A Simple Framework for Accessibility Success (part two)
By: Todd Chambers
Tags: Accessible Design, UX Design, Accessibility, Inclusivity, Customer Experience

Designing with an inclusive mindset must become a part of our mission. It’s not simply nice to have; it’s core to our product design ethos

Just as we did in the previous session, we’ll use questions as prompts. Answer them honestly. And when no answer is immediately at hand, take that as a cue to explore the topic further. Return to it only when you’re prepared to answer it. Remember, we’re erecting the scaffolding that will allow us to handle the hard work to come.

Question One: Does everyone understand the importance of accessible design and the level of commitment involved?

At this point, you should expect that everyone on the team is aware of the general concept of accessibility. They should know why it’s important and the powerful impact it can have on our customers and our business.

But they may not fully understand the amount of work they’ve signed up for. Now is the time for complete honesty. Making our products and services accessible to everyone is a complex process. It’s going to require time, patience, training, and augmented processes.

The team is going to need details if they are to move ahead with confidence. They’ll need to know how adopting this commitment to accessibility design will impact them as individual contributors.

They may ask questions such as:

How much additional work will be involved? Will I be allowed additional time to complete the new tasks? How will changes to the process impact my workflow? Will we need new teams? New leaders? What happens when we encounter roadblocks? Who can we rely on to champion our cause?

Consider publishing and socializing the details of your new commitment to both the team and the larger organization. This provides three advantages. It ensures everyone is on the same page; it boosts the team’s confidence knowing that the organization as a whole will be aware of the work; and finally, it allows people outside the team to advocate and contribute in ways you may not have anticipated.

To further increase focus and accountability, establish goals and metrics. Make it clear upfront what success looks like. Whether it’s a better WCAG compliance score, more page views, or decreased complaints to the customer care center, metrics are a great way to measure your progress and rally the team around a unified vision of the future.

Question Two: Do we accept the new mission of designing accessible products?

Understanding something and accepting it is not the same thing. If you are going to build inclusive products that create real value for your customers, you have to not only understand what’s required, you have to commit to the outcome.

This is the crux of the Adoption phase of our framework. Fully accepting the mission allows us to embrace hard work, sacrifices, and setbacks. It’s our opportunity to plant our team flag firmly on new ground and begin connecting to a greater cause.

Below are a few exercises you can use to make sure everyone is devoted to seeing the project’s vision come into focus.

Be like NASA ~ create an accessibility patch: This exercise is both engaging and enlightening. Get the team together to crystalize the accessibility mission into a single statement. Then, ask the team to transform that statement into a visual representation. At NASA, no mission begins without a patch and it’s the astronauts headed into space who are responsible for designing it. This is not an art contest but rather a powerful effort in both understanding and communicating the prime objective. Craft an accessibility statement: You’ll want one of these for our website or application and creating it now instead of as an afterthought allows it to double as a unifying device. Make sure it includes the details and power-packed keywords needed to keep you focused throughout the design and development lifecycle. You can use this tool to help you get started. Update scope documents and client contracts to reflect these new requirements: If the paperwork doesn’t already contain specific language that holds the team responsible for delivering an accessible product, go now and include it. This may seem counterintuitive, but creating a point of no return (PNR) can be a powerful motivator. The Spanish commander, Hernán Cortés epitomizes this approach when in 1519 AD he scuttled and burned his ships upon arriving in Mexico, giving his crew no option of retreat. Draft a preemptive PR release: Visualize the successful launch of your product and now, before even beginning, write the promotion copy you’ll be sending to the press. Doing this in advance is a great way to ensure everyone can see the future and share accountability for seeing it through the messy middle.

Question Three: Who ultimately owns the commitment to accessibility?

A simple question, but one you want to answer before proceeding. The old adage “if it’s everyone’s job, it’s no one’s job” certainly applies here.