Date: 25 Jul 2018

How to design and develop in an inclusive way

According to the Office for National Statistics, there are over 10 million disabled people in the UK, representing around 15% of the population. More than ever before, the need to deliver inclusive, accessible digital products and services constitutes both a moral and a commercial imperative. Accessible products ensure that people with disabilities, whether they are cognitive, physical, visual or auditory can interact, navigate and contribute to the web.

But that doesn’t really cover the whole picture. At some point in our lives, we might all suffer from an impairment that will limit our abilities to interact with the world around us. This could be temporary or longer-term but as we grow older we are all likely to go through changes that will affect our sight, our hearing, and our overall mobility. We also need to consider the impact that poorly designed digital products and services can have on people’s confidence and independence. Rather than see it as a test before product release, accessibility should be built into your design and development approach from the start.

Chris will guide you through the various challenges and obstacles that commonly prevent users from engaging with digital services and show you some easy to implement accessibility principles that will help you ensure you are providing the best possible experience for the widest range of abilities.

After this session, you will have a better appreciation of how you and your team can deliver fully inclusive solutions.

Chris Bush has over 15 years’ experience in interaction design, usability and accessibility. He counts himself lucky to have worked on many successful high profile projects, across a wide variety of sectors and technologies, for both national and global brands including National Geographic, BBC, BBC Canada, InterContinental Hotels Group, Citizens Advice and AstraZeneca. Chris is a certified HCI usability analyst, a UX evangelist and a member of Northern UX group.

Chris leads the Experience Design team at Sigma, a Swedish IT consulting organisation with over 3000 people across 11 countries.



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