Designing accessible digital experiences for the visually impaired
Singapore Polytechnic, School of Media Arts and Design
About client
Singapore Polytechnic's School of Media, Arts, and Design (MAD) offers dynamic programs that blend creativity, technology, and innovation to prepare students for thriving careers in the creative industries. The students develop expertise in areas such as design, animation, media production, and user experience.
Services
Workshop
Project duration
2.5 hrs workshop x 2 sessions
As part of an accessibility design module, students from Singapore Polytechnic's School of Media, Arts, and Design (MAD) attended a workshop by 55 Minutes' co-founder to learn about designing for the visually impaired.
Challenge
Accessibility design is still an emerging area of focus in Singapore and is not yet a topic that many designers actively consider in their work. It is important to increase designers’ awareness of what accessibility design is, why it is important, and what to put in place when designing digital experiences for improved accessibility for the visually impaired community.
Solution
Recognising the importance of fostering awareness and capability in this area, our co-founder, Wendy Wong, conducted a workshop to increase students' empathy for the challenges faced by people with visual impairment and to advocate for accessibility design to more designers. Through this workshop, she shared industry insights and practical strategies to provide students with a more holistic perspective on designing inclusive digital experiences for the visually impaired.
Results
Students learn to design with empathy
Students discovered the importance of empathy in accessibility design, particularly when creating digital experiences for visually impaired users. They learned that using empathy-driven research methods, such as interviews and bodystorming, helps them quickly understand the unique needs and challenges faced by this community, enabling them to design more inclusive and user-friendly solutions.
Students gain practical strategies for accessible design
The workshop equipped students with actionable UX UI strategies to improve digital accessibility, including techniques for improving voice over function and screen reader compatibility, and intuitive navigation. By applying these strategies in their projects, students understood how thoughtful design can promote digital inclusivity and usability for all.
Students see the value of accessibility in user experience
Students came away with a greater appreciation of how accessibility enhances the overall user experience. They recognised that inclusive design not only benefits people with disabilities but also improves business requirements like branding, standing out from competition and gaining loyal following, among others.
Participant testimonials
“The 55 Minutes workshop was really interesting! The speaker was really engaging and friendly, and took a lot of her time to answer our questions no matter how long they were. I took back a lot of new insights from this workshop, especially about understanding user needs better and how to do so."
– Nigel Png
“The workshop was very insightful and informative and gave good real life examples of how we can empathise with those in need of accessible design.”
– Putra
“As designers, we always design solutions for able bodied individuals but tend to overlook solutions that are inclusive for everyone. I really like that the workshop was an eye opening experience for me and it has made me open up to explore more design practices.”
– Christalle
"The accessibility design workshop made our students rethink how small design choices can have a big impact on visually impaired users. Many reflected on past work, realising where they had overlooked accessibility and how simple tweaks—like better alt text or voice commands—could improve UX."
Janelle Lee, Course Manager, Media, Arts & Design School (Singapore Polytechnic)
