Disabled people and ICT: Top tips for business and industry

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Disabled people and ICT: Top tips for business and industry

The leaflet "Top tips for business and industry" gives a list of recommendations to the sector on their role in implementing the eInclusion Charter. This is what it says:

  1. Involve users early and often: Do not wait until a product is fully developed to find out whether people can use it. Observe how users interact with prototypes. Analyse their behaviour first hand; do not just ask for their opinions after the event: people say one thing and do another. One way to do this is to use robust research techniques such as video.
  2. Products must be usable if they are to be useful: If people find a product difficult to use, they will not make use of it. Usability should be designed-in at an early stage by looking at the demands being made on users. The products should not make excessive demands on users.
  3. Products must be desirable if they are to be successful: Successful products are products that people want.
  4. Understand capability and population diversity: The population comprises people of a wide range of capabilities. Most products make use of cognitive capabilities (understanding how to interact), physical capabilities (physically interacting) and sensory capabilities (mainly vision and hearing). By understanding the demand a product makes on the user it is possible to calculate how many people will be excluded from a product, and why. 50% of the UK adult population is over 46 and there are 2 billion people worldwide over 60. With care it is then possible to design a more inclusive product.
  5. Avoid designing for oneself: The easiest person to design for is oneself. But most designers are not representative of the population as a whole. It is easy to be come hypnotised by one's own design and ignore aspects which make it difficult for others to use. "Design for the young and exclude the old; design for the old and include the young." (Prof. Bernard Isaacs)
  6. "One product fits all" is not a realistic goal: Not all products will be desirable or usable for everybody, and this will not change overnight. So where possible, create a portfolio of products, each which make different compromises.
  7. Use the resources that are available: There is a growing body of knowledge and expertise on inclusive design. this website has lots of links and pointers.
  8. Understand the difference between inclusive design and special products: Some products and services have been designed specif-ically for people who have been excluded. Such products are a life-line to people with disabilities. But because they give little or no advantage to people without disabilities, markets tend to be small and prices high. In recent years a new approach has emerged called inclusive design. This approach aims to lead to products that are better for all, as well as being less exclusionary for disabled and older people. The inclusive design market is far bigger than the special products market.

You can download the pdf version (76KB) of the leaflet.