A good few weeks ago GAConf (Advancing accessibility for gamers with disabilities) was on. I’ve finally got around to watching some of the videos of the talks. Here are my sketchnotes from some of the talks.
My top takeaways
Some things that come up a few times:
- It’s much easier and cheaper to think about accessibility from the start.
- Developer and debug tools can become accessibility options. Customisation options are good for everyone.
- Do plenty of User Research and Testing with a diverse group of individuals.
Accessibility Driven Development by Conor Bradley
Text version of sketchnotes for "Accessibility Driven Development by Conor Bradley"
- Review everything asking:
- What kind of barrier could be presented?
- And how can we minimise that?
- Accessibility is not an add-on. It opens it up to more people.
- Test with a diverse group of individuals.
- It’s cheaper to make changes earlier.
- Acknowledge mistakes (and learn from them) and celebrate wins.
- Feedback can be difficult to receive.
- But better to receive it earlier than later!
- Work on what will have the most impact.
- Share your stories.
“Accessibility Drive Development by Conor Bradley” video on YouTube.
What can I do by Jamie Knight
Text version of sketchnotes for "What can I do by Jamie Knight"
- Our bodies change over time.
- Ability is the long list of things I can do.
- Capability is the shorter list of things I can do today.
- Capacity is how many things I have the energy to do.
- Our assumptions can create barriers: Prevent, Limit, Block.
- Empower people via options and alternatives.
“What can I do by Jamie Knight” video on YouTube.
Retrofitting accessibility in Deathloop by Yoann Bazoge
Text version of sketchnotes for "Retrofitting accessibility in Deathloop by Yoann Bazoge"
- Do User Research to uncover issues, test.
- Do the most important ones first, and let people know.
- Allow customisation: it’s good for everyone!
- It’s much less work to consider it from the start.
- Debug features can become accessibility features with a little polish.
“Retrofitting accessibility in Deathloop by Yoann Bazoge” video on YouTube.
Accessibility Planning by Mila Pavlin
Text version of sketchnotes for "Accessibility Planning by Mila Pavlin"
- Don’t get overwhelmed.
- Prepare your kitchen
- Know what you need
- Use what you have
- Your team can help
- Don’t burnout
- Start and end with users.
- Their wants and needs rather than features (which are just one solution)
- Reduce blockers, increase agency.
- Debug / dev tools can be repurposed into a11y tools.
- Existing conventions, techniques, and standards are easier to get sign-off on.
- More cost, less choice, as time goes on.