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Scott Mayer
Usability Services Specialist
American Family Insurance
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Making the Web accessible for everyone
by Jesse Berkowitz
Scott Mayer is not a typical usability analyst.
Like other usability analysts, Scott works on page layout, task flow, and navigation. He is also a self-taught computer programmer. But Scott's true expertise is accessibility – and for good reason.
Scott is completely blind.
He lost his vision at age 24 due to complications from diabetes. At the time, Scott was pursuing a degree in physical education.
Now he's part of the American Family Insurance usability group. "I've found ways around almost everything," he says, referring to designing user interfaces without the benefit of sight.
For instance, Scott uses spreadsheets to diagram screen flows and conducts usability tests with paper prototypes. He has even cut out pieces of felt to layout page grids. But it's Scott's work in accessibility that has made the greatest impact.
| "I go into each project assuming there will be accessibility issues – it's a neglected field. There are things that you simply don't think about if you have sight." |
"I go into each project assuming there will be accessibility issues – it's a neglected field," he says. "There are things that you simply don't think about if you have sight."
By reviewing designs manually, Scott detects accessibility problems that screen readers and code-verifiers can't find on their own. He checks things like:
- Links – All links should have descriptive labels associated with them (not just URLs), so a screen reader can identify where the links go for a vision-impaired user.
- Headings – Headings should be arranged in a logical order. Otherwise, the sequence won't make sense to the user when read aloud by a screen reader.
- Forms – The tab order should flow top to bottom on forms, with no adjacent field that require a sideways movement.
- Screen Folds – How much content is "below the fold," meaning that scrolling will be required – making information harder to find?
Scott is careful to make the distinction that accessibility is not synonymous with usability. However, he says accessibility needs to be part of the usability process to be taken seriously.
"It's also important to make it clear that accessibility reviews aren't just for people without sight," says Scott. "Many people navigate with a keyboard instead of a mouse, and an accessible design makes this easier to do. Accessibility also helps people who are illiterate or have a learning disability. It's simply a matter of educating people about the need for it. Perception doesn't always match reality, but no one wants to lose customers."
"Usability is already becoming an integral part of our focus at American Family Insurance. We're very pragmatic in our approach – theoretical knowledge is fine, but the practical knowledge is what counts."
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