Slides from Create Upstate May 16, 2014. Allies are motivated to make design choices by the people those choices serve. Although not perfect, simulations are experiential and can help designers gain tangible insight into the range of needs, experiences, and abilities of the people they design for – their audiences both on and off the screen. I challenge designers to use their design powers for access and not unintended gatekeeping.

1. Design
Like an
ally
a PSA by
Rebecca Mushtare

2. al·ly [n. al-ahy]
(1) a supporter; (2) friend; (3) helper;
(4) a person, or group, that is associated
with one another for a common purpose.
antonyms: enemy; foe; adversary

3. who needs
an ally?

4. Employed graphic designers
account for .06% of the US
population. We can’t design just for ourselves.
<design>
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consecte-
tur adipiscing elit. Proin posuere turpis a
neque feugiat, sit amet rhoncus sapien eu-
ismod. Aenean.
</design>
Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2012: 27-1024 Graphic Designers
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes271024.htm

5. children
75% 66%
Zero to Eight: Children’s Media Use in America 2013
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/zero-to-eight-2013.pdf
Always Connected: The New Digital Media Habits of Young Children
http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/jgcc_alwaysconnected.pdf

6. teens
74% 93%
Teens & Technology 2013
http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/03/13/teens-and-technology-2013/

7. millenials
97% 89%
The Web at 25 in the US
http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/02/27/the-web-at-25-in-the-u-s/
ages 18-29

8. gen-X
93% 86%
The Web at 25 in the US
http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/02/27/the-web-at-25-in-the-u-s/
ages 30-49

9. boomers
88% 84%
The Web at 25 in the US
http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/02/27/the-web-at-25-in-the-u-s/
ages 50-65

10. seniors
57% 56%
The Web at 25 in the US
http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/02/27/the-web-at-25-in-the-u-s/
ages 65+

11. 18-29 30-49 50-65 65+
News
Email
Search
Health Info
Buy Product
Government Site
Travel Reservations
News
Email
Search
Banking
Health Info
Buy Product
Watch Video
Social Network
Government Site
Travel Reservations
IM
News
Email
Music
Search
Banking
Health Info
Buy Product
Watch Video
Social Network
Government Site
Travel Reservations
IM
News
Email
Music
Search
Gaming
Banking
Health Info
Buy Product
Watch Video
Social Network
Government Site
Travel Reservations
Generations 2010: What Different Generations Do Online
http://www.pewinternet.org/2010/12/16/generations-2010-what-different-generations-do-online/

12. WW
Only 54% of those with a
disability use the internet.
1 in 5
Americans
&
1 in 2
seniors citizens
have a disability
Americans Living with Disability and Their Technology Profile
http://www.pewinternet.org/2011/01/21/americans-living-with-disability-and-their-technology-profile/
Americans with Disabilities 2010
https://www.census.gov/people/disability/publications/sipp2010.html

13. operable
understandable robust
perceivable

14. Visual
auditory cognitive
motor

15. a
motorArthritis is the most
common cause of
disability in the US.
9.8% of adults have an
arthritis related disease
that limits activity.
Arthritis Related Statics
http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/data_statistics/arthritis_related_stats.htm#6

16. Ta
simulation 1
Tape knuckles of thumb, pointer
non-dominant hand to navigate
tablet and desktop computer.
motor

17. “Sip and puff device attached to eSlate electronic voting machine” by Intel Free Press
All Rights Reserved
“Jelly Bean Twist” by AbleNet Inc
All Rights Reserved
One handed Keyboard” by Ken Flannery
All Rights Reserved
Screenshot from Assistive Technology in Action - Meet Elle by FCTD Video
“Alternative Input: Joystick” by cobalt123
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License

18. Ta
simulation 2
Navigate digital media with only the
keyboard. Be one with the tab and
enter keys.
Have a PC? Experiment with a
vision controlled mouse using the
free CameraMouse software.
http://www.cameramouse.org/index.html
motor

20. Ta
auditory9% of Americans have
Americans Living with Disability and Their Technology Profile
http://www.pewinternet.org/2011/01/21/americans-living-with-disability-and-their-technology-profile/

21. Ta
simulation 1
Use cotton balls or ear plugs to
simulate hearing loss while watch-
ing online video or listening to on-
line audio.
auditory

22. a
cognitive16% of Americans 16+
have a cognitive disability.
11% say that they have
remembering or making
decisions.
Americans Living with Disability and Their Technology Profile
http://www.pewinternet.org/2011/01/21/americans-living-with-disability-and-their-technology-profile/
Cognitive Disabilities and the Web: Where Accessibility and Usability Meet?
http://ncdae.org/resources/articles/cognitive/

23. Ta
simulation 1
Use WebAim’s distraction simula-
tor to experience cognitive overload
and the confusion and disorientation
that accompanies it.
http://webaim.org/simulations/distractability-sim.html
cognitive

24. a
visual7% of Americans have
10% of men have a form
of color blindness.
Americans Living with Disability and Their Technology Profile
http://www.pewinternet.org/2011/01/21/americans-living-with-disability-and-their-technology-profile/
ADAM Medical Encyclopedia: Color Blindness
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001997/

25. Ta
simulation 1
Use NoCoffee Extension for Google
Chrome to explore various visual
impairments including low vision,
mascular degeneration and color
blindness.
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/nocoffee/jjeeg-
gmbnhckmgdhmgdckeigabjfbddl/related
visual

27. a
visual
simulation 2
Create simulation glasses -- all you
need is safety glasses and clear
and black nailpolish.

28. Ta
simulation 3
Use Chromatic Vision Simulator App
and VisionSim on your mobile de-
vice to simulate vision impairments
in the physical world.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chromatic-vision-simulator/
id389310222?mt=8
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/visionsim-by-braille-institute/
id525114829?mt=8
visual

29. Ta
simulation 4
Experiment with navigating the web
or your computer using a screen
reader.
NVDA (Windows): www.nvaccess.org/download/
Voice Over(Mac): www.apple.com/accessibility/osx/voiceover/
visual

30. Design responsibly.

31. Digital Simulation Tools
• No Coffee Chrome Extension
• Vision Sim (iOS App)
• Chromatic Vision Simulator (iOS App)
• Slowy App
!
Digital Testing Tools
• Web Developer Chrome Extension
• WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool
!
Designed for Access
• VoiceOver (Mac) *or NVDA (Windows)*
• Camera Mouse (PC)*
• Braille Touch (iOS App)
• Verbally (iOS App)
• Color ID (iOS App)
• OpenWeb Dyslexia Browser (iOS App)
• Readability (iOS App)
• Clearly Chrome Extension
• Silver Surf (iOS App)
• Magnifying Glass with Light (iOS)
!
Further Reading
• WebAim (web)
• A Web For Everyone (Book)
• Accessibility Simulations (Google Doc) @cyberthread