Design Principles
Our approach to the design and analysis in this document is rooted in the principles often called: Human-Centered
Design (HCD).
As an outlook that places people at its core, we believe HCD aligns perfectly with the goals of accessibility. This method of design prioritizes empathy, collaboration, and user empowerment, which aligns with
our mission to generate accessibility solutions that meet the diverse needs of various human individuals. Our understanding of HCG requires us to minimize technological configuration tasks and maximize each individual's ability to read and interact with actual content—not the application (or browser) chrome.
Among various design terminologies linked with accessibility such as
universal design
and inclusive design,
HCD sets itself apart due to some
specific distinct attributes, such as:
- A focus on Individual Needs: HCD underscores the importance of comprehending
the unique needs, preferences, and behaviors of individual users. It
acknowledges that effective design solutions must address the broad
spectrum of the human experience, catering to the specific requirements of
different individuals. At the same time our goal is to allow individual users to focus on the features that assist them without needing to endlessly scroll through features that are the needs of other individuals.
- User Empowerment: Central to the HCD approach is the active involvement of
users throughout the design process. This approach appreciates their
expertise, insights, and encourages co-creation, thereby fostering a sense
of ownership and agency over the final outcome. As an example, in developing this document we actively solicit the input of individuals on whose behalf we endeavor to quantify and describe useful accessibility features. As with all W3C documents, transparency and wide public review are core values.
Our design philosophy does not merely aim for inclusivity; instead, it
strives to create meaningful experiences that significantly enhance the
lives of the people we serve. A successful application of HCD manifests not
just in broad-reaching accessibility, but in generating rich, meaningful,
and transformative experiences for the user.
Furthermore, HCD endeavors to build a comprehensive understanding of the
end user, transcending the confines of mere accessibility. It delves into
the emotional, cognitive, and social dimensions of the human experience,
with a commitment to design solutions that resonate on a profoundly
personal level.
Our commitment to HCD is woven throughout our efforts to ensure
accessibility. In prioritizing a user's individual needs and emphasizing
their active involvement in the design process, we believe we can create a
more accessible and inclusive digital environment. By employing HCD, we
hope to deliver a seamless, enjoyable experience for all users, that is
more than just accessible - it is truly human-centered.
Roles & Responsibilities
The capabilities discussed in this document were originally organized under two primary categories with several subcategories under each primary section conforming with client-server architecture, the backbone of all digital transactions and interactions that take place over the web. These roles are still important to note, so we have preserved our analysis in this Appendix. The primary categories are:
- Capabilities the end user can (or should) be able to control fully.
- Capabilities which are necessarily controlled by the content provider even though they can profoundly affect the accessibility experience.
The Content Provider, analogous to the server, plays the pivotal role of specifying and delivering diverse forms of digital content ranging from text, images, audio, video, to interactive elements. They curate the experiences that users consume and engage with, thereby shaping the digital landscape.
A selection of some primary Content Provider roles:
| Role |
Description |
| Author |
Responsible for generating the primary content, be it text, script for audio/video, or conceptual outlines for interactive elements. |
| Designer |
Work on the aesthetic aspects of the content including the layout, color scheme, typography, and visual elements. They also handle the user interface and user experience design for interactive content. |
| Product Owner |
Oversee the overall content creation and distribution project, make key decisions and coordinate between different teams to ensure the final product meets its intended objectives. |
| Developer |
Implement the designs into functional code. They work on the website or application where the content will be hosted, ensuring its responsive, functional, and accessible. Some write proprietary algorithms, but most call and configure frameworks and libraries written by communities of coders. |
| Marketer |
Oversee and implement the marketing strategy for the content. They coordinate marketing campaigns and work closely with other teams to ensure the content reaches the desired audience. Growth marketers utilize data-driven marketing techniques to help the business expand its customer base. They use various strategies and tools to attract, engage, and retain users driving critical website requirements. |
On the other end of the spectrum is the End User, or the client, who experiences this digital content. End users span a wide range, varying in their demographic, cognitive, and physical attributes. They also bring to the table their unique needs, preferences, and accessibility requirements. It is for these users that content providers shape their digital content and experiences, with or without the knowledge that the user'
s own hardware and software may render it in ways the Content Provider never imagined.
Content sites are inherently dynamic; they are assembled for the end-user in a mashup, a unique blend of content that can vary significantly from user to user. A selection of some of the hardware, software, tools and technologies that participate in this edge activity include:
| Technology |
Description |
| User-Agent (Browser) |
Interprets and presents web content to the end user. Different browsers may render web content in slightly different ways due to their different rendering engines. |
| Assistive Technology |
Devices or software applications that assist individuals with disabilities or impairments. This could include screen readers, alternative input devices, and voice recognition software. |
| Browser Extension |
An add-on or plugin that extends the functionality of a web browser. Could alter the appearance of web content, block advertisements, or add additional features to a webpage. Includes mashup tools or web services that combine content from more than one source into a single integrated experience. These can greatly modify the original content and how it is presented to the user. |
| OS or Software Application |
A program or group of programs running on the local operating system. Applications can vary drastically in purpose, from productivity apps to entertainment apps, and can influence how digital content is accessed and interacted with. |
| Video/Audio System |
Hardware and software components that control the output of video and sound. |
| Content Delivery Network |
Store copies of web content in various locations around the world to reduce the physical distance between the server and the user, improving site performance. This intermediary, typically invisible to the end user, plays a critical role in delivery and updating of digital content, as well as authenticating users. |
This two-poled digital communication model is not a one-way broadcast, but a dynamic conversation. Feedback from end users can influence and improve the content generated by providers, while content providers continuously adapt their strategies based on user behavior and needs. The feedback loops become more complex as edge technologies come into play.
My Site, Their Service
Third party services not hosted by the Content Provider, providing services in support of the Content Provider's value proposition. Typically invoked by JavaScript or the Content Delivery Network, they meet the planned needs of end users.
- Source
- They typical website today is a platform for interaction, a space where an organization meets its customers. End users expect a broad range of services that are likely outside the core competency of the site owner. A company cannot become jack-of-all-trades and master of none. Build or buy decisions, when executed well, can mean the difference between success of failure for a business. Just as most companies don't build the buildings they inhabit or the elevators that operate within, they do not program the intricate digital services required on their websites such as GDPR cookie handling, chatbots, or shopping carts. Procurement can request accessibility conformance statements from services as a gating decision point to include them on the page or not.
- Trade-offs
- Companies relinquish some control when they host functions via third parties. But their responsibility is to verify the accessibility of these services.
- Benefit
- Given the bewildering range of possible experiences with all these third party plugins operating, the edge becomes the only place where a proper validation can occur.
- Automatability
-
Does Not Apply
- Related Topics
-
This is closely related to
Having Knowledge and Skills
and What Only The Edge Knows For Sure
.
Having Sufficient Knowledge & Skills
Accessibility is a complex subject, and approaches differ per role. Suitably trained designers, brand owners, marketing managers, software developers and quality assurance are difficult to hire and retain.
- Source
- The most accessible organizations are those with a deep and robust culture around accessibility. Every role is aware and trained in the topic. In addition, persons with disabilities are involved as well.
- Trade-offs
- Offloading accessibility knowledge may mean the organization will never reach the attitude and approach expected as a low bar of accessibility: including people with disabilities.
- Benefit
- Like any complex topic, organizations are wide to hire experts and give them the latitude to fix things. Since providing access to digital assets at source is a security risk, allowing the accessibility provider to fix things at the edge is a sound decision.
- Automatability
-
In some cases
- Related Topics
-
Knowledge and skills are a primary driver behind
My Site, Their Service
.
What Only The Edge Knows For Sure
While some rare web pages may yet serve up a single experience like a short order cook handing over a hamburger, most are like the food court at a shopping mall with many independent services rallying to the end user's needs. Content providers pack their pages with services such as cookie permissions, chat, payment gateways, user-generated reviews, and most prolifically advertisements. Whether these mashups are accessible can only ever be discovered by evaluating the end user's experience.
Content providers today may guess at an end user's actual experience by testing a few carefully chosen scenarios. Large organizations may do better and arrange focus groups that give a glimpse of the actual experience of a few users at one moment in time. However the larger a web presence to be tested is, the more impossible it is to test all possible scenarios prospectively.
Edge technologies, on the other hand, are actually well positioned to
identify, quantify, and report on precisely those accessibility challenges
that end users are experiencing. Furthermore, far more end user experiences can be evaluated and reported by edge technologies than
human testing could ever cover. Gathering and reporting many samples to upstream end points is
arguably the most efficient way to spot anomalous patterns (and a great
application for A-I analysis). Source can only impute what the edge can confidently demonstrate. Regardless the testing approach, only the edge knows for sure whether any particular web content experience can be called accessible.
