SmartPass’ Post

Here's the thing about designing and building accessible digital products – one of the big goals is often touted as being ‘accessible by default’ and I've been mulling over what that means. Sure, you can keep in mind the various users that need to be able to use your product. You can keep in mind the kinds of assistive tech that people might use. And that’s all important when it comes to testing for accessibility. But the bottom line is that you’re building products everyone should be able to use. There’s a common (or at least oft-repeated) fallacy that by making products accessible you somehow take away from the ability to build clean, uncluttered, minimal, beautiful interfaces. First of all, expressions like ‘clean’ and 'minimal' are not values. They should be way down on the list of priorities compared to real values like being accessible, usable, useful, and valuable. Minimal isn’t better if it means hiding, burying, or backgrounding the information that people need to be able to make progress. The mindset for digital accessibility is around ‘making products that everyone can use’ - not about requiring users to identify as disabled or neurodiverse, or any other label, before being able to get value out of your product. The onus is not on the user. So if the onus is on the provider - what does the term 'accessible by default' mean. It probably doesn't mean what happens most of the time which is that you build a product, you test it, you discover a bunch of accessibility issues, you fix them until the product is 'good enough' (however you evaluate that!). If you put it like that, it sounds... well, less than ideal! It sounds time consuming and it sounds like you're going to be forever badgering people to fix accessibility issues. And... it's likely to consume the lives of whoever is acting as the accessibility advocate in your organization. But what I think it means is that you have all the processes and resources in place such that it's effectively impossible to build a product that isn't accessible. Imagine that. That's really something to strive for isn't it? #a11y #accessibility #digitalaccessibility #productdesign

If you're working anywhere close to digital products, you should absolutely check out Config 2024 next month. The speakers line-up is stacked (Apple? teenage engineering? The Browser Company?) and anyone can join in virtually for FREE! ✨ In case you don't know where to start, feel overwhelmed or are just unsure when you should tune in the livestream - I've compiled the Top 3 talks that are a must-see for YOUR profile and interests. Check out below the shortlists for designers, developers, design ops folks, product managers, UX writers, and leaders - but also for innovation geeks, game design nerds and industrial design fiends. 🎟️ To attend those talks, register virtually on: https://lnkd.in/g6qVzZfQ P.S. Couldn't fit all the best ones in here, so be sure to check out the full agenda if you'd like to see the rest! #digitalproducts #design #development #config2024

Config 2024 looks like an incredible opportunity for anyone involved in digital products to gain insights from some of the biggest names in the industry. Personally, I'm excited about the variety of topics and the chance to learn from experts across different fields. Don't miss out on this chance to expand your knowledge and network! #digitalproducts #design #development #config2024

Transitioning 🚀 Reflecting on my 3 weeks at 10K Designers, it's been a journey. From simple reminders like avoiding decimal padding to understanding the nuances between groups and layouts, every insight adds depth. Moving beyond aesthetics, I'm embracing the shift to product design—where empathy for users and collaboration with developers is paramount. My first assignment, recreating an existing app and understanding the psyche behind it, was something. With guidance from mentors Prerita Yadav and Sajitha, the Zoom sessions were enlightening, providing not just solutions but the 'why' behind them. Now, I fully grasp the concept of Async, as Abhinav Chhikara and Jayneil Dalal would have it. At 10kdesigners, it's more than just a program; it's a supportive community where learning is collaborative and growth is tangible. Grateful for this opportunity and eager to continue the journey. Let's create meaning, not just hype. 🌟 #DesignEvolution #ProductThinking #10KDesigners

"Accordions on Desktop: When and How to Use" While accordions can simplify long content pages and minimize scrolling, they diminish content visibility and increase interaction cost. On desktop, use accordions for content-heavy pages where users will not need to access content under several accordions. https://buff.ly/478xy5U #usability #userinterface #uxdesign

Accessibility is often deprioritized in product. It loses every time to other features because it ALWAYS scores low on 'Impact' — there are simply fewer users affected. I've de-prioritized accessibility many times in my career because it didn't make business sense. This always bothered me but you have to respect the business' needs. But with personal projects, you get to prioritize whatever you feel is right, and I've moved accessibility up the list. These are some slides showing how Revere looked as I designed it at default device text size; the trainwreck of a UI when the size was increased; and how much better it looked after my accessibility work (at the same increased size). Not every screen supports the largest size (because the layouts simply couldn't work) but text is considerably bigger than default and nothing explodes. What surprised me too was it only took 22hrs, and I'm a first timer. It's not as heavy a lift as I imagined. I still need to do the work to fully support screen-readers for blind users but that will come soon — it's on the roadmap 🙂 #accessibility #design #prioritization #productmanagement

A navigation solution to all users😀. My case study on the campus navigation is finally published 🎉. I’m supper duper excited because students will love it 🔥🔥 To know more about the problem and the solution, please kindly go through the case study and leave your thoughts🙏🏽 #productdesign #uidesign #campus #userexperiencedesign #userinterfacedesign #cleandesign #campuslife #designthinking

Q. Developing a new product for your business and not getting what you expect or your products are taking longer to develop then you expected? I have spent most of my career involved in product (and service) development - from portable defibrillators/chemical analysers/computer graphics rendering software to mobile apps for consumers (across different industries). The challenges vary from very high end specialist products to high volume consumer products. I have outlined some of the common challenges below and some of the outcomes that can be achieved to maximise your investment and making your business able to pivot at pace to changes in market and consumer trends. Do you recognise these challenges in your business? Let us talk today about accelerating your product development making your business more profitable and building high performance connected teams that love where they work.

Fundamentals of Design covered in this module: #proapp Design Process: -Qualitative Research -Synthesis -Ideate -Produce -Analyse Maslow's Hierarchy of Design: -Functionality -Reliability -Usability -Proficiency -Creativity

𝗙𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 is a comprehensive design language developed by Microsoft, aimed at creating cohesive and visually appealing user interfaces across various devices and platforms, including Windows, web, and mobile. It emphasizes elements such as depth, motion, material, and light to create immersive and engaging user experiences. It provides guidelines, design principles, and components for developers and designers to create consistent and modern interfaces. 🔗 Curious to explore more about Fluent Design System? Check the latest updates and resources at ⬇️