Disability-inclusive designs
It’s a common misconception that designing for disabilities will harm a design’s aesthetics. But when done right, it can actually improve usability for everyone—without compromising appearance.
Another misconception is that certain audiences, particularly younger ones, don’t need disability-inclusive designs. The problem with this thinking is that anyone can experience a disability at any point in life, regardless of age or whether they were born with it.
Here, we’ll explore three main categories of disabilities in the context of inclusive design:
Types of disabilities
- Permanent disabilities: These are the long-term impairments we most commonly associate with disability, such as blindness, deafness, or colour blindness.
- Temporary disabilities: Conditions like a broken arm, recovery from surgery, or temporary hearing loss due to infection limit a person’s abilities only for a short period.
- Situational disabilities: These arise in specific contexts, such as not having earphones on a noisy train.
Even if you decide not to optimise for the 16+ million people in the UK who have had a disability for over 12 months (you should, because they are your audience), keep in mind that temporary and situational disabilities mean far more users will require additional support than you might expect.
Ever been on public transport and left your earphones at home? Video captions on? Yes, please.
Ever had a broken arm, or been carrying something, making you use your phone with one hand? Intuitive, large buttons? Yes, please.
Designing for disability
Given the different types of disabilities and the large number of users who will need some extra considerations, there are many things we can do to offer support. Let’s go over some do’s and don’ts.
What you should not do
These are common usability issues we frequently encounter across company websites, social media, and branding:
Do not:
- Use vague link texts like “read more”
- Add important text as images only
- Use clickable elements smaller than 45px
- Hide field labels when the user starts typing
- Use content that moves or flashes excessively
- Rely on colours alone to visualise “good” and “bad”
- Upload videos with essential audio without providing subtitles
What you should do
Please:
- Include focus/hover indicators on clickable elements
- Add all important content as screen reader-friendly text
- Make your website keyboard-friendly for easier navigation
- Use descriptive link texts, such as “Learn more about our services”
- Make sure all elements are large enough to see (while respecting white space)
- View your text at the intended screen size and landscape to ensure readability
- Ensure colours have good contrast (test this by setting your device to greyscale)
… both lists could go on, so if you’re interested in more do’s and don’ts for inclusive design, feel free to email monika@healthy-pixels.com. If you reach out during Invisible Disabilities Week (October 20–26, 2024), we’ll even include a free website audit with a focus on accessibility.
Closing thoughts
While you may not have given this much thought before, we encourage you to review your current branding and digital assets to ensure that as many users as possible can intuitively interact with them. Not only will this make life easier for those who need it, but it will also enhance usability for everyone else.
If this task seems overwhelming, why not schedule a call to discuss how Healthy Pixels can help? By making your platforms more accessible to all, you’ll also enjoy the added benefit of a stronger reputation.
book free call now
Come back next week for more insights into how we approach web accessibility at Healthy Pixels, along with other aspects of inclusive design for invisible disabilities.
