Fitting accessibility into an agile development cycle can be challenging. Often accessibility specialists are spread thin across agile squads and they have to deliver quickly into multiple sprint cycles.
To meet the demand I looked to Lean UX principles and developed The Lean Accessibility Audit Workshop (LAAW). LAAW has two goals 1) detect accessibility problems quickly and 2) spread the accessibility knowledge. This is accomplished by training members of agile squads on accessibility basics, evaluation methods and tools. The training evolves into an accessibility audit as squad members collaboratively capture, share and prioritize findings. The LAWW method compresses a 6-8 week evaluation process into a 2 weeks process while training squad members to detect and avoid accessibility issues in the future. And it can be pretty fun.
This session will explain how to bring LAAW to your organization
1. I Am the LAAW!
Lean Accessibility Audit Workshops
MIKE RYAN
#IAmTheLAAW
#A11YBOS
October 27, 2018
@ryaninteractive
2. LAAW
#IAmTheLAAW
Agenda
● Define the Problem
● LAAW (Lean Accessibility Audit Workshops)
1. Build Empathy
2. Define Web Accessibility
3. Detect Accessibility Issues
4. Prioritize Accessibility Issues
5. Design for Inclusivity
● Results and Tips
3. Define the
Problem
“If I were given an hour in which to do a problem
upon which my life depended, I would spend
40 minutes studying it,
15 minutes reviewing it and
5 minutes solving it.”
Albert Einstein
http://scienceblogs.com/builtonfacts/2008/12/15/greatest-physicists-2-albert-e/
5. LAAW
#IAmTheLAAW
Prior Accessibility Audit Method
● 6 week process
● Performed by accessibility specialists
● Annually performed
● Viewed as compliance
● Many issues left unfixed
6. LAAW
#IAmTheLAAW
How Can This Audit Process Be Improved?
● 6 week process
● Performed by accessibility specialists
● Annually performed
● Viewed as compliance
● Many issues left unfixed
https://blog.ganttpro.com/en/waterfall-vs-agile-with-advantages-and-disadvantages/
● Faster process
● Spread the knowledge
● Performed more often
● Not a rubber stamp
● Fix more issues
7. LAAW
#IAmTheLAAW
We All Have a Role in Accessibility
● Accessibility Specialists & UX Researchers - Train
● UX Designers - Design
● Content Strategy - Label
● Front-End Development - Implement
● Quality Assurance - Detect
● Product Owners - Prioritize
https://blog.ganttpro.com/en/waterfall-vs-agile-with-advantages-and-disadvantages/
8. Problem:
How can we include accessibility in agile
software development across many teams?
9. LAAW
#IAmTheLAAW
LAAW (Lean Accessibility Audit Workshops)
● 6 week process
● Performed by accessibility specialists
● Annually performed
● Viewed as compliance
● Many issues left unfixed
https://blog.ganttpro.com/en/waterfall-vs-agile-with-advantages-and-disadvantages/
● 2 week process
● Performed by agile teams
● Continuous
● Seek improvement not perfection
● Teams can detect earlier or avoid
10. Build Empathy
LAAW the First
LAAW (Lean Accessibility Audit Workshops)
1. Build Empathy
2. Define Web Accessibility
3. Detect Accessibility Issues
4. Prioritize Accessibility Issues
5. Design for Inclusivity
11. LAAW
#IAmTheLAAW
Build Empathy
Activities
● Motor
● Low Vision
● Total Blindness
● Hearing Loss or Impairment
● Cognitive
● W3C Perspective Videos
(see Building Empathy through Immersion station outside)
https://twitter.com/AxessLab/status/1034482989286285312
12. Define Web
Accessibility
LAAW the Second
LAAW (Lean Accessibility Audit Workshops)
1. Build Empathy
2. Define Web Accessibility
3. Detect Accessibility Issues
4. Prioritize Accessibility Issues
5. Design for Inclusivity
13. LAAW
#IAmTheLAAW
Define Web Accessibility
Topics
● What is web accessibility?
● Assistive technology and strategies
● WCAG 2.1 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)
● Benefits of accessibility
● Set expectations
● Most common problems
14. LAAW
#IAmTheLAAW
Most Common Problems
● Color contrast
● Labeling
● Keyboard only
● Captioning
● Real-time messaging
● Content reflow
● Well-formed HTML
● Color only
15. Detect
Accessibility
Issues
LAAW the Third
LAAW (Lean Accessibility Audit Workshops)
1. Build Empathy
2. Define Web Accessibility
3. Detect Accessibility Issues
4. Prioritize Accessibility Issues
5. Design for Inclusivity
25. LAAW
#IAmTheLAAW
Design for Inclusivity
● Make recommendations
● Design with cross functional team
● Test with representative users
● Add to backlog and track
● Share learnings
● Perform frequent mini-audits
● Add learnings to overall process
27. LAAW
#IAmTheLAAW
Results
● 4 accessibility workshops in 2018
● More awareness overall
● More expertise
● Faster detection and fixing of issues
● Core feature of design system
● Accessibility Guild
https://www.ebsco.com/blog/article/building-products-with-user-accessibility-in-mind-an-e-books-case-study
28. Takeaway Tips
1. Involve designers, developers, QA, content and POs
2. Focus on most common problems
3. Goal is continuous improvement, not perfection
@ryaninteractive #IAmTheLAAW