code is sent directly to them.
    Content is crucial but the right design is essential

    View Slide

  18. Testing your work with prototypes

    View Slide

  19. Prototyping
    A prototype is a sample version of a
    final product.
    The goal is to test a product or product
    ideas before spending lots of time and
    money on the initial project.
    Prototyping can help solve usability
    issues before launch and can reveal
    areas of improvement.
    Paper prototyping is quick and
    effective.
    What is a prototype?
    Paper prototyping in practice

    View Slide

  20. Paper prototyping
    Introduction to Content Design by GDS

    View Slide

  21. Highlighter test
    A simple technique for evaluating content

    View Slide

  22. The next time you write
    ● Start with a purpose - design your content to take account of the fact that lots
    of people won’t read the content in detail
    ● Empathise with users - what else might they be doing?
    ● Think about tone - does your copy sound appropriate to the situation and how
    your user might be feeling?
    ● Consider accessibility needs - words to use and avoid when writing about
    disability
    ● Use plain language - your copy should be clear and unambiguous

    View Slide

  23. A path to UX writing

    View Slide

  24. ● User experience (UX) writing is
    writing to inform or instruct
    ● UX writers use plain English to
    make information accessible,
    inclusive and easy to
    understand
    ● UX writers need empathy to
    help make products and
    services human and relatable
    Defining UX writing
    hey.com

    View Slide

  25. Copywriting vs UX writing and content design
    Copywriting
    ● Sales pitches
    ● Advertising concepts
    ● SEO
    ● Blog writing
    ● TOV
    ● Brand guidelines
    ● Content calendars
    ● Average sentence length is 20 words
    UX writing and content design
    ● Prototyping and storyboarding
    ● Wireframes
    ● Pair writing
    ● Coding
    ● Rapid ideation
    ● TOV
    ● User research
    ● Average sentence length is 7 words

    View Slide

  26. My journey to UX
    2013
    Social media
    Social media marketing, content
    writing, advocacy and community
    management.
    Content marketing
    Blog and article writing, content
    calendar and theme planning,
    merics and SEO..
    2014
    Copywriting
    Advertising concepts, sales
    pitches, branding and tone of
    voice.
    2016
    UX writing/content design
    Prototyping, coding, microcopy,
    user research, usability and UX.
    2018

    View Slide

  27. More resources
    Books
    ● Content design by Sarah Richards
    ● The design of everyday things by Donald Norman
    Websites
    ● Nielsen Norman Group
    ● Gov design system
    ● Readability guidelines

    View Slide

  28. Sources
    ● Introduction to Content Design by GDS
    ● A simple technique for evaluating content
    ● What is a prototype?
    ● Paper prototyping in practice
    ● We are purple
    ● Dos and don’ts on designing for accessibility
    ● About OXO
    ● Download the government’s design for everyone poster
    ● HMRC accessibility empathy hub
    ● Accessibility webinars from GDS
    ● Click here links are not informative
    ● Error messages: the good, the bad, and the terrible

    View Slide