ACCESSIBLE INTERFACE DESIGN FOR HIGHER EDUCATION CAMPUS - A CASE OF IIT ROORKEE

Abstract

Accessibility is a critical component of the contemporary digital landscape. Educational environments are distributed systems (academic, administrative, financial, strategic, physical, and digital) involving diverse stakeholders. Inaccessible digital products exclude diverse individuals in a specified context. Higher education institutes have multiple channels to obtain information, like specialized apps, portals, and intranet networks. Information overload has been observed for all the primary stakeholders, i.e., students, faculty, and administrators. Due to this, information and tasks get missed or repeated and remain unaccomplished. This study explores the disparity between communication models and accessibility, making information inclusive within an institutional ecosystem. Digital channels should integrate accessibility as a fundamental aspect, not an optional addition. This ensures equal access for people with disabilities and enhances the overall user experience. It has been demonstrated in the literature that responsive design plays a significant role in designing accessible digital products. Despite existing guidelines (like WCAG 2.0) for web creators, a clear method is needed to apply them contextually due to their breadth. The methodology adopted for digital design combines Interaction, Strategic, Service, and Communication Design principles, utilizing Design Thinking and Lean UX processes. Compliance testing of the digital products was conducted using automated tools, manual inspection (using a barrier walkthrough method) and task analysis with stakeholders. Conformance reviews were conducted with experts to improve the quality of results. The identified issues raised a need to develop a unified framework and design system to improve the digital accessibility and usability of the proposed digital systems. This project bridges the gap between web accessibility standards, guidelines, and UI design approaches by supporting contemporary technologies. It also highlights accessible interface needs in higher education, keeping diverse users' needs and seamless workflow at the centre.