People often assume that accessibility tools and resources are only intended to benefit individuals with disabilities. In reality, however, accessible design principles can be used to support people of all backgrounds and abilities by delivering more intuitive and enjoyable user experiences in physical and virtual spaces.
Universal design is a concept rooted in inclusivity that provides a powerful framework for web developers, business leaders, educators and content creators looking to enhance the accessibility of their content and communications. Let’s take a closer look at how thought leaders across nearly every industry can use universal design principles to create environments and experiences that more reliably cater to the diverse needs and abilities of their community members.
What is universal design?
Universal design refers to the creation of products, environments and content that can be enjoyed equitably by everyone without the need for adaptation or specialized design. This approach to UX design can be used in a variety of contexts to ensure that people of all backgrounds and abilities can equitably access and engage with the resources and environments in their orbit.
While traditional approaches to accessibility and inclusion have relied on community members self-reporting disabilities or requesting accommodations on a case-by-case basis, universal design principles enable web developers and other professionals to proactively support the needs of their audiences. By proactively prioritizing the accessibility of physical and virtual spaces, organizations and educators can enhance user experience across the board, while requiring community members to do the individual labor associated with self-disclosure and accommodations requests.
What are the core principles of universal design?
Universal design principles serve as a guide to creating environments capable of accommodating a wide range of users. Let’s explore three of these foundational principles:
Equitable use
Universal design principles dictate that all individuals should be free and able to engage equitably with their physical environments, as well as with the digital content and communications they consume. This means business leaders, educators and other professionals must take steps to ensure their physical and virtual spaces are accessible and appealing to people of all abilities.
In physical spaces, equitable use may look like proactively providing physical accommodations or features like automatic doors that can benefit a wide range of visitors, i.e. wheelchair users, parents with strollers and individuals carrying heavy objects. In virtual spaces, this may take the form of web developers providing assistive technology solutions like captioning, transcription and audio description to help users with disabilities engage equitably with certain media materials.
Flexibility in use
Flexibility in this context could also be thought of as adaptability. While it is recommended to proactively design certain elements of various spaces in such a way as to maximize accessibility, it is also important to leave room for people’s individual preferences and abilities.
A good example of flexibility in use would be a website that offers multiple navigation methods or customizable color contrast and fonts. This UX design still ensures maximum accessibility for all while giving virtual visitors the option to better tailor their experiences to their needs. In a brick-and-mortar location, this might also look like providing multiple points of entry to a store or office space such as installing a combination of automatic and manual doors or a wheelchair ramp and wheelchair lift.
Simplicity and intuitiveness
Simple and intuitive design ensures that users can understand and utilize products and services regardless of their prior experience levels, linguistic background or other factors. A clearly labeled website menu with straightforward navigation is a practical application of this principle.
Simplicity is key for supporting a wide variety of community members. For example, clear, concise signage in physical spaces can be highly beneficial for multi-lingual visitors, first-time patrons, individuals with learning disabilities like dyslexia and people who are blind or have low vision. Similarly, a website that incorporates universal design principles might be more readily accessible for screen-reader users or elderly people who may not be as computer-savvy as other virtual visitors.
Universal design in web development and digital content creation
Universal design principles aren’t just best practices – they help businesses and other organizations effectively support accessibility requirements. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are two of the most vital sets of standards governing accessibility in the United States.
While the requirements of the ADA can be applied to both physical and virtual spaces, the standards set forth in the WCAG were intended to specifically address common accessibility gaps found in online platforms and content.
Universal design and the WCAG
Web accessibility and universal design go hand in hand. That’s because many of the goals of universal design align with the core principles of web accessibility. Consider WCAG, for example. The key tenets of WCAG dictate that all digital content should be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust to provide all digital visitors with equitable and enjoyable online experiences.
Proactively embracing these accessibility goals in one’s web design and development efforts can make all digital spaces and platforms more universally engaging and accessible without requiring individual users to request accommodations or work around barriers. Incorporating accessibility protocols into web design can play a major role in implementing universal design principles and deliver more equitable and engaging digital experiences to all.
Additional tips for implementing universal web design
In addition to following the accessibility best practices outlined in WCAG, there are several other tools and strategies web developers, educators and business leaders can harness as part of their universal design and initiatives:
Responsive design
Recent estimates suggest that between 50% and 60% of all internet traffic comes from mobile devices. Subsequently it is vital that web developers ensure all their website and online content are mobile-friendly and adaptable to a variety of different devices. Failing to optimize web content for mobile devices could significantly limit the reach of online content and communications, resulting in lower audience engagement across the board.
Keyboard navigation
It is highly recommended that web developers incorporate a variety of navigation features into their web design to support users of diverse backgrounds and abilities. Keyboard-only navigation features are one such solution that can make online experiences equitable and accessible to all. This functionality empowers individuals with mobility disabilities to seamlessly navigate websites using just a standard or modified keyboard, rather than relying on trackpads or separate computer mouses.
Alternative text for images
In a recent survey, more than 87% of people with a self-identified disability reported that they rely on a screen reader when accessing online spaces. For this reason, it is vital that websites that feature graphics and images also include screen reader-friendly alternative text descriptions. These alt-text descriptions make it possible for screen reader users to engage more fully and equitably with information shared in visual mediums and are a critical component of universal and accessible design.
Additional considerations for digital video content
As video content continues to dominate online platforms, professionals across every industry are tasked with ensuring the videos they share online are accessible to all users. Ensuring. Video is a valuable tool for sharing information both internally and externally, and the growing popularity of video communication tools like Zoom further underscores the need for making video content accessible.
Here are some tools creators, business leaders and web developers can use to enhance the accessibility of their online video content:
- Closed captioning: Adding captions to video content is a great way to support audience members with a wide range of disabilities and support needs. Captions provide an on-screen, readable version of a video’s dialogue and other audible components, making them a vital resource for individuals with hearing disabilities, as those with certain neurodivergent conditions.
- Transcription: Like captions, transcripts can be used to provide a written account of audio and video materials, however transcripts are offered as long-form readouts, rather than as text displayed on-screen in real time. Transcripts can be particularly valuable in education settings, as they can be used freely by students as comprehensive study tools.
- Audio description: Audio description is a reliable tool for supporting audience members who are blind or have low vision, as audio description tracks provided audible descriptions of certain visual components present in video content. Offering high-quality audio description to accompany video materials can help individuals with vision-related disabilities engage more equitably with digital media.
The popularity and versatility of digital video content will only continue to grow in the years ahead. Subsequently, business and education professionals must prioritize the accessibility of the information they share via recorded and live video. Employing best practices for accessibility and universal design in your video creation and distribution efforts can help you reach broader audiences and improve content experiences for all users.
Meet the moment: Verbit helps you overcome universal design barriers
If you find yourself overwhelmed at the prospect of implementing accessibility and universal design best practices, working with an experienced partner is one of the best ways to help you clarify and streamline your efforts. Verbit offers a full suite of user-friendly assistive technology features designed to make online content more equitable and engaging.
Verbit’s platform is highly customizable, so creators and business leaders can integrate the solutions they need when and where they need most. As a result, Verbit users can take advantage of a variety of advanced technologies without overburdening their budgets or their staff. What’s more, Verbit’s software solutions integrate seamlessly with a variety of popular media hosting platforms, which makes it easy for organizations to implement new technologies without the need for extensive onboarding and training initiatives.
If you are interested in learning more about incorporating universal design principles into digital spaces or would like to learn more about meeting the growing need for web accessibility, reach out today to speak to a member of the Verbit team about our state-of-the-art assistive technology platform.
