Universal design: the 7 principles
Accessibility and Inclusive Design (ISO 29138)
I intend to describe the interaction of an application with the human being — Soundcloud, considering ISO 29138, in a context of disability, permanent or temporary, and its frameworks of use.
Soundcloud
Soundcloud is an application designed for content producers; it allows us to see who is listening, the number of plays, and the reproduction regions, among other statistics. Enables the music studios to collect artists that present a trend of hits in the application.
Allows collaboration in RSS (Rich Site Summary). When a listener follows an artist, he can acquire all the latest songs that have been recently published. RSS technology allows the user to subscribe to feeds and watch them one by one.
Accessibility — The Disability Act 2005
ISO 29138 identifies the needs of users with any type of disability or limitation, defends the accessibility between the Human-Machine interaction.
It also identifies problems that users with disabilities have with technologies. In a small approach to The Disability Act 2005, it imposes a legal obligation on public service providers to support access to services for people with disabilities.
The Disability Act defines that:
- The design and composition of an environment so that it may be accessed, understood, and used:
I. To the highest possible extent;
II. Most independently and naturally possible;
III. In the broadest possible range of situations;
IV. Without the need for adaptation, modification, assistive devices or specialized solutions, any persons of any age or size or any particular physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual ability or disability, and:
- This means, concerning electronic systems, any electronics-based process of creating products, services, or systems so that they may be used by any person.
What does this mean?
In this way, the product developed should be so easy to use and understand by all users, taking into account its different capabilities. Includes users with accessibility and disability issues. The product must adapt its design to meet all types of users and create systems that everyone can use.
Real-World Examples — Awful UX
As an example of a poorly developed product, the following ramp with steps for people with reduced motor skills.
The 7 Principles of Universal Design
Universal design principles are defined by:
1. Fair use
Can it be marketed to people with different capacities?
2. Flexible
Can it be used in many different ways by different people?
3. Simple and Intuitive
How natural is your product for someone to start using immediately without instruction?
4. Information and Perceptible
Does it have it all and gives the user all the information to make the most out of it?
5. Error Tolerance
Is your product, “foolproof”? Vital for people with disabilities;
6. Little Physical Effort
Your design minimizes the physical effort to get the best out of it?
Last but not least…
7. The size and space for your use.
Have you considered the environment that the product will be used?
Specials needs
The single most important thing to understand is that people use web sites in very different ways. This doesn’t just mean disabled people using special equipment but everyone — regardless of whether you might think of them as having a “special need.” MEL PEDLEY, Owner of Black Widow Web Design Company
Soundcloud and the Principles
Getting back to Soundcloud, and taking an approach of ISO 29138 and the principles of Universal Design, the application for mobile devices features a scroll bar that extends throughout vertical navigation. You just need to click on the screen and drag it to the desired size. It’s easy to use and interpret by all types of users.
The application is based on swipe gestures to advance or rewind the songs. Although it is an equal form of navigation for right-handed or left-handed users, it can be a little big complex to browse music for users with physical disabilities.
Information
The application uses different methods that use photos and text. It is provided with ideal spacing between columns of text and images for blind people and noticeable contrast for individuals with reduced visibility.
Is your product, “foolproof”?
Soundcloud, in my opinion, did an excellent job of minimizing the potential error. The user can always reverse an action, as when deleting a track, the warning message appears on the screen, asking if he is really sure he wants to perform it. It is also possible to undo a repost, post, and like. The application works in vertical mode. Physical activities, like turning the smartphone to landscape mode, is not necessary.
But Remember… Images with context
The Soundcloud application presents an obstacle to the blind user in this field. When loading a banner for the music, the user is entirely free to place the image he wants. Most of the time, the background does not match the content of the song/stream or the alt text it’s not presented. This brings us to the point (1–11) of the user’s needs “To perceive foreground visual information in the presence of background.”
We must follow the path.
Applying the standards created in ISO 29138 to products to guarantee equal access to all different types of users is essential.
I got a challenge for you!
Use an application with the accessibility system activated, and test if the software is designed for visually impaired people. For instance, I opened Soundcloud with the accessibility mode turned on, and my eyes closed.
Some problems arose when running the application:
- Sometimes I was unable to get feedback on the actions I was taking.
- Soundcloud allows you to leave comments at specific times of the track. The time when I left a small comment was not noticeable.
- Instructions and music playing at the same time, making it difficult to listen to both.
Last thoughts
Soundcloud has the requirements above the minimum to be used universally by all potential users. Some points in ISO 29138 that are not applied, so it would be ideal for introducing the functionalities to avoid constraints to potential and current users.
Also, check this thread at Reddit, if you need a laugh or two about how evil people can mess up when building a product.
https://www.reddit.com/r/CrappyDesign/
Also, recommend read the Interaction Between Humans and Devices article
General Terms
Interaction, design, user, accessibility; Accessibility, ISO, experience, functionality, interface, application, 29138, blind, SoundCloud;
References
http://universaldesign.ie/What-is-Universal-Design/The7-Principles/
https://soundcloud.com/
https://www.ideo.com/eu
https://www.ahead.ie/disabilityact
