Bridging the gap: Empowering UX-students to address all users’ needs
In the realm of product and service design, the consensus among experts and laymen alike is clear: user testing is crucial for enhancing usability. This is especially true in the field of accessibility, where the involvement of end users with disabilities is essential for meeting accessibility requirements effectively.
Despite this apparent consensus, a significant discrepancy exists. Most organisations, both public and private, report that they do not engage in user testing. Even fewer involve people with disabilities in their testing processes. This gap in practice versus principle is what the INTUX project aims to address.
Funded by Erasmus+ and with universities as well as end user organisations as partners, the project is designed to create a long-term impact by enhancing the skills of UX students, ensuring they are equipped to meet the needs of all users in their professional roles.
Co-creation of material
Based on desk research and literature review, a set of best practices have been developed. These have then been tested in a validation process with end users with disabilities and university teachers and students.
To support university staff in cultivating an inclusive learning environment, the project has also created a handbook for trainers. By grounding new educational practices in the research conducted through our project, we hope to create a “new normal” when it comes to training the next generation of UX-designers, so that user testing with people with disabilities will be included in all relevant courses.
Final event
Project partners have carried out dissemination events in their respective countries, and on the 13th of June, the Funka Foundation organized the European-wide final conference. The project results were presented, two expert panels discussed different aspects of user testing, and project partners responded to questions from the audience. More than 200 participants from across the EU and beyond had registered for the final conference, which was recorded and is published on the project website. The recording has live captions and international sign.