Assistive Technology

There have been discussions focusing on diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) in the world of technology. It is paramount to make technology more accessible to people regardless of their demography, disabilities or conformity.

What is DEI about?

According to Techtarget, DEI is a term used to describe policies and programs set up to promote the participation of an extensive range of people from different groups. These groups include sex, race, demography, disabilities, abilities, ethnicity, cultures and sexual experiences. For the sake of this documentation, the focus would be on people with diabilities, learning disabilities to be precise (dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

My Contributions to Assistive Technology

As I looked through the task Wikimedia gave for this contribution round, I felt I could make some impact because I have always used Wikipedia to read. According to financesonline, Wikipedia has an average daily view of 258 million!! Now this is quite a massive number and that number is people with learning disabilities, people with dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It only makes sense to make interacting with Wikipedia a smooth experience for an extensive range of users.

My Observations

The first thing I noticed about the Wikipedia community portal page is the clutter. There are a lot of information calling for your attention and it is hard to focus on a particular text. I noticed this as a person without dyslexia, then how much more would someone diagnosed with dyslexia cope with interacting with this page? i asked myself.

Steps I took when designing

After reading the British Dyslexia Association's Style Guide, and the other resources that were provided, it then became clear the steps I have to take to improve the reading experiences of users with my main focus on dyslexic users.

1. Make the page a little less cluttered by grouping similar content. (attach a screenshot of the navigation menu and the more actions menu)

   It is important to know that as a designer when you focus on a particular group of people when designing a product, you unintentionally neglect other groups. There are ways a dyslexic user might feel more comfortable reading, but another person might find it extremely uncomfortable. So it is important for users to have equal access to information, services, and products regardless of their abilities. This is where step 2 comes in

2. Design an accessibility menu and put it in an easy-to-locate place on the page so dyslexic users can customise the page to suit them. The accessibility menu features an icon with an orange background at the bottom right of the screen. The design rationale here includes;

   • Using a color that stands out in the page to draw the attention of users. According to a research conducted by Researchgate, warmer background colors makes it easier notice and read.

   • Placing the accessibility menu in the bottom right ensures that it doesn’t obstruct primary content and stays out of the way of interactive elements like the top and side nav bar. This was gotten from a paper published by the MDPI.

Conclusion

You might be curious about how I implemented this. Below, I’ve provided a link to my design. The Figma file includes the design itself, the rationale behind it, and comprehensive design documentation. I hope you find it insightful!

https://www.figma.com/design/bL4042ZYSDK7Y5KZFB7Ezm/DyslexiaRedesign_Onyewuchi-Esther-Chikamso?node-id=469-6177&t=BT0PTleNbsOgs9YZ-1

I will definitely prioritize inclusivity when designing digital products moving forward, as it plays a crucial role in making them more accessible. I hope you’ll do the same!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.