Thursday, May 16, 2019

Accessibility for All: Designing Products that Everyone Can Use

Truly accessible design is for everyone, fit for purpose by users of all abilities. Our needs and priorities are highly personal, changing throughout our lives – accessibility reflects these individual nuances, ensuring convenience for as many as possible.

 

Samsung Electronics creates technology that is accessible and easy-to-use for customers, regardless of their age, race, gender, or ability. Following Global Accessibility Awareness Day on May 16, Samsung has released a visual story that details how the company designs products for everyone.

 

When creating a product, there is one principle that Samsung follows without fail.

Samsung ensures that the device is accessible to everyone - the visually impaired, the hard of hearing, those with physical disabilities, children and the elderly.

Let’s start with a device we use every day: the smartphone. Visually impaired people might have trouble locating buttons...

Turning the device on, opening apps, selecting options… Galaxy smartphones are equipped with a Screen Reader voice assistant so users can receive audio guidance and use simple gestures to help them navigate without needing to see the screen.

Samsung’s AI platform, Bixby, can also help people with visual impairments. Whenever you want to send a message, press the Bixby key and dictate what you want to say. Bixby will transcribe your words into text.

The One UI was carefully designed to help all smartphone users see everything they need to, allowing them to: a. enlarge and bold any font, with content scaled accordingly,.... and b. enhance visibility and readability

The control panels of Samsung home appliances are positioned at a height of 360 ~ 1200mm (ISO standard requirement). Did you know that control panels must be between 360 ~ 1200mm to ensure accessibility for wheelchair users?

Samsung requires its refrigerators and kitchen appliances to meet ISO and ADA *standards, and aims to expand this initiative to other products in the future.** (*ADA Standards, which are applied in the U.S., recommend that control panels are between 380mm and 1200mm in height.) (**Availability may vary by market and by product.)

When deisigning refrigerators, Samsung also considered the needs of wheelchair users and children. The refrigerators' screens can be lowered and the position of a screen's main controls can also be moved up and down.

Samsung TVs offer a variety of accessibility features that help ensure nobody misses a moment.

The Multi-output Audio function can connect the TV to more than one audio device. This means that the hard of hearing can connect the TV to their very own Bluetooth headset.

Samsung TVs also offer features for people with low vision. Voice Guide helps users navigate the TV's channels, functions and settings. High Contrast mode displays all menus with maximum contrast and visibility of text. Learn Remort Control assists users in memorizing the position and function of individual buttons on their remote controls.

Viewers can also adjust the position of subtitles, helping them to focus on the words and creating a more comfortable viewing experience.

Children are always curious. Adults are always worried. "I hope my appliances are child-safe..."

Safeguarding children against accidents is a top priority for product developers and designers. All Samsung home appliances, including washers and dryers, are designed so that they can be opened from the inside with just a child's strength.

To ensure that their products are easy to use by people of all abilities, Samsung will continue to develop technology that is accessible to everyone.



* This article was originally published here
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