Sitting in the post Webstock presentation today in a group of web savvy folks, it was a bit sad to see people snickering about accessibility during the analysis. Did I detect mild contempt for the disabled, the aged - the non net set?
Do we pity people who can’t swan around a website like we can?? Is there still a lack of empathy? Are designers and the webnorati the new sports jocks of the web laughing at the nerds who cant keep up?
We ( working in technology) are all highly educated, been on the net since forever, work in the industry, immersed in technology at home, work and everywhere else, have web experience, intrinsic knowledge and we’re surrounded by similar people that reinforce what we do and what we think ‘every one knows’
“Everyone knows” (the classic excuse)
Should be …..
“Everyone I know….”
Well my deaf friends cant listen to podcasts or watch narrative videos still..
On niche sites for the net set and beautiful (e.g. A designer gym, new media site etc) you can be a bit more flexible, playful, be obtuse, perhaps even assume (but test lol) people are more like you and design accordingly
On websites for banks, councils, supermarkets; the mass market websites - we have the Dulcies, Franks and Jims of the world who don’t use the web that often, left school at 16 or didn't do a tech degree, work in non tech jobs; so their exposure to web and interest in it is far far less. This is where we have to move closer to elements of user experience and gear our selves down to their level.
*gasp* yes they JUST DONT CARE, sorry, not interested. I did usability testing with real people for a website, not one understood what a tag cloud was. Designers loved the tag cloud because it was clever. but still people didn't understand it.
Fundamentally we are an over educated smug privileged set revelling in our own cleverness, designing for an audience very un-like ourselves.
We are designing many sites for people who are anchored outside 'our' world..that's where the user experience and user research can be used to reflect their experience not ours, back at them.
They don't or rarely:
Blog or twitter – talk to their friends, keep diaries, ring each other
Meet online – they have dinner and have coffee with friends, go to church
Surf the web- they read, knit, join light musical society
Watch the world through flickr - but go into it in their camper vans
They are our age and older..
Perhaps this will change on the sad days our parents pass, but until then they are still out there and out number us..
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a neo-Luddite, I love all this wonderful tech for my own amusement, education but am informed by what the audience of a site is able to take on board or work with when applying it to others....
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