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Posters for digital design

Web designers provide the framework for content. Then it’s up to others to provide the content. Pictures, videos, text, colour, readability are important for accessibility once the site is built.

The UK Government has a series of six digital design posters for designers. The aim is to raise awareness of people with different digital access needs. To keep things simple, the posters are divided into Do and Don’t. The content of each poster is listed on the webpage titled, The Dos and Don’ts on designing for accessibility. Also available in 17 languages.

One of the six Do's and Don'ts Posters, mobility, showing a short list of do's and don'ts of accessibility. — Do’s and Don’ts Poster

The posters help designers make online services accessible. They cover low vision, deaf and hard of hearing, dyslexia, motor disabilities, people with autism and users of screen readers.

The posters are simple and this is what makes them effective. Basically they act as visual prompts to designers rather than offering technical know-how. There are posters for people:

with autism

who use screen readers

with low vision

with dyslexia

who are Deaf or hard of hearing

with physical or motor disabilities.

Posters by Barclays Bank

A screenshot of the inclusive digital design poster showing the principles of inclusive design — Digital design poster

Barclays Bank has developed a set of inclusive digital design posters. They are based on seven design principles. These principles can be applied to other design fields as well as digital platforms. You can download the A3 poster which gives a quick overview. Or download a more detailed set of A4 posters.

The posters are a good quick reference for web and app design professionals. The seven principles below are explained in more detail: More detail of the seven principles are explained:

1. 1. Provide comparable experience
  2. Consider situation
  3. Provide comparable experience
  4. Be consistent
  5. Give control
  6. Offer choice
  7. Prioritise content
  8. Add value

Artificial Intelligence and inclusion

The way businesses design and develop new technology will determine the inclusiveness of our digital society. Technology has the potential to bring people with disability into the workforce.

The 24 page PDF report, Amplify You, covers understanding the digital divide, design for humans, AI is the new UI, and more. I the last section, What to Do Now, it has bullet points under headings of: Understand the implications of accessibility, Design accessibility into your business, Build an ecosystem of accessibility – and continuously think about what is next.

The Longevity Revolution and the 100 year life

The longevity revolution has arrived and the 100 year life is here. But what are the challenges and how do we meet them? An article from the World Economic Forum poses this question as part of The Davos Agenda. The first thing is to dismiss discussions about an ageing crisis – there are opportunities to be realised.

According to research, a child born in 2000 can expect to see their 100th birthday. The implications carry across the whole of society, business, and government.

The Stanford Center on Longevity has launched “The New Map of Life” initiative. New models of education, work, policies for healthcare, housing, and the environment are on the agenda. And researchers aim to redefine what it means to be “old”.

The Stanford report says we are not ready, but we can meet the challenges. Here are their principles:

- - Age diversity is a net positive
  - Invest in future centenarians to deliver big returns
  - Align health spans to life spans
  - Prepare to be amazed by the future of ageing
  - Work more years with more flexibility
  - Learn throughout life
  - Build longevity-ready communities

Longevity is about babies not old people

“The impact on the global workforce is profound but also not yet realized. Before, we would have three or four generations in the workforce. Now, we have five and even six generations in the workforce. While stereotypes of all generations abound, many aren’t true. A growing body of research indicates that multigenerational workforces are more productive, see lower rates of employee turnover, have higher levels of employee satisfaction, and feel better about their employer.” (from the New Map of Life).

The Design Council also addresses the issues from a built environment perspective. See the post The 100 year life.

Luminance Contrast: How to measure it?

Grey steps with no contrast nosing blends into the grey paving. — Grey steps leading to a grey footpath.

Visual contrast, or luminance contrast, is a key feature of universal design, but how well can we measure it? It’s a mainstream issue and something designers need to consider from the outset. It’s one thing to know the importance of visual contrast, but knowing how to measure it is another.

The glare from the doorway backlights the sign to the toilets which is mounted near the ceiling and hard to see. — Backlight makes toilet sign hard to see

For most people, vision is their most dominant sense. About 80% of our perception, learning, cognition and activities use visual cues. Contrast helps us detect objects from the background and to perceive distance.

Inadequate contrast leads to confusion and difficulty negotiating the environment, even if only temporarily. Australian Standards require a certain level of luminance contrast in the built environment. But most access consultants use their own eyes as the measuring tool. Is this good enough? Probably not.

A shopping mall with a shiny floor reflecting rows of lights from the ceiling. It looks very confusing. — A photo shows the confusing visual cues

Penny Galbraith took conference delegates through the two main measuring instruments and there is good reason for not using them. One is costly and the other is heavy and bulky. Then she introduced a free app for a smart phone called Get Luminance. While there is still more work to do on establishing the validity of the app, it gives a better guide than a guess by eyesight.

The title of Galbraith’s paper is, Achieving visual contrast in built, transport and information environments for everyone, everywhere, everyday. The key points are in a set of presentation slides.

There is much to consider and it is good to see there is a solution. Photographs are two dimensional and often provide an indication of poor contrast. If the place is unfamiliar it is sometimes difficult to make out certain features. For example, a stainless steel sign against a concrete wall.

Galbraith wrote another article with Richard Bowman, Luminance Contrast Standards, the Boy Who Could, and Visionary Pathfinders. The article discusses the inadequacy of standards in reflecting user experience.

Norwegian study on staircases

As our populations age we will have more people experiencing low vision. This means that contrasts between objects will become an increasingly important factor in negotiating the built environment.

Although standards stipulate a certain luminance contrast and levels of light (lux) for buildings, how are they measured, who measures them, and what are they measured with?

This issue was investigated by a team in Norway using staircases for the case studies. They found that the tools used by builders and planners vary, and this results in different contrast and light readings for the same staircase. Other variables were also found to influence the readings, such as reflection or glare from overhead lighting. Sunny or cloudy conditions, the shadow of the measurer when measuring, and different angles and positions of the meter all bring different results.

The findings and conclusion of the study raise an important question: Are the staircases as bad as they seem in terms of not meeting the legislative requirements? Or are the requirements too difficult to fulfil? The team concluded that the answer lies with a representative group of people with low vision guiding them on understanding usability. Another case of standards being useful but not entirely effective – the users have the answer once again.

The article, Planning and Measuring Luminance Contrast in Staircases contains charts, graphs and pictures that illustrate their methods and results. The article is free to download.

L.D. Houck1 , K. Gundersen, O. Strengen: Universal Design 2016: Learning from the Past, Designing for the Future. H. Petrie et al. (Eds.)

Seeing the Light

What is luminance contrast and how do you measure it? The non-technical explanation is the contrast of the light reflected on one surface compared with that of another, adjoining or adjacent surface. For example the contrast between the kitchen bench and the cupboard below and the wall behind.

Contrasts create greater safety especially in areas like the kitchen and bathroom. Lee Wilson lists the many things in and around the home and public buildings that need such contrast. He explains in more detail the everyday items that we might not think of: coat hooks, locker handles, buttons, switches, toilet seats, floors/walls, and more.

There’s a more technical look at luminance contrast and compliance with standards on the EqualAccess website. It covers some of the most common errors and where things go wrong.

Ageing well in suburbia

A single story home viewed from the back yard. A woman reaches up into a small tree and dog sits nearby. Ageing well in the bluefields. — Image by Damian Madigan

In a previous post Guy Luscombe alerted us to some forthcoming articles in ArchitectureAu. The first is by Damian Madigan and is titled, Ageing well in the Bluefields. The context is suburban infill sites. The problem is how to increase housing supply and diversity while maintaining the existing character of the area. Madigan comes up with models based on the Livable Housing Design Guidelines.

The overall aim is to support ageing in place and multi-generational living.

Madigan describes suburbs that have an established character and high financial values as ‘blue’. They are often exempt from density increases and also housing diversity.

Madigan explains a collaborative design research project that developed ‘bluefield housing models’. The models are based on four different allotment sizes, small, medium, large and extra large. They are also based on Livable Housing Australia gold or platinum levels. Floor plans are included in the article. Madigan explains:

“Underpinning the designs is what I call the “bluefield housing model,” which:

1. 1. 1. denies subdivision of the block, instead creating a design-led whole-of-site approach
    2. retains and adapts original housing into smaller accommodation
    3. creates new housing through leveraging the existing pattern of alterations and additions
    4. creates all housing in a flat hierarchy rather than as “accessory” dwelling units
    5. arranges the housing around shared landscape capable of retaining or developing large trees.

Ageing well in the bluefields is on the ArchitectureAU website and will be of interest to building designers and smaller developers.

Easy Read Disability Strategy

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has an Easy Read guide to the Disability Strategy 2021-2031. However, you need good reading and web navigation skills to get to it. The information is spaced out over 44 pages in the PDF version.

The key objective of the strategy is about living a life you want to live. The goals are:

1. 1. Working and earning money
  2. Inclusive homes and communities – living where you want to live
  3. Rights for fair treatment and feeling safe
  4. Getting support as an individual and to be part of the community
  5. Being independent
  6. Learning and getting skills
  7. Access to health services and enjoying life
  8. More inclusive community attitudes
  9. Getting the outcomes we want by working together

The text only Easy Read Word document is on the Disability Gateway website.

The NDIS website has two other reports:

Home and Living consultation summary report

Support for Decision Making consultation summary report

There are Easy Read versions of the reports and a videos with Auslan if you scroll down the each report page.

There is also an Easy Read version of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability.

Writing alt-text and choosing colours

When you are in a rush it’s easy to leave out the description of the image in the alt-text box – but should you?. Alt-text is a description of an image that’s shown to people, who for some reason, can’t see the image. Among other things, alt-texts help:

- people with little or no vision
- people who turn off images to save data
- search engines find your website and posts

People with little or no vision probably benefit most from alt-texts. They use a screen reader to navigate the web. If you don’t include alt-text you run the risk of a screen reader trying to convey something like “publicity_pre_launch.jpg, or “cropped_img32_900px.png”. Find out more from Axess Lab on how to convey context and meaning without writing an essay! Once you get into the habit, it doesn’t take long to do.

Choosing colours for websites

Colour vision deficiency or colour blindness affects around 10 per cent of the population. But each person varies in what colours they can see, which is why it is not “colour blindness”. So what colours are best if you want all readers to enjoy colours on your website?

Colour choice is not just a matter of making it look good – it can affect the readability of text and graphics as well.

A small qualitative study looked at two websites to assess their readability and usability by people who have colour vision deficiency. The researcher analysed body text, background and links and found they affected usability of the websites. The results should be read in conjunction with the methodology otherwise it won’t make sense. The conclusion section does not provide the specific outcomes.

The title of the article is, The effects of color choice in web design on the usability for individuals with color-blindness. This is a Masters theses.

Colour kindness for colour blindness

It’s one thing to talk about colour blindness, but it is quite another to see what it looks like to the 6-10 per cent of the population that have colour vision deficiency. Axess Lab has produced an excellent set of successes and failures using real life examples of colours used by web designers.

These examples provide really good guidance for anyone involved in web content and design, as well as printed material. The blog page has links to more information. There is a nice pic of what a football field looks like to someone who can’t see red and green – so it’s not all about the web – it’s all around us as the picture shows. If you want to see more on this topic see ColourBlindAwareness Twitter feed.

The banner in the picture shown should read ‘You Are Not Alone’, instead it looks like, ‘You Are Alone’.

Universal design in housing: is cost the real issue?

A spacious kitchen with white cabinetry. Is cost the real issue? — Image by Taylor’d Distinction

After twenty years of citizen advocacy for access features in new housing, the Australian Building Codes Board commissioned a cost benefit analysis which informed the Building Ministers’ decision to say yes, let’s do it. But is cost the real issue? And are those costs real?

An article in The Fifth Estate discusses the way various facts and figures go unquestioned. Figures plucked from the air appear to carry more weight in NSW, SA and WA than actual evidence presented to the Building Ministers Meeting. Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, ACT, and NT are ready to roll with the new features. However they have delayed adoption due to industry lobbying. That will leave mass market developers with different rules in different states.

The title of the article is, States disagree on access features for new housing.

The Guardian also has a good article with a similar message.

But Gold is more cost effective

Front cover of the Accessible Housing report.

The Melbourne Disability Institute and Summer Foundation submitted a response to the Consultation RIS for accessible housing with the recommendation that, based on the independent assessments and research they commissioned, Governments adopt Option 2, that is to regulate to Livable Housing Gold Level in the National Construction Code, as the benefits clearly outweigh the costs.

The Melbourne Disability Institute critiques the final cost benefit analysis by the Australian Building Codes Board as being incomplete. It goes as far as saying the report “contains and inherent and under-acknowledged bias against building code reform”. It was prepared by Professors Andrew Dalton and Rob Carter.

The independent assessments and research are:

- REVIEW OF THE ECONOMIC REPORT
  The review identified four key issues that individually have a large impact on the benefit-cost ratios reported. Taken together, they totally reverse the economic credentials of the regulation.
- Please note: The issues raised in the analysis are highly technical. The researchers provided more concise executive summary to improve accessibility. If you have particular questions, please contact md-i@unimelb.edu.au.
- SURVEY OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY
  This extra data aligns with the advice from the Office of Best Practice Regulation to include qualitative analysis in all Regulatory Impact Statements, particularly when important elements cannot be quantified or monetised.
- AUDIT OF ACCESSIBLE FEATURES
  This study found that many accessibility features are already incorporated into the most popular house designs being built in Australia, but not in a systematic way. It also demonstrates that accessible features are basic elements of good house design for the general population, and indicates that the likely cost of including further accessible features to be fully consistent with the accessibility standards in new builds is very low.
- SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT
  MDI and the Summer Foundation prepared further information for the ABCB on 6 October 2020 to substantiate their position that that governments should adopt Option 2, which would set minimum mandatory standards for accessible housing at the Gold (LHDG) standard.

Home Truths: Dispelling Myths

Across the globe, advocates for universal design in housing find themselves faced with the same myths. And these myths prevail in spite of hard evidence. AgeUK and Habinteg have put together a fact sheet, Home Truths – rebutting the 10 myths about building accessible housing. They challenge the ideas that it is too costly, difficult or undesirable. And also why the solution is not in building more age-segregated developments.

Note: In the UK, Part M4 (1) of the building code mandates some basic access features. There are two other sections; one is to include adaptability, and the other is to be wheelchair accessible. However, these are optional unless it is set down in the local government plan because there is a community need. Developers challenge these plans asserting that the local authority has failed to prove the need. This indicates that industry will continue to fight for what suits them rather than occupants of the home.

Economics of meaningful accessibility

How can we measure the economic benefits of designing our built environments to ensure access for everyone? Good question. Tourism has a solid body of knowledge on the economics of inclusion, and housing studies cite savings for health budgets. However, we need a benchmark to show clear and direct economic benefits for stakeholders and society. But it has to be meaningful accessibility, not just minimal compliance to standards. That’s the argument in a paper from Canada.

An article in the the Journal of Accessibility and Design for All has a good look at the literature on the subject. Research papers agree that there are overall economic benefits in making products and services more accessible. But we still need a way of getting hold of data and finding a good method for measuring. That’s the key argument in the paper.

The title of the paper is, Measuring economic benefits of accessible spaces to achieve ‘meaningful’ access in the built environment: A review of recent literature.

Meaningful accessibility

Meaningful accessibility is about how the built environment enables everyone to participate in social and economic life. As the authors say, “meaningful accessibility and universal design go hand in hand—meaningful accessibility is a goal of universal design”. They also note that accessible environments are perceived as an altruistic intention rather than a business choice. That is, the notion of special designs for a small group of people who need them.

The aim of the paper is to draw attention to the gap in the research in areas such as planning, urban design and architecture. A strong voice from users of places and spaces calling for change remains essential. So too, is a change in discourse about disability being outside the frame of ‘normal’.

Concluding comments

In the concluding comments the authors say meaningful accessibility is harder to sell than green buildings. And that’s despite reduced material costs and energy savings. From a human rights perspective accessibility shouldn’t be an option – it’s a fundamental requirement.

Whether a better or more rigorous framework for economic analysis will win the day is still questionable. The political context is far more complex. The evidence in Australia on the economic benefits of accessible housing was not sufficient to sway all jurisdictions. The argument that “it costs too much” is consistent with the narrative of disability being outside the frame of normal.

Editor’s note: The argument for change is not about economics, it’s about political will. It was only when the Victorian and Queensland governments took the lead on accessible housing that the building code was changed. People say to me that we should be explaining the economic benefits if we want accessibility and inclusion. Sadly, the many economic studies have fallen on stony ground and remain silent and ignored.

This website has more than 20 articles on the economics of inclusion and universal design. Use the search box with “economic” to find them.

Universal design and cognitive accessibility

Universal design is most commonly associated with the built environment. This is where the physical barriers to inclusion are most visible. But the concept of universal design goes beyond this to include cognitive accessibility.

Emily Steel writes a concise article on how universal design informs cognitive accessibility standards. There are many types of cognitive disability and it would be difficult to have separate standards for each one. So the working group has adopted the Universal Design for Learning framework to promote better design for all people.

The working group has published two standards since forming in 2015. The first provides guidelines for the design of products to support daily time management. The second is about the design and development of systems, products, services and built environments. A third standard is under development. This one sets out the requirements for reporting the cognitive accessibility of products and systems.

As an international standard, working group participants come from around the world and include people with diverse cognition. Online meetings replaced the face to face workshops during the COVID pandemic.

The article, published in Design for All India Newsletter, provides more detail about how the group works. It’s Article 2 in the October 2021 edition. The online Newsletter is produced in Verdana Bold and is fully justified and also includes a lot of Italicised text. This is not a universally designed publication.

You can directly download the article titled, Universal design informs cognitive accessibility standards.

Interested in this work?

The working group is keen to integrate lived experiences into the guidelines and any revisions. If you are interested in this work you can contact the Technical Committee Secretariat.

Dr Emily Steel is the Australian delegate on the International Standards Organization (ISO) cognitive accessibility working group. She also conducted a workshop at the Australian Universal Design Conference UD2021. Dr Steel is also a CUDA board member.

Urban sustainability and universal design

Singapore has taken sustainability seriously. As an island state with limited land, every square metre has to count. Singapore meets high standards for urban sustainability and has a strong commitment to universal design. However, universal design is not included as a sustainability indicator. One researcher thinks it should.

Adaku Jane Echendu appraises Singapore’s sustainability measures in her article. The aim is to show how other cities might learn from the ‘Singapore Model’. She argues that universal design for inclusion should be included in the list of Urban Sustainable Indicators.

Urban sustainability is about vibrant cities that enhance the quality of life for residents. At the same time it ensures the availability of resources for future generations. A sustainable city is compact and promotes efficiency, innovations and production capacity. The aim is to do this with minimal environmental impact. That’s the built part. The other part is the wellbeing of citizens.

A sustainable city is also a healthy and secure place for people to grow, find work and housing. It also has good public transport, public participation, and good health and education systems. Good governance makes it all possible.

Sustainability and universal design

There are three commonly used pillars to Urban Sustainability Indicators: social, economic and environmental. But there are many additional measures used across the world. Echendu includes universal design for inclusivity in her appraisal of these. She claims universal design is a key element of best practice in urban sustainability.

Sustainability was at the core of the country’s design before it became a global concern. Singapore was also an early adopter of universal design. Their universal design and accessibility code went beyond new builds to include retrofits. Part of the drive for this is their ageing population.

The weaknesses of the Singapore model are reliance on importing food. To mitigate this, rooftop farming is becoming more intensive. With global temperatures set to rise further, urban heat is another issue. Public participation in governance is improving, but needs more work. There are still pockets of poor who battle with getting adequate food and healthcare.

The title of the article is, Critical appraisal of an example of best practice in urban sustainability. Using the term “universal design for inclusion” is a good way of expressing what universal design is about for the uninitiated.

Other articles on Singapore and universal design are:

From barrier free to universal design: Singapore’s experience

Universal Design Guidelines from Singapore

Universal Design the Singapore way

Sustainability, universal design and health in urban planning

It’s not difficult to join the dots between universal design, sustainability and health. Universal Design in Sustainable Urban Planning is an article that pulls together these concepts under the umbrella of sustainable development. Three urban projects in Manhattan, Den Haag and Copenhagen are discussed. They show how sustainable urban planning can promote social interaction, health and wellbeing, and cultural expression. The article links the health back to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF).

Author: Jane Bringolf