Designing inclusively with AI
Summary
Key Insights
-
•
AI-generated images of people with disabilities often show racial and representation biases, such as all-white subjects and inaccurate assistive device depictions.
-
•
Disability representation in AI images is frequently inaccurate, e.g., guide dogs shown with leashes instead of harnesses and blindfolds over eyes.
-
•
AI-generated personas for users with disabilities can contain improbable feature combinations, such as a MacBook user reliant on Windows-only assistive tech like JAWS.
-
•
Personas created by AI lack the depth and nuance gained from real user research and testing, especially for disability accessibility considerations.
-
•
AI-generated mockups can have accessibility issues like poor contrast and unlabeled UI elements, requiring human accessibility review.
-
•
AI tools like Stark Sidekick improve design accessibility through automated issue detection, though they are not yet full replacements for experts.
-
•
AI-powered task management apps can enhance productivity and accommodation for neurodivergent users by organizing schedules and reducing cognitive load.
-
•
AI can help identify potential biases in accessibility automation projects, but requires careful prompt crafting and domain expertise.
-
•
Designing AI-powered interfaces comes with inclusion challenges, as users unfamiliar with prompting may struggle to get effective results.
-
•
Combining AI output with continuous user testing, especially involving people with disabilities, is essential to ensure accessibility and inclusion.
Notable Quotes
"If you have questions, I will take questions throughout."
"AI-generated images often have no racial diversity and show inaccurate assistive device representation."
"You are either navigating with a white cane or a service dog because you are not gonna want both of your hands full."
"Personas tend to not give you those deep insights that you would get from user research and user testing."
"Automation might not be able to capture the context of an image if you're trying to describe an image."
"AI is actually a pretty good productivity hack as a starting point for accessibility reviews."
"A lot of people will try a prompt and not get what they were hoping to get and maybe miss out on all the benefits of AI."
"For people who identify as autistic, AI tools that review writing tone can be especially helpful."
"If the code doesn’t match the label on screen, voice controls might not recognize the command."
"There always has to be a human option if you’re not getting what you need from the AI."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Treat unemployment as a full-time job; be relentless and turn over every stone to improve your chances."
Corey LongHiring in DesignOps: A Critical Study on How to Hire and Get Hired
September 23, 2024
"That’s the kind of feature that never would have made it to the top of anyone’s backlog without design."
Gretchen AndersonScaling the Human Center
June 8, 2017
"Your work is not your identity. You are gonna hear no, and that’s okay."
Lori Muszynski Peter MerholzKeeping Design Weird
October 2, 2023
"Assistive technology includes software and hardware that people with disabilities use to access computers."
Sam ProulxSUS: A System Unusable for Twenty Percent of the Population
June 9, 2021
"Qualitative researchers can help design better human-in-the-loop evaluation guidelines that consider social context."
Prayag Narula Rida QadriHCI 2.0: Humanity Deserves the Attention that UX Research has to Offer
March 28, 2023
"More frequent change isn't always better; good communication and team pulse are key."
Deanna SmithLeading Change with Confidence: Strategies for Optimizing Your Process
September 23, 2024
"Training and coaching must be continuous because the ground keeps changing as new methods emerge."
Lija HoganDoing more with more: Lessons from the Front Lines of Democratization
March 9, 2022
"With Apple, I could pick up any phone and triple-click the home button and VoiceOver would come on."
Sam ProulxTo Boldly Go: The New Frontiers of Accessibility
March 11, 2022
"You can also reach us quickly by going to help-desk-customer-service for any tech or support issues."
Bria AlexanderOpening Remarks
October 3, 2023
