Getting accessibility and usability right - it's a lot of common sense

Let's take an offline, 'real-world' example of how someone can get accessibility and usability wrong through over-complication of a simple task.

Anyone who has used the new Virgin Trains will be aware that overall they provide a fresh, modern approach to the interior design. Pleasant decor (of course red is heavily used), comfortable chairs, plug sockets to power your laptop, mobile phone, etc.

The 'in-conveniences'

But there's one area where Virgin Trains have got a simple task very wrong. The toilets. To make them accessible for all they have made them large, with sliding door that can accommodate all users. This must be applauded. Where they have gone very wrong is with the door locking mechanism.

How they work

To enter the toilets there is a button that you press to open the sliding door, then you step inside and press another button to close it. That is simple enough. Now you will want to lock the door (as it's not really a spectator sport). This is where it gets complex. To lock the door you must wait for the sliding door to close, and then press another button to actually lock the door. It's not intuitive.

There's no confirmation that the door is actually locked (if the red light is on surrounding the button does that mean it's locked or that you need to press the button to lock it?). Many times I have seen people enter the toilet, close the door, and then someone else approach the toilet, press the button to open the door and be confronted by the existing occupant - followed by some hurried apologies and nervous fumbling at the door buttons. The other problem with the buttons is where they are located. They are a good few metres from the toilet itself, so this presents a problem to the occupant using the facilities if the door should suddenly open - exposing them to the rest of the passengers in the vicinity...

So, why this complex?

The reason they have these flat, touch-buttons is two-fold. One is for accessibility. They are designed to be usable to some disabled people who might struggle with a twist or slide locking mechanism. The other is to prevent 'pranksters' being able to press the 'lock' button and then jumping out of the cubicle before the door closes, leaving it vacant but locked preventing others from using it.

However, as we have seen, they are not easy to use for any first-time user, and what has always been a relatively simple task - locking a toilet door, has become a complex and possibly traumatic experience for some users. Anyone who has used these toilets will have experienced some confusion or difficulty when using them for the first time. I'm sure there aren't many people who haven't been made to stop and think for a few seconds when confronted with these buttons.

How is this relevant to online accessibility and usability?

The parallels between this scenario and website design can be seen all too often. Design needs to be inclusive for all, not accessible to some at the detriment of others.

Accessibility shouldn't be about taking something that works and replacing it with something that is inadequate. It's also not about providing a 'watered-down' version to one group of users. It's about providing a solution, a website, that can be used by all and provides an enjoyable experience where they can find the information they are searching for, carry out the activity they want to do, and not be faced with obstacles that are going to force them to look elsewhere.

Design for all, access for all

With the toilet door buttons above, what was designed to help one set of users wasn't designed to be inclusive of everyone in every different disability. Creating a text-only or low-graphics version of your site might make it accessible to blind users using a screen reader, but it's not going to provide the best solution for everyone - what about an older user with fairly poor vision who wants to use an asthetically pleasing site but struggles to read smaller text. There's no reason that your site shouldn't be accessible to all users without having to resort to a separate version that serves to exclude certain groups. Instead you should be providing a single version of your site that is completely inclusive.

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Accessibility & Usability Consultancy Big Picture Interactive has unrivalled experience in the design and development of standards-compliant, user-centred websites.