Living the UX: When a Web Developer develops a disability: DrupalCon Portland 2022
Speaker: Alyssa Panetta
I had been designing and developing websites for over twenty years when I learned that I had been developing a slow-growing brain tumor most of my life. After my surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, I slowly got back to the computer, learning to use assistive technology. I quickly realized there is no better way to get to know a user experience than living it.
As a user, I fell somewhere between using a standard browser and needing a screen-reader. The assistive technologies I explored were clunky and incompatible with each other, and most websites I used were a mess for an “in-betweener” like me.
Flexibility is an integral part of building accessible, inclusive, and resilient sites for all users along the spectrum of ability. With modern CSS, it is not that hard! This talk will focus on pain points for web designers at all levels and will empower designers to fix them using real-life examples.
We will cover accessibility and design pain points, including: system settings fighting with app settings; zooming in on sites; HTML emails; modal windows; and Mac OS Accessibility options.
I will share practical tips on what we can do as designers: meet users halfway by respecting their system and browser controls; adopt Universal Design practices; clean up your media queries; do not stop at aria labeling; utilize new CSS features: grid, clamp(), min(), max() and var(); document everything; get to know the in-between user population and most importantly: test it yourself!
I had been designing and developing websites for over twenty years when I learned that I had been developing a slow-growing brain tumor most of my life. After my surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, I slowly got back to the computer, learning to use assistive technology. I quickly realized there is no better way to get to know a user experience than living it.
As a user, I fell somewhere between using a standard browser and needing a screen-reader. The assistive technologies I explored were clunky and incompatible with each other, and most websites I used were a mess for an “in-betweener” like me.
Flexibility is an integral part of building accessible, inclusive, and resilient sites for all users along the spectrum of ability. With modern CSS, it is not that hard! This talk will focus on pain points for web designers at all levels and will empower designers to fix them using real-life examples.
We will cover accessibility and design pain points, including: system settings fighting with app settings; zooming in on sites; HTML emails; modal windows; and Mac OS Accessibility options.
I will share practical tips on what we can do as designers: meet users halfway by respecting their system and browser controls; adopt Universal Design practices; clean up your media queries; do not stop at aria labeling; utilize new CSS features: grid, clamp(), min(), max() and var(); document everything; get to know the in-between user population and most importantly: test it yourself!