Bogdan Lazar

I help product owners ship accessible websites without blocking ongoing work. #ShipAccessible

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[Bogdan Lazar @tricinel]

It's not about getting accessible, it's about staying accessible.

It's useless to spend money on an #accessibility audit and then on fixing those issues only to then go back to business as usual.

It's like going to the gym for 3 months and then back to being a couch potato.

[Bogdan Lazar @tricinel]

Different maps work for different people in different situations.

A cycling map is great for cyclists, but useless for drivers. Even if they're both going to the same place.

Tailoring an #accessibility audit for the team that will follow it seems like a good idea to me.

[Bogdan Lazar @tricinel]

When it comes to #accessibility audits, there's this argument that you want it to incorporate more and more details.

Doing so improves the quality of the audit.

But does quantity of data trump quality?

[Bogdan Lazar @tricinel]

The map, just like the accessibility audit, is valuable because it simplifies and omits.

The audit contains just enough details, but not too much to be overwhelming.

The BETTER audit is the one that is tailored to how it will be used by the people interpreting it.

[Bogdan Lazar @tricinel]

And then you look at each issue and assign weights.

Which weights matter to you and how much each weight matters are pretty unique per organisation.

There's no best way to tackle #accessibility.

There's the best way to tackle it...for you!

[Bogdan Lazar @tricinel]

Not all #accessibility issues are the same.

You can't treat colour contrast like you'd treat keyboard navigation. They're in different categories.

And it's not just about the WCAG A, AA and AAA levels.

There's not just one weighting system.

[Bogdan Lazar @tricinel]

With #accessibility, prioritising all the issues that can come out of an audit is exactly the same.

You assign weights to things like:
- impact on users
- risk of non-compliance
- time available to fix
- resources (people) with the right knowledge

[Bogdan Lazar @tricinel]

Unpopular opinion. You don't need to learn to code to get involved in #accessibility.

It's not strictly about reading the WCAG and following ARIA patterns.

Accessibility isn't a technical problem.

[Bogdan Lazar @tricinel]

With #accessibility, you can fail your way to success.

[Bogdan Lazar @tricinel]

There are no average users, only real people.

Like Emily, who is blind and uses a screen reader to order coffee online.

Or Dave who doesn’t use a mouse at all due to wrist pain.

Stop designing for the imaginary average user. Talk to Emily, Dave and hundreds more like them.

[Bogdan Lazar @tricinel]

Not too little, not too much.

The pressure to get to every #accessibility issue in your backlog, all at once, everything, all the time, it’s what’s going to lead to burnout.

Instead, take small steps, celebrate the small wins. Do it consistently and reap the rewards.

[Bogdan Lazar @tricinel]

Accessibility. Can you turn it on and off? Can you switch between a fixed set of options?

Or do you see it more as a continuous adjustment that you adjust as you go?

It's a dial, not a switch.

#accessibility

[Bogdan Lazar @tricinel]

I know everyone dreams of the all inclusive culture, where #accessibility is in your organisation DNA.

But if you're looking to drive change in your industry, dreaming big, aiming high is not the way.

Small quick wins is what will get you there.

Everyone starts at the bottom.

[Bogdan Lazar @tricinel]

When you’re faced with a decision with an uncertain outcome, you have 3 options:

1. Do nothing. You don’t know enough so you run out the clock.

2. Buy knowledge. Do research or hire an expert.

3. Take a leap of faith. Just do it, see what happens and iterate.

1 is the worst.

[Bogdan Lazar @tricinel]

It's not that we don't have time for #accessibility. We have time.

What we don't have, is time for everything. So we have to choose and prioritise.

Sadly, we rarely prioritise accessibility.

[Bogdan Lazar @tricinel]

With #accessibility, you have to start where you are.

Most want you to start where you want to be and work backwards.

[Bogdan Lazar @tricinel]

A lot of people treat accessibility as an event. Something that you have to do, you do and then it's done.

#Accessibility is a process.

It's a continuous practice. It's the boring things you do daily, weekly, monthly.

And it's what compounds and rewards you in the long run.