Course · Accessibility
Designing so that everyone is included
0.1 / What it's about
Good design excludes no one.
Accessibility shows how digital services can work for as many people as possible: for disabled people, for older people, and for anyone facing temporary challenges. The course combines fundamentals, design, and testing.
As a recurring example, you will follow the 'Bibliothek am Rhein', a small municipal library. It is revamping its website and app so that everyone can find and borrow media and book events.
Key questions of the course:
QUESTION 1
Who are we designing for, and what are the barriers?
QUESTION 2
How do I design colour, contrast and fonts for everyone?
QUESTION 3
How can everything be operated without a mouse?
QUESTION 4
How do I check whether an offer is genuinely accessible?
Course framework:
TARGET AUDIENCE
Creators
Students in graphic, media, web, or UX design, with no prior programming knowledge.
SCOPE
5 × 90 mins
Plus final project; each module can also be used individually.
Format
Try it for yourself
Short input, tools, self-assessment, and practice on your own project.
REFERENCE
Cross-references
Connections to information design, UX & UI design, design psychology and copywriting.
0.2 / Learning Objectives
After the course, you'll be designing for everyone.
After the course, you will be able to:
0.3 / Course content
All modules and sections at a glance.
Five modules, each with a core question and a tool. Click on a module to open it.
MODULE 01
Who are we designing for?
MODULE 02
Can it be seen?
MODULE 03
Does it work without a mouse?
MODULE 04
Does it make sense?
MODULE 05
How do I know if it works?
0.4 / Procedure per module
Each module follows the same structure.
The rhythm stays the same, the content changes:
01
Introduction (10 mins)
A question or issue from everyday project life.
02
Input (20 mins)
Fundamentals and best practices.
03
Tool (15 mins)
Explore the topic in the interactive tool.
04
Exercise (35 mins)
Application to a project of your own.
05
Reflection (10 mins)
What do you adopt into your workflow?
In each section, you will find a bold key takeaway with a lightning bolt icon, an exercise behind the blue button, a read-aloud function, and examples behind the light bulb on many cards.
0.5 / Certificate of achievement
At the end, an audit is carried out with recommendations for improvement.
Final project: a comprehensive accessibility audit of your own project or an existing website, featuring specific improvements across five steps:
01
Check
Quick check, keyboard test and automatic check.
02
See
Measure contrasts and add colour tracks.
03
Operate
Improve focus, order, and touch targets.
04
Understand
Revise structure, link text, language and alternative text.
05
Document
Show before and after, write an accessibility statement.
Assessment criteria: clearly demonstrated barriers, effective improvements, design quality preserved, tested with at least one person, comprehensible documentation.
0.6 / Literature and Sources
Design for all has role models.
• W3C: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2. 2023.
• Holmes, K. (2018): Mismatch. How Inclusion Shapes Design. MIT Press.
• Pickering, H. (2016): Inclusive Design Patterns. Smashing Magazine.
• Microsoft: Inclusive Design Toolkit.
• eCH Association: eCH-0059 Accessibility Standard.
• "Access for All" Foundation: Swiss Accessibility Study.
• Easy Language Network: The rules for Easy Language.
Please note: Standards and laws are continuously updated; the current versions of WCAG and eCH-0059 are authoritative.