How do you ensure your product remains accessible and inclusive to diverse user groups?
It’s all about making sure everyone can use what you’re creating, no matter their background or abilities.
Here’s how I approach it:
1. Start with Empathy:
First off, it helps to put yourself in the shoes of different users.
I once worked on a product where we initially didn’t consider how colorblind users would interact with our app.
A team member pointed out that our color choices made it difficult for these users to distinguish certain elements.
That was a real eye-opener.
Now, I always start by thinking about the range of people who might use our product and what unique needs they might have.
2. User Testing with Diverse Groups
You’ve got to test your product with a diverse group of people. It’s not enough to just assume you know what they need.
We regularly include people from various demographics, abilities, and backgrounds in our testing phases.
Once, we invited users who had motor disabilities to a testing session and quickly learned that our buttons were too small for them to use effectively.
We made them larger and more navigable, which improved the experience for everyone, not just those with disabilities.
3. Accessibility Guidelines
There are tons of guidelines out there like the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) that provide a fantastic roadmap for creating accessible products.
Whenever we start a new feature, we check these guidelines to make sure we’re on track.
It’s a bit like having a recipe when you’re cooking a new dish—you want to make sure you’ve got all the right ingredients for it to come out right.
4. Inclusive Design Workshops
I love running workshops with the team where we focus specifically on inclusive design. These can be real eye-openers.
We discuss everything from language inclusivity in our content to ensuring our product is usable under various internet connectivity conditions.
For example, we realized that some of our images were too heavy, which made loading times slow on weaker internet connections, common in rural areas.
Optimizing these not only made our app faster for those users but actually improved performance across the board.
5. Feedback Loops
And of course, keeping those feedback loops open and active is crucial.
We encourage feedback through multiple channels and make sure to take it seriously.
Every piece of feedback is an opportunity to learn and improve. We once received a suggestion from a visually impaired user about adding text descriptions to our images (alt text).
We implemented it, and it greatly enhanced our content’s accessibility.
6. Continuous Learning and Improvement
Accessibility isn’t a one-time thing; it’s ongoing.
I make it a point to stay updated on the latest accessibility tools, trends, and technologies.
Attending webinars, reading up on case studies, and even networking with other product managers focused on accessibility—it all helps keep me and my team sharp and our products inclusive.
So, yeah, keeping your product accessible and inclusive is about being:
- Proactive
- Thoughtful
- Open to learning
It’s good for the users, and honestly, it’s good for business too.
Everyone should be able to use what you build, and ensuring that happens is one of the most rewarding parts of being a product manager.
It’s all about making sure everyone can use what you’re creating, no matter their background or abilities.
Here’s how I approach it:
1. Start with Empathy:
First off, it helps to put yourself in the shoes of different users.
I once worked on a product where we initially didn’t consider how colorblind users would interact with our app.
A team member pointed out that our color choices made it difficult for these users to distinguish certain elements.
That was a real eye-opener.
Now, I always start by thinking about the range of people who might use our product and what unique needs they might have.
2. User Testing with Diverse Groups
You’ve got to test your product with a diverse group of people. It’s not enough to just assume you know what they need.
We regularly include people from various demographics, abilities, and backgrounds in our testing phases.
Once, we invited users who had motor disabilities to a testing session and quickly learned that our buttons were too small for them to use effectively.
We made them larger and more navigable, which improved the experience for everyone, not just those with disabilities.
3. Accessibility Guidelines
There are tons of guidelines out there like the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) that provide a fantastic roadmap for creating accessible products.
Whenever we start a new feature, we check these guidelines to make sure we’re on track.
It’s a bit like having a recipe when you’re cooking a new dish—you want to make sure you’ve got all the right ingredients for it to come out right.
4. Inclusive Design Workshops
I love running workshops with the team where we focus specifically on inclusive design. These can be real eye-openers.
We discuss everything from language inclusivity in our content to ensuring our product is usable under various internet connectivity conditions.
For example, we realized that some of our images were too heavy, which made loading times slow on weaker internet connections, common in rural areas.
Optimizing these not only made our app faster for those users but actually improved performance across the board.
5. Feedback Loops
And of course, keeping those feedback loops open and active is crucial.
We encourage feedback through multiple channels and make sure to take it seriously.
Every piece of feedback is an opportunity to learn and improve. We once received a suggestion from a visually impaired user about adding text descriptions to our images (alt text).
We implemented it, and it greatly enhanced our content’s accessibility.
6. Continuous Learning and Improvement
Accessibility isn’t a one-time thing; it’s ongoing.
I make it a point to stay updated on the latest accessibility tools, trends, and technologies.
Attending webinars, reading up on case studies, and even networking with other product managers focused on accessibility—it all helps keep me and my team sharp and our products inclusive.
So, yeah, keeping your product accessible and inclusive is about being:
- Proactive
- Thoughtful
- Open to learning
It’s good for the users, and honestly, it’s good for business too.
Everyone should be able to use what you build, and ensuring that happens is one of the most rewarding parts of being a product manager.
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