Introduction
Last week, in Nice, France, I co-chaired a session at the 2024 AHFE International Conference called Industry and Academia Collaborations in Service Design, Ethics, and User Experience Design Thinking with my former advisor and mentor, Debra Satterfield. Deb is a highly skilled educator with over 30 years of experience as a professor in higher education.
I attended the conference because a paper I co-authored, titled Accessibility Design in User Experience and Digital Product Design: Ethical and Practical Imperatives, was selected for the program. I collaborated on this paper with Erica Price, a colleague in Product and User Experience with whom I've worked for the past five years.
Session
The session's theme was to bring together people from education and industry to discuss how to better prepare students for careers and share practices that would benefit both professionals and educators.
The presentation lineup included six presentations:
- Accessibility Design in User Experience and Digital Product Design: Ethical and Practical Imperatives – Ryan G Wilson, Erica Price, USA
- Industry and Academia Collaborative Learning: The CSULB and ISSIP AI Collab Pilot Program – Debra Satterfield, Jen-mei Chang, USA
- Promoting Motivation in Learning Introductory Statistics – Tianni Zhou, Debra Satterfield, Yiming Wang, Hiromi Masunaga, USA
- Localizing Graphical User Interfaces for Right-to-Left Languages: A Practical Study – Sam Anvari, Paul Woods, USA
- “Introspective Creativity” Leveraging Inclusive Leadership Philosophy with Design Thinking Methodologies – Wesley Woelfel, USA
- VR-Based, Collaborative and Hybrid Service Prototyping – Erhan Efe, Hamide Yavuz, Pia Freitag, Moses Effinger, Nick Tugarin, Christian van Husen, Germany
There were some really interesting topics discussed, such as an initiative that I have helped Professor Satterfield with within the past few years that focuses on bringing industry professionals into the classroom to act as presenters and reviewers and to bring industry experience back to the classroom.
Other topics focused on methodologies to increase student engagement in the classroom, like Tianni Zhou’s presentation and Wesley Woelfel’s presentation on bringing “design thinking” into the classroom as a learning tool.
The topic that fascinated me the most was Sam Anvari’s presentation, Localizing Graphical User Interfaces for Right-to-Left Languages. Sam highlighted that when localizing interfaces by language, an English-first product, which displays content left-to-right, requires additional considerations when adapting the interface for right-to-left languages. Interactions do not always need to move, especially in vehicle center console interfaces like Apple CarPlay. A visual example was shared showing how some applications move the 'back' interaction to the right to align with content, similar to how it is aligned with left-to-right content. However, these adjustments can affect the driver's reach, moving the interaction closer to the opposing side of the interface in a left-hand drive vehicle, making it more challenging to reach safely during vehicle operation.
When localizing products for other languages and cultures, it is important to consider not just text alignment but also interaction placement.
Paper Presentation
My co-author, Erica Price, and I presented on our topic, Accessibility Design in User Experience and Digital Product Design: Ethical and Practical Imperatives. Our presentation highlighted the crucial role of accessibility, or a11y (pronounced “ally”), emphasizing the need to create digital products that everyone can use, regardless of individual ability. Erica and I advocated for a shift in how humans perceive and address disabilities. By normalizing disability as a natural part of human diversity and embedding inclusive design principles from the outset, we can build more effective, user-friendly, and legally compliant digital solutions.
During the presentation, we underscored the challenges and misconceptions businesses face regarding accessibility, such as perceived higher costs and the complexity of adhering to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). We dispelled myths about quick-fix accessibility plugins, stressing the importance of strategic planning and expert guidance in creating genuinely inclusive products.
Emphasizing that accessibility is not an extra burden but a core design principle, we demonstrated how inclusive design enhances user experience, promotes societal benefits, and aligns with long-term business sustainability. Our presentation called for a paradigm shift in viewing accessibility as fundamental to human-centered design, fostering empathy, and preparing the next generation of tech builders to create more inclusive digital landscapes.
Conclusion
The AHFE International Conference in Nice was a vibrant platform for exchanging ideas and fostering collaboration between industry professionals and academia. Our session, Industry and Academia Collaborations in Service Design, Ethics, and User Experience Design Thinking, highlighted the synergy that can be achieved when these two worlds come together. A diversity of presentations provided valuable insights into enhancing educational methodologies, improving student engagement, and addressing critical design challenges, such as localizing interfaces for different languages and integrating accessibility from the ground up.
Erica Price and I were honored to present our work on accessibility design, emphasizing the ethical and practical imperatives of creating inclusive digital products. Our experience at the conference reinforced the importance of continuous dialogue between educators and industry leaders to ensure that future tech builders are well-equipped with the knowledge and empathy required to design for a diverse world. By embracing accessibility and inclusive design as core principles, we can collectively contribute to a more equitable and user-friendly digital landscape, benefiting society. This conference represents the power of collaboration and the shared commitment to advancing the field of user experience and product design.
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