Accessibility for everyone
using inclusive design principles for your DAM
Accessibility is a topic more important than 1 post can cover, so consider this the beginning of a conversation about accessibility of your DAM assets.
But before talking about accessibility for DAM, it’s important to review who benefits from universally accessible design. Good news - it’s a small niche group called “everyone.”
Better news, there are several sources to learn best practices on universal design, design thinking, inclusive ux and overall site accessibility - see the end of this post for some of my favorite resources. While I’m unable to share the proprietary guides I’ve been lucky enough to see and contribute to at several companies I’ve worked with, designing sites, language and in-person experiences for all has become big business as well as the right thing to do.
Here’s one of my favorite visuals since it can break through arguments that accessibility is either just nice to have or something we need to do for legal reasons. This infographic from the Microsoft inclusivity toolkit helps explain how including those with permanent, temporary or situational accessibility needs can result in everyone - at some point in their lives - needing accessible design.
Whether you are trying to convince a teammate or get funding to improve the accessibility of your DAM, I think this infographic can remind them (and ourselves) that inclusive user experiences will make your DAM assets easier to access, richer in content and more engaging for a variety of users.
One example that comes up often is how to handle images for those who can’t see. Why do we stress adding alternative (alt) text to image descriptions? First case: those with permanent disabilities, in this case blindness. By adding alt text (and if you’re bothering, do it well - this guide from Harvard covers most use cases), you include users who cannot see the image. Screen readers can speak the words you have typed. As for temporary, in addition to the cataract mentioned in the infographic, I would include those who have eye infections or migraines. Finally situational, those driving and listening as well as someone who prefers to listen to news articles while they cook dinner. Even those instead viewing the image benefit by the SEO improved by the alt text that may have helped the user find the site/article/page in the first place.
From alt text, to folder naming, to asset structure, don’t let accessibility be an afterthought - it’s better to design your DAM strategy for everyone from the start.
More resources:
Defining universal/accessible/usable design
The Valuable 500 - companies supporting inclusion