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About this talk
Close to 13% of the world's population are faced with some form of disability. This means that many people cannot access our websites and web tools with real ease as others.
Complicating things, there is a rise of self-taught developers who fail to learn key fundamental topics like accessibility. This leads to the creation of many websites and web tools that excludes those who are differently-abled.
Web accessibility is crucial. It helps us build while being intentional and deliberate in building for the margins. Building for the margins ensures we take everyone and their abilities into consideration. This makes sure the needs of everyone are catered for, a 'tide that lifts all boats' situation.
With the help of accessibility guidelines and tools to test and fix accessibility issues, it is possible to build more inclusive web products.
Accessibility promotes inclusivity and lets those of us who are usually excluded feel cared for and considered.
Talk Recording
Slides
π Comment below and ask me questions β I might just answer them during my live speaker discussion!
About me
Hi! I'm Clifford Ouma β an undergrad student at Moi University in Kenya. I'm a front-end web developer, a User Experience Designer in training, and an introvert who strives to show empathy and understanding in everything I do. I consider myself a champion for tech communities and enjoy taking part in community-building to foster connection, learning, and growth β both in terms of skills and growth in network and experience.
This on-demand talk is part of CodeLand 2022 β a virtual conference brought to you by CodeNewbie & DEV on June 16 & 17, 2022.
Latest comments (42)
Hi @codenewbiestaff π ππΌ Just wondering if the Panel chat with Ramon and Clifford is available on demand? Apparently they discussed a question I asked on the discord (but then slept through - damn time difference) so I am super keen to listen to it βΊοΈ Thanks! Loved CodeLand22 π
Hey Kat!
Excellent question. π
While we didn't parse any of the panel chats out into their own posts, you can tune into all of them via the full Day 1 & Day 2 videos available on our CodeLand landing page here or directly on YouTube β day 1 and day 2.
Also, here's a time-stamped YouTube link that will take you directly to the panel chat with Ramon and Clifford. π
Appreciate ya dropping a question for Ramon and Clifford and really hope ya enjoy listening into their conversation!
Awesome @michaeltharrington, thanks so much for walking me through that (and the time-stamped link). So helpful! And thanks again for the amazing conference π
Oh no probs at all, Kat! So glad you had a great time at the show. I really enjoyed it too! π
Great talk. Thanks for spreading the word on accessibility!
It is interesting that the web projects we develop also include accessibility to people and be inclusive. It is a very good point to take into account.
Regularly monitor resource utilization and performance metrics to identify inefficiencies or bottlenecks. Continuously optimize resource allocations based on evolving project requirements and feedback to ensure maximum productivity and project success. Resource Management Best Practices: 7 Tips to Consider. By embracing these best practices, project teams can effectively navigate the complexities of resource management and drive successful project outcomes. From meticulous planning and communication to leveraging technology and fostering collaboration, mastering these tips can propel projects towards excellence and ensure long-term success.
Yes you said right that.
we should always prioritize margins during development.
Yes. It is much easier to build while considering the margins than to finish the project and then start trying to fit in inclusivity. In the latter, you end up doing some shoddy work than won't help at all
I am into web dev from last couple of months but just want a startegic roadmap to accomplish the journey for learning skills
Like i have a basic knowledge & idea of what skills should i go up to or what to pursue in the mean time if wanted a change..
But still,maybe i am talking for a mentor,I dont know that,but just wanna get a guidance from someone who's into tech.ππ»π
Hi Sarthak
Yeah, I understand what you mean. Web development can be a bit messy. So many changes, and new technologies coming up all the time, and everyone has different opinions on what you should and shouldn't learn.
My best advice to you would be: Build a good foundation. Drill down into the basics right. Get your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript on point. Take your time here. Don't rush into the frameworks, tools, and shiny technologies that are buzzing all over social media
Having a good understanding of the basics will help you. It will make the transition into the frameworks and tools much easier
Also, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are the key players when it comes to a11y for the web. So you can start implementing accessibility from the start of your web development journey.
Thanks for thisππ»
Hi Cliffordπ
Really liked your talk. It gave me a feel of why accessibility is so important, where we often fail to provide it and how we can improve that.
Also, happy to see a fellow East African π at this amazing conference. Greetings from Uganda πΊπ¬
Happy to hear that you loved it and it was useful. Thank you for the feedback.
Greetings received. Sending greetings from Kenya too.
As a student, how do/did you balance your coursework as a university student with your participation in communities, side projects, self-directed learning, etc?
Hi Caroline
This is an amazing question and one that affects a lot of people. Including me sometimes.
However, I have a few words of advice that I can share, things that helped me out:
But these are just but a few tips I can give. I haven't found the best way to deal with this and I'm eager to learn how others deal with it.
Insightful!βΊοΈπ
One of topics what I wanted (or had huge interest) to listen!
Definitely taking notes from this talk as I want to grow up on this.
Thank you for the feedback. Glad to see you are learning from it.
Thanks for sharing your talk =)
As I see, the web development is generally oriented to some "actors" or "personas" (men 30+ years, credit card, etc...). How do think we can create personas less identified who interactuate with our site: Google Analytics, group chat, support lines?...
Hi
Could you provide more context to your question? Not fully understand it.
However, let me try to answer based on how I have understood it. There are indeed some 'common personas' that people think of when they are considering a11y. Personas like the old, persons with permanent disabilities, etc. But truth be told, a11y is constantly evolving and changing rapidly. Nowadays, we have to consider situational/temporary disabilities too. We even have to consider the 'Next Billion User' too. Those who have started using the internet face barriers like connectivity.
This is why I talked of inclusivity which extends to cover accessibility. Accessibility compliments inclusivity, which is why making your product inclusive makes it accessible.
To answer the second part. How can we change this 'default persona setting'. Read, interact, listen and learn more. Interacting with more content and listening to more people changes our perspectives, changes how we view things, and helps broaden our view and we begin to see other considerations that we had not thought of earlier.
Hope this answers your question. If not, just reach out. But hey! I'm also interested in listening to your views also.π
mmm... sorry English isn't my mother language, I'll try to explain better.
My question is how we can reach these people and track how they work with our application?. They could be less than 5% of all traffic sites, but they have the rights to use the apps and think about how we can engage them on our websites.
To write an example, before the pandemic start many apps and some government websites in my country were designed for younger people (35 yo, with a good understanding of tech and apps). With the pandemic, many procedures have become "online", but the elderly and people with disabilities can't do simple tasks (asking for social assistance or health issues), because the websites and apps aren't properly designed for these people. The government and websites run to make some fast changes (bigger letters, better descriptions, welcome tours in apps, etc.) and try to bring these people to websites.
English is also my third language. So I understand
But now I can answer this well. So to get to these people, User Experience Researchers(UXRs) are better equipped for these. UXRs are responsible for conducting research for a certain product.
The research done may be primary, meaning that it was conducted by the UXRs themselves. Or it can also be secondary research, meaning that research was conducted using the information someone else had put together e.g. books, journals, articles e.t.c
Now the primary research may be done in a lot of ways including interviews(here you collect people's opinions, thoughts, and feelings), surveys(where you ask many people the same questions), or even usability studies(where you test the product on users, observe how they're interacting with it and then interview them about the experience).
All that info answers the question of how we can get their opinions and improve the product.
Now to answer the question of how we can reach them. It depends on the project budget or company size.
In smaller companies and even small team projects, there might not be a research team. In this case, I would advise one to conduct secondary research and utilize it to their advantage. Scour the web and learn as much as you can about the different types of disabilities, how different assistive technologies work, and even how various big tech companies implement accessibility for different products and people. This will help in making your product accessible.
For primary research, you might only reach out to those within your networks; family members and friends. You might also reach to them online, in their interest groups or physically in areas where you are likely to find them.
In medium/ large companies, a research team can get the help of a third-party recruiting agency to get a hold of their target users. This makes it easy for the research team to conduct their primary research.
Now, what is my advice to you? Do both primary and secondary research. If you are conducting a project and want to reach out to these people to get their views, you can reach out to those you already know and are within your networks. You can also reach out to places where you can find them. For example, if you want to know how the old folks would use your app, you can reach out to care homes to have a chance to speak to them.
But also, utilize secondary research too.
Hope this helps. If not, shoot another question.
Thanks so much, Clifford!
Thank you too for listening. Hope it helped.