Lecture Notes: Designing for Accessibility and Inclusion

Introduction to Interaction Design

• Speaker: Shabby, Interaction Designer at Google
• Focus on scaling accessibility across Google's design systems
• Personal journey:
  • Initially unsure about career path
  • Interest in technology and its societal impact
  • Passion for creating products for marginalized communities
  • Experience as a UX design intern focusing on products for people with chronic pain

User-Centered Design Frameworks

• User-centered design: Meeting user needs
• Evolution of UX design frameworks over time
• Introduction to three key design frameworks: Universal Design, Inclusive Design, Equity-Focused Design

Universal Design

• Definition: Creating one product for the widest range of abilities and situations
• Approach: One-size-fits-all
• Issues: Loss of effectiveness, exclusion despite intentions
• Analogy: One-size-fits-all hat doesn't fit everyone

Inclusive Design

• Definition: Design choices considering personal identifiers (ability, race, economic status, language, age, gender)
• Approach: Solve for one, extend to many
• Process: Inclusive research and design involving traditionally excluded populations
• Aim: Build accessible experiences for the widest range of abilities
• Focus: No "normal" or target audience in design
• Accessibility:
  • Designing for disabilities
  • Part of inclusive design

Equity-Focused Design

• Definition: Designing for historically underrepresented or ignored groups
• Distinction between Equality and Equity:
  • Equality: Same opportunities for all
  • Equity: Different levels of support for fair outcomes
• Illustration explanation:
  • Equality: Same-sized boxes for all, unequal outcomes
  • Equity: Different-sized boxes for fair outcomes
• Real-world application:
  • Identify unserved groups by a product
  • Build design focusing on underrepresented groups

Final Thoughts

• Design approaches (universal, inclusive, equity-focused) address underrepresentation
• Importance of accessibility, inclusive and equity-focused design in education and industry
• Encouragement to understand and implement these concepts in design careers
• Upcoming applications and practice in implementing these ideas