Many factors influence decision-making when producing websites, applications, and apps. In many cases, decision-making is focused on addressing the values of the producer, and the most important factor is overlooked: the consumer. People are loyal to products and services that satisfy their needs and provide content and features that they value. Providing a good user experience benefits both consumer and producer. In this session we will look at user experience broadly, and then through the lens of accessibility, as a way of bringing into focus the value of providing accessible and enjoyable user experiences. Presented as part of Harvard's Digital Content Connect, June 12, 2014: http://hwpi.harvard.edu/digital-content-connect

1. What Is User Experience and
Why Does It Matter?
Sarah Horton
Director of Accessible User Experience and Design
The Paciello Group

2. Topics
• A Basis for User Experience
• Introduction to Accessible User Experience
• Methods for User-Centered Design

3. A Basis for User Experience
Harvard Web Publishing and concern for users

5. To create a robust and effective web
publishing framework, composed of a
software platform, user experience design
and content strategy, service delivery, and
governance, that will support FAS and CA
department needs and build toward a
more unified and usable experience of
Harvard online.
To create a robust and effective web
publishing framework, composed of a
software platform, user experience design
and content strategy, service delivery, and
governance, that will support FAS and CA
department needs and build toward a
more unified and usable experience of
Harvard online.

6. IA and UX Tasks
• Define common wayfinding
• Define common information architecture
• Design a global header and footer
• Design site and section navigation

12. To create a robust and effective web
publishing framework, composed of a
software platform, user experience design
and content strategy, service delivery, and
governance, that will support FAS and CA
department needs and build toward a
more unified and usable experience of
Harvard online.
To create a robust and effective web
publishing framework, composed of a
software platform, user experience design
and content strategy, service delivery, and
governance, that will support FAS and CA
department needs and build toward a
more unified and usable experience of
Harvard online.

14. Drivers for decision making
• Lack of time and resources to change
• Familiarity with the current approach
• Affinity for a certain aesthetic
• Desire to look different and stand out

15. But...…
What about
users?

16. Introduction to Accessible UX
Accessible user experience demo and discussion

17. By concentrating solely on the bulge at the
center of the bell curve we are more likely
to confirm what we already know than
learn something new and surprising.
Tim Brown, Change By Design

19. Demo
Where am I and what can I do here?

20. Equitable Use
Provide the same means of use for all users:
identical whenever possible;
equivalent when not
From Principles of Universal Design, http://www.ncsu.edu/ncsu/design/cud/about_ud/udprinciplestext.htm

23. Methods for User-Centered Design
Personas, Scenarios, and Inquiry

24. The easiest thing about the search for
insight… is that it’s everywhere and it’s free.
Tim Brown, Change By Design

25. Personas
Thinking about users

26. Trevor
Ability: Autism Spectrum Disorder. Uses
larger text and a program that hides
everything but the text, so he doesn’t get
distracted
Aptitude: Uses the computer well for
games, but doesn’t learn new sites easily
Attitude: Prefers familiar sites in an
established routine
When I can learn
the pattern, I can
find my way.

27. Scenarios
Understanding user journeys

33. Trevor is glad his family lives in Boston where he can get
around on his own. He uses the bus and subway extensively.
He likes the mobile apps because he knows how to use them,
and they don’t have a lot of distracting clutter. Catch the T and
Catch the Bus are the best. He hardly ever uses the MBTA
website—he doesn’t like it. Once he tried to use it to plan a
trip on the commuter rail. He barely got past the first screen
because of all the animations. When he did find the right
section there were so many options and they were all so
detailed. He tried the Trip Planner but ended up getting
sidetracked by the map. In the end, he didn’t go.

34. Inquiry
Asking questions, listening, observing

35. Logistics
• 9 people over 2 days
• Sessions lasting ½ to 1 hour
• Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL)
and the MBTA Office for System-Wide
Accessibility

36. Perspectives
• Low vision
• Large monitor, ZoomText, large type, high-contrast mode
• Blind
• JAWS, VoiceOver
• Deaf
• Captions
• Limited mobility and dexterity
• Dragon

37. Topics
• Issues people encounter when working with
the MBTA website
• Suggested areas of focus for improving
accessibility

38. Several people commented that there is a lot going on with the
site, which can make it difficult to use for everyone, but
especially for people with vision impairments. One participant
does not use the site because it’s too busy, and “things jump
around.” Another can’t use her preferred mode of large text
because the site is not designed to be flexible, and adapt to
large fonts—when she enlarges the font, things get “jumbled.”
Another prefers to look at the print preview of the itinerary
page because it is less cluttered than the main page.

40. Discussion
What can you do right away to bring users into
decision-making?

41. Thank you!
shorton@paciellogroup.com
@gradualclearing