Creating an inclusive and accessible experience means that we are able to build connections with as many people as possible. Not only does it reduce barriers and improve access, but it also supports social inclusion for everyone.
Unfortunately in tech, accessibility is sometimes an afterthought. Technical teams often focus on the largest possible audience, because it can be daunting to think through the sheer number of requirements needed to make an app accessible to everyone. Accessibility and inclusion shouldn’t be thought of as a separate set of requirements… the more we try to understand these issues on a daily basis, the more naturally accessible thinking will come to us.
Even though it would be ideal to make every app and interaction accessible to everyone, there are small things we can do in our everyday lives to improve accessibility. Below I’ll list 5 small things that everyone can do to create a more inclusive world today… whether you’re building an app or just using the internet in your day-to-day life.
1. Capitalize your #HashTags
Using camel case to capitalize individual words in your hashtags means that screen readers (often used by people with visual impairments) can read your hashtag as actual words instead of a jumbled mess. It also helps anyone who has trouble easily identifying the patterns and relationships between words, such as people with dylexia or differences in cognitive abilities.
Using proper capitalization in hashtags is a best practice that benefits everyone. #thisissuperhardtoread but #ThisIsEasierToRead
2. Add alt text to images
When you use an image in an app or social media post, include descriptive text (alt text) so that screen readers can read the description to visually impaired users. Without it, people using screen readers don’t get the full impact of your image.
This isn’t just good for people using screen readers: If you’re building a website, it’s great for SEO. It also gives descriptive text when an image doesn’t load due to slow internet.
There are some great resources on how to use good descriptions in alt text. And fortunately, social media platforms are making it easier than ever to add text to images – there are several articles where you can learn how to add it.
3. Add captions to videos
According to research in the UK, 80% of people who use closed captions on videos do it for reasons other than hearing loss. Whether it’s on TikTok or embedded in apps, making sure that captions are included on videos can allow more people to enjoy the content you’ve worked hard to create.
4. Use visual cues instead of relying strictly on color
We often think of red as bad, green as good. Red means stop, green means go. But what if you have trouble distinguishing between these colors? In that case, if only green and red are presented as options, you won’t be able to tell what to do next.
Instead of relying strictly on color, use visual cues like icons and words to let people what to do next. In our redesign of the SPENDiD app, we changed an output from having a red-yellow-green color indicator to using a graph for added clarity. This change performed better in usability testing even with users who did not experience visual processing differences.
5. Consider Gender
Gender expression is so important, and there are an almost infinite variety of ways to express your gender. There are so many ways that we can support varied gender expression online, but as a start, we can take two actions:
If you’re asking people for their gender – whether it’s in an app or in a quick survey you’re conducting – first ask yourself if it is really important to collect that information at all. We tend to think of it as a basic demographic but… is it? Should someone’s experience in your app be different based on their gender expression? Should someone need to share their gender to interact with you?
Another way to be more inclusive is to always try to include pronouns, even if you identify as cisgender. It can help to normalize the use of pronouns for everyone. Several platforms now make it easier than ever to share your pronouns seamlessly – from Zoom to LinkedIn to Twitter. You can also add them to your email signature. And if you’re building an app with a profile feature, giving people a variety of ways to share their pronouns can promote inclusion.
Want to talk more about inclusive design? We’d love to! Contact us for more.
