Transcript Good Usability is Good Accessibility

Good Usability is Good Accessibility
Overview
• What is usability?
• How does Usability relate to Accessibility?
• Usability & Accessibility in e-Government, Ireland
• Using the Usability Process for Accessibility
What is Usability?
•
Usability focuses on making applications and
services easy for people to use.
– Web Sites and Online Applications
– Desktop Software
– Wireless Applications & Services
What Is Accessibility?
• Accessibility focuses on making applications and
services easy for people to use, including those
with impairments.
• Accessibility is a Usability issue
• A component of Usability
Key Usability Idea
• Involve real people
• Include people with impairments
Why Bother?
•
For a wider audience: Increased
– Effectiveness
– Efficiency
– Satisfaction
•
For Designers: A creative challenge
•
For Business: Cost efficient, faster development
E- Government in Ireland
• eEurope initiative
• Government web sites accessible by end 2001.
• National Disability Authority to monitor
standards.
• REACH initiative
Planned Irish Legislation
• Mainstreaming
• “The providers of basic State services will, from
today on, have the concerns of people with
disabilities as part of their core work.”
The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern
• The Disabilities Bill, 2001
Usability in e-Government: Guidelines
• Inter-Departmental Web Publishing Guidelines
• “The key principle underlining accessibility is
that web sites should be easy for everyone to
use, including people with a disability.”
Usability / Accessibility Problems
• What is behind this link?
Here
• Link title makes no sense when read out of
context by a screen reader.
Usability / Accessibility Problems
Usability / Accessibility Problems
• Hyperlinks - Spot the Difference
What’s New
What’s New
• Same title but they point to different places
Usability / Accessibility Problems
Accessibility first steps
• It’s good to use:
- guidelines (WAI, In-house, other)
- validators (Bobby, Wave, other)
• But…
Accessible? Yes. Usable? Maybe…
• “Accessible” doesn’t mean “Usable”
• Automatic test is not a real user.
• No “insight”
Usability problems caused by
• Lack of awareness and insight
– Requirements of real people
– The problems they encounter
• You are not “the user”
How to be Accessible and Easy to Use
• Usability is a process.
• How to use that process for Accessility?
The Usability Process: Include Users
DESIGN
Brief
Task Analysis
Guidelines
Users
Implement
TEST
Users
Validator
Live
Users
An ongoing Process
• Usability is a continual process
– Future Developments
– Maintenance
What are the Benefits?
• Easy to use, Accessible websites
• Better Services for your customers
• More time “Developing” & less time “Fixing”
• Cheaper and faster to do this from the start, than
to repair afterwards
Conclusion
• Guidelines are not users
• Usability involves users in development.
• Include people with impairments in development.
Visit the Usability Infocentre at
www.frontend.com