1. Personas for
Accessible UX
Including everyone in design & research
Whitney Quesenbery
Center for Civic Design
http://www.slideshare.net/whitneyq/personas-for-accessible-ux
Twitter: @whitneyq | #aux

2. Hi
Whitney
Users' stories, plain language,
accessibility, civic design
A Web for Everyone
a book with Sarah Horton

3. Usability and accessibility
are like twins separated at birth


4. Disability
the outcome of the interaction
between a person ... and the
environment and attitudinal
barriers they may face
International Classification of Functioning (ICF),
World Health Organization

5. Accessibility
The usability of a product,
service, environment or facility
by people with the widest range
of capabilities.
- ISO 9241-20

6. How do we include
people with disabilities in our
design considerations?

7. Why are people with disabilities
not considered (more) in UX design work?
Invisible
Hidden
Misunderstood

8. It's about barriers, or...
What problems will stop someone from
being able to use the site?
Barrier Priority What it covers
Critical Barriers that stop someone from using a site or feature
successfully
Serious Problems that cause frustration, slow someone down,
or require work-arounds
Annoying
(moderate)
Things that are frustrating, but won't stop someone
from using the site
Noisy
(minor)
Minor issues that might not cause someone a problem,
but which damage credibility

9. It's not (just) about checklists....or
What is the experience we
are trying to support and
improve?

10. Personas
Present research data in human form
Provide context for characteristics
Show variation and diversity

11. But how do we incorporate
accessibility needs into our
personas?

12. Focus on domain
User journey
Aptitude
Attitude
Ability

13. Focus on domain

14. Focus on ability?
Vision
Hearing
Mobility
Dexterity
Cognitive

15. Focus on ability
Carol
Jacob
Lea
Emily Steven
Maria
Trevor
Vishnu

16. Focus on assistive technologies?
Eye trackers
Screen magnifiers
Keyboard
Captions
Speech
and...

17. Responsive to different devices

18. Responsive to different interaction styles
Images: Braille, foot pedal, magnifier, Talking Dial, Voiceover, joystick, audio, high
contrast keyboard Glenda Watson Hyatt and her iPad, captions on screens, plain
language labels, speech input

19. Focus on features and preferences
Flexible presentation
Media alternatives
Diversity of devices
Variations in input methods
Multilanguage
Distracted use

20. Emily
"I want to do everything for myself"
• College student, works
part time at a
community center
• Loves her iPad
• Can be clumsy with
technology so likes
large, clear buttons
and to control timing

21. Emily
"I want to do everything for myself"
• College student, works
part time at a
community center
• Loves her iPad
• Can be clumsy with
technology so likes
large, clear buttons
and to control timing

22. Jacob
"The right technology lets me do anything."
• Paralegal, writes case
summaries overnight
• Complete gadget geek
• Likes audio
• Uses a keyboard.

23. Jacob
"The right technology lets me do anything."
• Paralegal, writes case
summaries overnight
• Complete gadget geek
• Likes audio
• Uses a keyboard.

24. Because everyone has
preferences!

25. Accessible UX Personas
Carol
Jacob
Lea
Emily Steven
Maria
Trevor
Vishnu

26. I like consistent, familiar
places on the web
Ability: Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Uses larger text and a program that
hides everything but the text, so he
doesn’t get distracted
Aptitude: Uses the computer well for
games, but doesn’t learn new sites easily
Attitude: Prefers familiar sites in an
established routine
Assistive Technology: Text preference
settings, power keyboard user.
Trevor
• 18 years old
• Lives with family
• Goes to secondary school
• Computers at school;
laptop at home; basic
mobile phone with SMS

27. Emily
I want to do everything for
myself
Ability: Cerebral palsy. Difficult to use
hands and has some difficulty speaking
clearly; uses a motorized wheel chair
Aptitude: Uses the computer well, with
the right input device; good at finding
efficient search terms
Attitude: Wants to do everything for
herself; can be impatient
Assistive Technology: Communicator
(AAC) with speech generator, iPad,
power wheelchair
• 24 years old
• Graduated from high
school and working on a
college degree
• Lives in a small
independent living facility
• Works part-time at a local
community center

28. Jacob
The right technology lets me
do anything.
Ability: Blind since birth with
some light perception
Aptitude: Skilled technology user
Attitude: Digital native, early
adopter, persists until he gets it
Assistive Technology: Screen
reader, audio note-taker, Braille
display
• 32 years old
• College graduate, legal
training courses
• Shares an apartment with
a friend
• Paralegal, reviews cases
and writes case
summaries
• Laptop, braille display,
iPhone

29. Lea
No one gets that this really is
a disability.
Ability: Fatigue from fibromyalgia,
trackball, and special keyboard
Aptitude: Average user
Attitude: Wishes people would
understand how hard it can be for
her to make it through the day
Assistive Technology: Split
keyboard, power keyboard user,
Dragon Naturally Speaking
• 35 years old
• Masters degree
• Writes for a trade
publication; works from
home

30. Steven
My only disability is that
everyone doesn't sign.
Ability: Native language is ASL;
can speak and read lips; uses
SMS/IM, Skype, and video chat
Aptitude: Good with graphic tools,
and prefers visuals to text; poor
spelling makes searching more
difficult
Attitude: Can be annoyed about
accessibility, like lack of captions
Assistive Technology: Sign
language, CART, captions, video
chat
• 38 years old
• Art school
• Graphic artist in a small
ad agency
• iPad, iPhone, MacBook
Pro; good computer at
work

31. Vishnu
I want to be on the same
level as everyone else.
Ability: Speaks three languages:
Gujarati, Hindi, English, and a little
spoken Mandarin. Uses contrast
adjustment to see the screen clearly
Aptitude: Expert user of technical
tools; frustrated searching across
languages
Attitude: Sees himself as a world
citizen, and wants to be able to use
any site
Assistive Technology: Contrast
adjustments, screen magnification,
personalized stylesheets
• 48 years old
• Engineering degree
• Works for a medical
software company on
international projects
• Born in India, finished
graduate school in
Malaysia, lives in Singapore
• High tech all the way at
work; two mobile phones
and a personal laptop

32. Maria
I love this. It's all here...when
I can find it.
Ability: Prefers Spanish language
sites, when she can find them; needs
information and instructions written
clearly
Aptitude: Adventurous, but not very
proficient; husband and daughter set
up bookmarks for her
Attitude: Thinks it’s wonderful to be
able to have her favorite websites with
her at all times
Assistive Technology: Skype, online
translation sites
• 49 years old
• Community college +
healthcare certificate
• Married, grown children
• Spanish – English
bilingual
• Community health worker
• Smartphone from her
phone service, home
computer primarily her
husband’s, for his work

33. Carol
My grandkids are dragging me
into the world of technology.
Ability: First signs of macular
degeneration, mild arthritis; hearing
aid; no special AT on computer
Aptitude: Used computers when she
worked as a bookkeeper, but now her
grandkids keep her old home
computer updated
Attitude: Willing, but not adventurous
Assistive Technology: Enlarges text,
but makes few other adjustments
• 74 years old
• Husband passed away a
year ago
• Lives in an apartment near
one of her daughters, near
some of her six grandkids
(ages 6 to 16)
• Retired; worked 25 years as
a bookkeeper for a
construction company
• Older computer at home;
basic mobile phone

34. Just do it!
Photo: mtstcil.org

35. Whitney Quesenbery
whitneyq@civicdesign.org
@whitneyq
Center for Civic Design
civicdesign.org
@civicdesign
A Web for Everyone
Sarah Horton and Whitney Quesenbery
Rosenfeld Media
@AWebforEveryone

36. Thank you