Inclusive design is becoming more common on social media

image showing braille with text inclusive design is becoming more common on social media

LinkedIn had announced that many new features are in the works including real-time captioning on LinkedIn Live broadcasts. The new feature is a wonderful stride forward for accessibility, allowing it to be easier for hearing-impaired people to watch these lives. In April Twitter launched new accessibility features globally, which included images on the site that have an image description will show a black rectangle with white letters spelling “ALT.” When clicked on, the image description will appear. This is a great way for people who are vision-impaired to be able to understand what is going on in an image. Other social media including Facebook and TikTok have also been following in these footsteps, making their platforms more accessible for everyone.

It’s wonderful to see that social media sites are becoming more inclusive and taking into consideration people with different disabilities. In a world where so much is online, it’s important that everyone is able to access and enjoy the content that is available.

What is inclusive design?

Inclusive design is all about providing the best possible user experience for as many people as possible. This includes people of all abilities, whether that’s those with a physical disability, a cognitive impairment, or even just a temporary injury.

It’s about designing products, services, and environments that can be used by everyone, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. Inclusive design is an approach to design that starts with the needs of people who are often excluded. It’s about making products, services, and environments accessible to everyone, regardless of age, ability, or circumstance.

Social media - where accessibility matters

When it comes to social media, accessibility is especially important. After all, social media platforms are designed to be used by people all over the world, from a variety of different backgrounds and with a wide range of abilities.

Making sure that everyone can use social media is not only the right thing to do, but it also makes good business sense. After all, if a social media platform is inaccessible to a certain group of people, then those people are likely to go elsewhere.

Is it important for your business to be accessible on social media?

There are ways for your brand to improve accessibility on your posts no matter where you are posting. For example, if you are posting a photo on Instagram you can use the ‘alt text’ tool to describe what is happening in the image for people who are vision-impaired. Facebook also has an ‘alt text’ tool as well as a ‘describe image’ function for videos. Below we have a quick checklist on ways you can make your content more accessible for all!

  1. Make text accessible

  2. Provide descriptive image captions

  3. Include video captions and add video descriptions

  4. Stay informed about accessibility tools

  5. Embrace Feedback

Make text accessible

  • Use easy to read font types

  • Use CamelCase hashtags

  • Put hashtags and mentions at the end of posts

  • Stick to a limited number of fonts

  • Use clear and concise language

  • Use short sentences and paragraphs

Provide descriptive image captions:

  • Include information about the subject, mood, and location

  • Avoid using jargon or technical terms

  • If you're struggling on how to write an image caption imagine how you would describe the photo to someone over the phone who can't see what you can.

Include video captions and add video descriptions:

  • Video Captions will enable people who are deaf or hard of hearing to follow along with your videos. You can create captions by transcribing the audio track of your video or by adding text to the video itself

  • On live video, you can provide captions using live captioning services

  • Descriptive audio can be used to describe the events taking place in a video for people who are blind or have low vision

  • Descriptive transcripts can be used to provide a written record of the audio track of a video so that people who are deaf or hard of hearing can follow along

Stay informed about accessibility tools:

Embrace Feedback

  • Make sure you're regularly checking in with your audience to see how they 're experiencing your content

  • If you're not sure how to make your content more accessible, reach out to organizations or individuals who can provide guidance

  • Listen to feedback and act on it where you can. Not everyone will have the same experience of your content, so it's important to get as much feedback as possible.

  • Not everyone gets things right first time, so don't be afraid to make mistakes. What matters is that you are trying to make your content accessible for all .

By following the tips above, you can make sure that your social media content is accessible to everyone. So why not give it a try? You may be surprised at how easy it is to make a difference.

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