Last class focused on Plain Language, which is a movement about the style of writing for certain situations, especially high stakes and unfamiliar situations.
Today's class focuses on accessibility.
Both relate to rhetorical canons. Both implicate style and delivery. Plain language is more interested in style, while accessibility relates to the delivery component of the rhetorical canon.
Today's assigned texts and activities correspond to objectives from Project 2:
Make observations about strengths and limitations of existing documentation (e.g., definitions, descriptions, instruction, plain language, risk communication, visuals, accessibility) based on analysis of text, visuals, and/or video, and grounded in premises about technical writing
Meaningful, accessibile designs depend on all modes being accessible to users.
Accessibility can often be relegated to the end of a design cycle, but should be part of thinking from the beginning.
Accessibility helps disabled readers and users
Accessibility ALSO helps able-bodied readers and users
Colorblindness
May affect a reader's ability to discern if there is text on a page, read that text, and interpret other visual information
Use patterns to create contrast;
Keep color palette simple, using a maximum of three colors;
Pay special attention to contrast; and
Do not rely on color alone to communicate important information.
Dyslexia
Makes it difficult to learn to read and write words, letters, and symbols, and can interfere with language and the ability to read, write, and speak
Choose fonts that work better for those with dyslexia (such as Verdana)
Ensure that the text can easily be changed to a more readable font by the user (Zhu et al.).
Avoid font styles that are known to be difficult for those with dyslexia to read (such as Arial Italics or other italics and serif fonts)
Assistive Device Compatibility
Assistive Devices are devices that help a user to perform a task that would otherwise be inaccessible
Use backend properties (also called “metadata” or information about a document that identify it) to tag your document with vital information for readers;
Arrange information in a logical way;
Make strategic arrangement decisions, using headings, lists, and meaningful hyperlinks; and
Don’t get fancy with symbols and punctuation.
Alternative Text (Alt Text)
Use the “show, don’t tell” principle.
See if your alt text can pass “the yellow test.”
Gauge the purpose and aim of the image in relation to the project.
One way that I’ve seen the content of the reading come up in a real-world example is with poster making. I’m an RA and often have to make posters for upcoming events around the dorm. At the start of the year, we talked about how to make these posters accessible to everyone, including some of the recommendations of these readings. For example, I always try to create contrast and emphasize important information, balancing making the poster readable and visually appealing. I also try to make the font large enough and readable for a wide audience. This benefits everyone since most people are looking at these posters in passing, so contrast and readable text is important for all groups of people.
I've helped develop an app before during an internship which took a database and did some meta analysis on it. In this app we didn't really consider accessibility and mainly focused on the functionality of it. We received some feedback later on about how it was difficult to navigate through the app for a color-blind person and suggested a color-blind mode. I think this is a real-world example of how accessibility is an after-thought rather than an integral part of the design process. We probably should've included some user testing and accessibility research as part of the design process rather than as an afterthought like the text mentioned then this problem could've been avoided before it happened.
I found a lot of similarities between the reading and things we see even in programs such as Canvas. Programs such as this use many different features in order to make sure that information and learning are accessible to all students. There is a button at the top of the screen while writing this that allows me to change the format of this text to anything I may need, even Braile or other languages. Canvas and other programs also primarily use things such as alternative text, transcripts for videos, even functions to change text in order to help with colorblindness or dyslexia. This was especially important for the occurrence of COVID as it put many students and learners at home, away from resources that were typically used for accessibility, Molloy's emphasis on acesssible design would agree here on the importance of the shift for everyone during this time, as it could have been over looked.
How can we make accessibility something people think about from the start instead of following the rules later?
How does prioritizing accessibility influence creativity in designing educational games and other interactive projects?
How might physical manuals, as opposed to digital manuals, be limiting when it comes to accessibility?
Share your responses. Also consider the question: To what extent did you account for accessibility and disability in designing your user personas and user groups for Project 2? How might you continue to account for disability and accessible design in your future work?
Select one of the existing pieces of documentation, or select a different text your group agrees upon. If you prefer, you might select a website for an organization, company, or product your group agrees upon.
Hario V60 dripper (Birtu, Kathan, Kira)
Aeropress Coffee Maker-Original (Kyle, Kira)
Bialetti Moka Induction Moka Pot (Lucas, Ethan, Kathan, Liam)
Bodum French Press (George, Milo, Henry, Liam)
Black and Decker 12-Cup Programmable Coffee maker (Anabelle, Esperanza, Kosuke)
1ZPresso JX-Pro manual grinder
Niche Zero electric grinder
Bonavita 1L gooseneck variable electric kettle
Fellow Tally Pro scale
Make 3-5 elements from the documentation that relate to accessibility. These should be specific observations, not holistic judgments about the accessibility or inaccessibility of the documentation.
What are some possible ethical consequences of not making the document accessible?
Assess how effectively the document adhere to Molloy's recommendations for colorblindness, dyslexia, assistive device compatibility, and alternative text.
Share your work with me.
Develop 3 recommendations to improve the accessibility of the documentation.