Engineering Culture by InfoQ

Building Empathy and Accessibility: Fostering Better Engineering Cultures and Developer Experiences

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Apr 25, 2025
Guest
Erin Doyle
Erin Doyle, a generalist engineer with a focus on web accessibility and developer experience at Quotient, shares insights on fostering empathy in tech. She discusses the ethical importance of web accessibility and the legal risks of non-compliance. Erin highlights the challenges of ensuring inclusive design, advocating for a culture of continuous learning. Mental health matters too; she emphasizes the need for psychological safety, encouraging open communication and collaboration among developers to build supportive engineering teams.
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INSIGHT

Understanding Users is Key to Accessibility

  • Good accessibility requires understanding diverse user limitations and their unique interactions with technology.
  • Experiencing a product as those with disabilities do helps identify and fix accessibility issues effectively.
ADVICE

Use Test-Driven Accessibility Approach

  • Take a test-driven approach to accessibility by using tools that catch common issues and provide guidance.
  • Integrate accessibility testing into QA to maintain compliance and continuously improve user experience.
ADVICE

Avoid Accessibility Overlays as Shortcut

  • Continually test new UI paradigms like AI chatbots for accessibility.
  • Avoid relying on quick-fix overlays as they can reduce accessibility and do not replace expert development.
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