The concepts of universal design are expanding to encompass marginalised and disenfranchised groups in our community. In the article A 10-step guide to queer UX, there is a nice quote “There’s nothing revolutionary about technology if it is only for a limited number of people.” Making products and places more accessible for gender non-conforming and trans folk is also making them more welcoming for everyone. Roniece Ricardo writes about her observations and interaction with software as a queer gender non-conforming woman. She makes ten points:
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- Allow users to change or write in their own gender
- Consider not having users specify gender
- Allow users the choice to hide or display identifying information from profiles
- Don’t assume anything about gender presentation
- Don’t assume your user’s pronouns
- Be careful with your marketing materials
- Don’t make assumptions about who your users date (or don’t)
- If you are making a niche product, receive actual feedback from the people in the niche
- Be mindful of regionalisation
- Diversify your staff.
For more detail on these ten points go to the article on the FastCompany website.