This article covers the ways in which an interface can be designed and built to be usable, that is, easy to use while requiring minimal instruction or guidance.
A usable interface includes all types of media that can enhance a website. Think for example of any explainer or promotional videos: without subtitles and captions, the usability of the website on the whole is reduced, and the interface is not as user friendly because it is excluding a big chunk of potential users.
The same goes for text accessibility. On any website, text should be enabled for screen readers, so that the site is also usable, useful, and accessible for visually-impaired visitors.
For web accessibility, a usable interface should also be efficient. This means that it should allow users with disabilities to do their tasks quickly and with minimal effort.
Usability, in the context of user interfaces, refers to the ease with which users can interact with and navigate a program, app, game, or online platform to do what they want it to do. The concept includes elements such as design intuitiveness, task completion efficiency, clarity of information, and overall user satisfaction with the experience.
Usability is important in all kinds of media for user engagement and retention. When users find an interface that is easy to use and understand from the first time they use it, they are more likely to continue using the product or service. By contrast, a confusing or frustrating interface can lead to user abandonment and negative reviews.
Any good interface should be centered on the user experience. It should take into account the needs, preferences, and behaviors of the target audience, from the design process to the last testing phase before the product or service is launched.
Inclusive design is at the heart of user experience (UX) design. It champions the creation of products and services that the widest possible range of users can use, regardless of their abilities, age, gender, cultural background, or socio-economic status. This approach goes beyond compliance with accessibility standards to promote equal access and participation for everyone.
In practice, inclusive design involves understanding and incorporating diverse user needs and perspectives. It requires thorough research, with the participation of all types of users in testing and feedback, including deaf and hard of hearing people, and visually impaired people.
Inclusive design is basically a flexible design solution that in turn complies with accessibility standards. For example, to create an e-commerce website, a company might use a website creation platform that follows the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
Beyond those who, because of their special needs, might use a product or service in a different way, such as through assistive technology (hardware that can help people with disabilities to better interact with user interfaces), there are many advantages to designing for accessibility.
For example, having interfaces that are compatible with screen readers and subtitled videos can make a big difference in how many people can benefit from the product or service offered. Usability can indeed enhance accessibility and vice versa: accessibility enhances usability.
It sounds ambitious, but design for all is possible, especially for web content. Usability in web user experience design ensures that digital products and services consider individuals with visual, hearing, motor, and even cognitive impairments.
Depending on the type of web content, users with special needs should be able to use technology in a way that feels natural to them. According to the World Health Organization, over 1 billion people worldwide have some form of disability, and a savvy company would not want to miss out on that potential market.
So how is it done? For users with visual impairments, screen readers, high contrast modes, and alternative text for images (those tags that describe what is on images) are essential. These features allow users to navigate and understand content through audio descriptions and enlarged text. Hearing-impaired users can benefit from closed captions and transcripts, which provide access to audio content.
For motor impairments, alternative input methods (like keyboard navigation or voice commands) may be needed, while clear and plain language with simple layouts can aid all kinds of users, disabled or not.
Language in UX design is as important as the functionality of a web-based product or service. Language must be written so that all users can quickly and easily understand and navigate the interface.
The best way to prevent any issues related to language is to avoid jargon and complex terminology, using descriptive labels and instructions, and organizing content in a logical, clean manner. A user interface should be seen as a form of communication, and much care should be taken in choosing words wisely.
Consistent navigation is also vital to usability and accessibility. A predictable layout, clear signposting (directing users in obvious ways to usual places on the interface), and familiar navigation patterns help users orient themselves within the interface and complete tasks efficiently.
Inconsistent navigation can be disorienting and frustrating. The WCAG guidelines, mentioned above, emphasize the importance of consistent navigation for web accessibility.
Responsive design, which adapts to different screen sizes and devices, is essential for ensuring that user interfaces are accessible on various platforms. Users with disabilities may use different devices, such as smartphones, tablets, or assistive technologies, to access digital content. A responsive design ensures that the interface remains both usable and functional across diverse platforms and operating systems, enabling support across a wide variety of users (and true inclusivity!).
Ensuring that digital products and services are accessible and usable for all, regardless of abilities, requires rigorous testing for both usability and accessibility.
Usability testing centers on evaluating how easily users can navigate and interact with the interface, while accessibility testing examines specifically the experience for users with disabilities. This includes assessing factors mentioned above, such as assistive technology compatibility and alternative text for images.
Regular testing throughout the development process helps identify and address potential problems. The goal is to create a market-ready web product that is inclusive and user-friendly, no matter who uses it.
Gathering user feedback at every stage of content development will help companies create web products that truly meet both needs and expectations, and help ensure the success of a product.
Understanding the perspectives and experiences of all types of users requires several ways of obtaining feedback. It’s not just traditional quality assurance (i.e., usability testing) that will render the most value as the interface is perfected. It’s also different methods that include surveys, focus groups, and observation sessions.
Developers and product managers should actively listen to users not just for feedback but also for innovative ideas that they might not have thought of. Refining features, and ultimately creating a more user-centric product or service should be the goal. Research by the Nielsen Norman Group indicates that even small-scale usability tests can uncover significant issues and lead to substantial improvements.
Incorporating user feedback into design iterations is a fundamental principle of user-centered design. It involves using feedback to ensure, continuously, that the user interface still aligns with user needs and preferences. This iterative process may involve multiple rounds of testing and feedback with a defined frequency, and the idea is that each cycle will lead to improvements in usability and accessibility.
Usability issues might not necessarily be apparent after one round of testing. This is because testing programs may not take into account all possible user journeys. Therefore, a platinum-level usability testing program, one that could possibly guarantee customer engagement and brand loyalty, is a well thought out set of many test scenarios.
Avoiding testing with groups with the same characteristics, and instead using as diverse a tester base as possible, along with facilitator-led (observation sessions) and independent usability testing, and other creative ways of assessing the user experience … that is what renders valuable insights for designers, developers, and product managers.
Designing accessible user interfaces is not just a matter of good practice; it has legal and ethical importance. Numerous laws and regulations around the world impose accessibility for individuals with disabilities, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States and the WCAG internationally. Failing to give priority to accessibility can lead to legal problems and excludes a significant portion of the population.
Regulatory bodies like the U.S. Department of Justice and the European Commission have established guidelines and standards for digital accessibility. Complying with these regulations is both a legal obligation and a reflection of a company's commitment to social responsibility.
Ethically, designers must ensure that their creations are usable by everyone, regardless of their abilities. This involves considering the needs of all kinds of users throughout the design process, from design idea to testing.
The WCAG provides a complete set of guidelines for creating accessible web content. These guidelines outline specific criteria for perceivability (users can receive information through any sense), operability (users can do things with the content), understandability (users can see, read, or hear content and understand it immediately), and robustness (users can expect the web platform to be used without errors).
For instance, content should be perceivable through multiple senses (e.g., text alternatives for images, captions for videos), operable through various input methods (e.g., keyboard navigation, voice commands), and understandable through clear language and predictable layouts. WCAG compliance ensures that websites and applications are accessible to the widest possible audience.
The absence of usability and accessibility can have far-reaching consequences. For individuals with disabilities, it can mean exclusion from essential services, information, and opportunities. For businesses, it can result in loss of customers, negative publicity, and legal challenges. In a broader sense, inaccessible design perpetuates inequality and limits the potential for innovation and social and economic progress.
There are numerous tools and resources that can aid designers, developers, and product managers in the creation of accessible user interfaces. Evaluation tools like WAVE and Axe can automatically check for accessibility issues, while screen readers like JAWS and NVDA simulate the experience that users with visual impairments would have.
UX designers can also leverage resources like the University of Cambridge’s Inclusive Design Toolkit and the A11y Project to learn about best practices and guidelines. Additionally, AI-powered tools, such as automated transcription, subtitling and captioning, can automate many aspects of accessibility testing and error solving.
A useful starting point for many is doing a complete accessibility audit to identify existing barriers and prioritize what needs to be better. This audit can be done with the help of automated tools like the ones mentioned in this section, and evaluating the product against established web accessibility standards.
Following an audit, an accessibility roadmap should be developed, outlining the steps and timelines for solving the problems uncovered in the audit. This roadmap serves as a guide for the design and development teams, ensuring that accessibility remains a priority throughout the process.
Like any other business process, the path to an accessible web UX starts with clear goals, measurable objectives, and assigned responsibilities. Integrating accessibility considerations into the UX design process from the start will save time, resources, and a lot of grief! These considerations should include regular testing, more audits, automated testing, and the oversight of actual users in the disabled communities and those dedicated to creating best practices.
Lastly, designing for accessibility from the start is always a good idea, one that will ensure inclusivity and reduce unexpected costs —as opposed to when it is done after an interface has already been developed.
Happy Scribe is thrilled to announce a new partnership with GALA, The Globalization and Localization Association, where Happy Scribe provides English subtitling services for GALA’s videos in 2024.
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This article covers the ways in which an interface can be designed and built to be usable, that is, easy to use while requiring minimal instruction or guidance.
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