Follow best practices for problem formulation, which mirror those of the empathy stage in the design thinking process:
Identify your target users
Ability-based design practices aim to design for users of all abilities. Start by defining specific target users that designers often consider to have specific needs or limitations. These might include people with disabilities, older adults, or those with specific needs or limitations. Then, expand the target users to include people across the range of abilities. Clearly define your target users so that you can investigate their specific needs and issues.
For example, when looking at users with visual impairments, define your target users as follows:
- Define the extremes of the ability spectrum.
- Fully blind, since birth
- Expand to include users across the range of abilities
- Fully blind, acquired during lifetime
- Legally blind, since birth
- Legally blind, acquired during lifetime
- Low vision, since birth
- Low vision, acquired during lifetime
Identify the design challenge
Clearly state the problems or opportunities that you are trying to address.
When defining your challenge, remember to consider the following design aspects, especially for users with diverse abilities. These categories, each represented by a separate image, are shown in the preceding diagram:
- Color-contrast: Provide sufficient contrast to make text, user interface (UI), and graphics readable for people with low vision.
- Earcons: Use brief, distinct sounds to represent specific actions or interface elements, providing important audio cues.
- Haptic or touch: Translate digital and environmental information into physical sensations, which is vital for individuals with blindness.
- Cognitive load: Create structured and predictable designs to minimize memory strain and increase learnability, making the experience faster and less frustrating.
Outline key questions
Define what you need to learn about your target users to inform later steps in this process.