Promoting inclusive and accessible design in usability testing

Communication Design Quarterly Oct 2018

Promoting inclusive and accessible design in usability testing

Liz Hutter ; Halcyon M. Lawrence

Abstract

Drawing on an analysis of a usability teaching case with users who are deaf and who communicate using American Sign Language, we argue that there is a need for industry and the academy to refocus on more accessible testing practices, situated more decidedly within the social, cultural, and historical contexts of users. We offer guidelines for more inclusive practices for testing with users who are deaf prompting designers, developers, and students to think about systems of behavior, such as audism, cultural appropriation, and technological paternalism that undermine accessibility in their design and practices. More broadly, we propose ways in which instructors of technical communication can leverage usability tools and research methods to help students better understand their users for any artifact they design and create.

Journal: Communication Design Quarterly
Published: 2018-10-01
DOI: 10.1145/3282665.3282668
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Topics: empirical research multimodality technical communication disability studies

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (6)

Atherton et al. (2024)

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Gallagher et al. (2024)

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Hutter (2024)

Honoring Dr. Halcyon Lawrence's Legacy in the Technical Communication Classroom

Communication Design Quarterly

Cites in this index (0)

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