Part 1: Designing for An Inclusive Future
Part 2: Designing Immersive and Adaptive Experiences
Part 3: Designing Inclusive Spatial Interactions and Visual Cues
Part 4: Designing for Auditory Engagement
Part 5: Designing New Ways to Navigate
Part 6: Designing Feedback and Learning
Part 7: Current Page
By Caitlyn Haisel, Design Director at CARNEVALE
We asked: how can we make 3D and extended reality (XR) experiences accessible? What does innovation look like in this space?
We also examined our design process and explored how to intentionally weave accessibility practices into it. Creating an accessibility process that is truly successful and sustainable requires strategy and planning.
Establishing a strategic process for creating accessible products is a creative journey and process in itself. We started by identifying key steps to ideate, create, and implement accessibility within our own design and development processes.
Progress can only begin if we’re honest about where we’re starting.
We reflected on the level of accessibility within the digital experiences we currently create. We identified gaps, specific areas for improvement, and opportunities to innovate. If we do not intentionally include, the risk is that we unintentionally exclude.
After determining where we are, we can cast a vision for where we want to go. At the core, we see accessibility as an opportunity for us to impact the future of digital experiences. The rules for creating accessible, immersive experiences in 3D/XR haven’t been established yet, and we’re excited to explore and help influence what they could be.
Along with establishing our vision, we set specific, actionable goals to track the implementation of accessibility practices into our projects and processes.
Creating a strategic process for implementing accessibility doesn’t mean reinventing our existing design and development process. In fact, our goal is to weave accessibility seamlessly into the processes we already have from beginning to end.
We like to think about accessibility as a layer of design thinking that can influence the way we think, problem-solve and design experiences.
In practice, accessibility conversations and implementation actually begin long before the design starts, beginning with how we plan projects and carrying through the final development of the digital experiences we create.
This strategy allows us to include accessibility into our processes without concern of disruption to project timelines and existing workflows.
Developing a truly effective accessibility process requires insight from all types of team members from all departments. We created the CARNEVALE Accessibility Board with representatives from all departments (business, design, 3D, development, and project support) to collaboratively envision and build the future of accessibility at CARNEVALE.
We’re establishing the processes, tools, and resources needed to create more accessible experiences as a company. Our goal is to create a shared mental model for how accessibility should be considered, discussed, determined, expected and delegated for every project.
Team members directly influence and collaborate on process improvement with the goal of long-lasting positive impact on the experiences we create, the clients we collaborate with, and the people who use our products.
Accessibility is more than having good intentions and hoping we get it right. To be successful in implementing accessibility processes, all team members need the right tools, education, and space to learn and explore. Acquiring foundational accessibility knowledge is essential to progress toward our vision of creating innovative and accessible immersive experiences.
Education can take many forms. It can look like taking classes, attending talks, hosting internal discussions, conducting research, and having conversations with people with different backgrounds and abilities than ourselves.
If we’re not intentional, we end up designing things for ourselves, making assumptions that exclude end users from our products.
A common misconception about accessibility is that it just means designing for people with disabilities. While the ultimate goal is that all users, from diverse backgrounds, identities, and abilities can use our experiences equitably, the best way is to design with. Let’s have conversations, collaborate, and make a better product. Let’s take insight directly from the people we want to include.
Throughout this project, we met with people from different abilities and backgrounds to have conversations about how they experience the world and technology. It helped shape our perspective, exploration, and understanding of what an accessible future could be. We plan to continue these conversations and connect with more people — like you! We’d love to hear your unique perspective and experience regarding accessibility in digital experiences. Please reach out if you’re interested in sharing!
Ensuring accessibility processes are implemented in projects includes ensuring our clients understand the value it brings. It’s important to establish the language and communication strategy used to convey the benefit of accessibility to clients throughout the design and development process. As trusted consultants to our clients, we have the responsibility to always advocate for whatever’s best for a product, including implementing accessibility practices.
We don’t have to have a perfect process to start trying. In fact, the perfect process to produce 100% accessibility to 100% of users may never exist, but we are committed to doing what we can when we can and seeking opportunities to do more.
Maintaining a sustainable accessibility program requires consistent effort, evaluation, and growth. We’re bound to get something wrong the first time (and the second and third).
At CARNEVALE, our design process is extremely iterative, and so is our approach to accessibility.
The skills, knowledge, and experience gained from creating accessible products make us more powerful, versatile, and empathetic creators. We’re excited to continue exploring and improving.
To maintain, improve, and grow an accessibility strategy, there has to be internal accountability within our team.
Business Disability Forum’s Technology Taskforce developed the Accessibility Maturity Model as a self-assessment tool designed to help organizations benchmark their progress in developing and maintaining accessibility processes.
No documentation or process is in place. The desire and intention to create an accessibility process is present, but the processes haven’t been fully established yet. This phase is exciting — full of exploration, ideas, and energy.
Documented but not actioned or completed once. This phase includes lots of planning, testing, and preparation for implementing accessibility processes.
The process is established and actioned consistently. More accessible products are being made! Team members are able to reliably consider and implement accessibility practices.
Process monitored and improved, business as usual. Accessibility has become an expected, iterative, and cohesive part of creating any digital product.
Innovate, improve, and share. Through experience and refinement, accessibility processes are well-established and highly effective.
Creating and implementing a strategic accessibility process won’t be built in a day. It takes lots of trial, lots of error, and lots of iteration. We use the Accessibility Maturity Model as a reliable framework to gauge our progress and plan for the next phase.
Effectively communicating the benefits of accessibility to our clients and their products is an important part of our strategic accessibility process.
Understandably, clients are usually acutely cognizant of time and cost during a project. Common misconceptions may lead them to opt out of accessibility considerations, believing they aren’t truly necessary.
So…why should clients care?
While the obvious-sounding answer may be “It’s the right thing to do,” there are also numerous, quantifiable business benefits to creating accessible products that have a direct impact on the success of our clients’ products.
No one wants to get sued. However, if a client (especially, but not limited to bigger name ones) releases an inaccessible product to the public, they can be sued.
The Americans with Disability Act (ADA) is a civil rights law that is often cited when lawsuits are filed against inaccessible websites. Compliance with accessibility standards and practices (including but not limited to WCAG) is an important step in safeguarding against getting sued.
As a cautionary tale, Target was previously sued by The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) for its inaccessible website. In the end, Target paid $6 million in damages and had to make their website accessible.
Over 3,200 lawsuits are filed yearly against companies with inaccessible websites. Each year, this number will only increase and expand to other types of digital products like apps, AR, VR, etc.
Even if a client isn’t sued for their product being inaccessible, their brand image and reputation can still be tarnished. Conversely, being recognized as a company that cares about and creates inclusive and accessible products can help build a strong and positive brand image.
The more accessible and inclusive a product is, the more people can and will use it. Creating accessible experiences not only reaches a wider audience but also strengthens the brand. It is in any company’s best interest to allow as many people as possible to engage with their products.
The idea that accessibility efforts only serve edge cases is a myth. 1 in 5 people have a permanent disability. Even more people experience temporary or situational disabilities. If clients don’t care about accessibility…are they really willing to exclude at least 15–20% of the people who could use their products?
Companies without accessible sites are losing $6.9 billion a year to competitors whose sites are accessible (US Department of Commerce). We can expect to see similar trends for emerging technologies like extended reality experiences.
Accessibility and inclusion make user experiences better for everyone. Accessibility innovations are the reason we have adjustable seats in cars, curb cuts, text messaging, audio books, captions when you’re watching a video in a loud environment, this keyboard I’m typing on, and so much more. When everyone is included, everyone benefits.
The cost to retrofit accessibility into an existing product is much higher than making it accessible when it is initially designed and developed. In some cases, it can mean almost completely starting over. Retrofitting means more design, more development, more time, and more money. In the long run, allocating the time and effort to create an accessible product from the beginning of a project is ultimately more efficient and cost-effective.
Simply put, making products accessible is in the best interest of our clients. It leads to better experiences, reaches more users, and helps protect against legal risk. Gaining client buy-in is a crucial step for executing accessibility processes.
Throughout our accessibility research, conversations, and exploration shared in this series, we’ve only scratched the surface of what the future of accessible, immersive digital experiences can and will be. This work isn’t done, and we’re excited to continue pursuing accessibility as a strategic process to create inclusive immersive experiences and as an opportunity for positive social impact.
Part 1: Designing for An Inclusive Future
Part 2: Designing Immersive and Adaptive Experiences
Part 3: Designing Inclusive Spatial Interactions and Visual Cues
Part 4: Designing for Auditory Engagement
Part 5: Designing New Ways to Navigate
Part 6: Designing Feedback and Learning
Part 7: Current Page