CEO of AIoT chip company XMOS, Mark Lippett is a technology leader with 25 years’ experience in startup, scale-up and blue-chip companies.
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Accessibility—A Growing Concern
June 2022 saw the arrival of the deadline set by the European Accessibility Act (EAA) for EU member states to write their own digital accessibility policies into law. This is an important global milestone for digital accessibility and delivers a clear message about how seriously the issue of inclusivity needs to be taken by those manufacturing and selling digital products around the world.
What was once something considered “nice to have” is now being written into legislation, and this is a big deal—not only is this now protected by regulation, but it also has a direct impact on brand reputation and image. Nobody wants to be the brand caught out for not following the rules when it comes to any practice, especially when it comes to social responsibility and inclusivity.
For those developing accessibility technologies, this legislative action adds an extra layer of urgency to their work. Substitutes are no longer an option as they simply won’t pass legal muster. This directive establishes a need for quality, regulation and consistency, which demands more from all involved in the design process.
Voice, Image And What’s Next
Far-field voice technology (capable of operating across a noisy room) is one example amongst the various methods of delivering accessibility—its assistance to those with sight issues or mobility limitations is invaluable—building such voice capabilities into consumer electronics will improve the quality of experience across the most inclusive cross-section of society.
In the future, of course, far-field voice will not be the only method by which we can apply accessibility to devices such as phones, TVs and smart home assistants. Emerging low frame-rate imaging technology is enabling systems to recognize human forms entering a room, their location, gestures and other attributes—features that will contribute to accessibility, convenience and energy consumption.
Moving away from the more conventional fields of visual and aural stimuli, haptic technology offers another dimension of feedback for those with impairments to their sight or hearing. Tactile sensors in a device can respond to pressure exerted by the user, offering “physical” feedback through resistance, vibration, or a series of taps or buzzes, as an alternative to visual signage or spoken instructions.
As sensor and on-device processing technology become more advanced, features such as these will become more readily available on a mass scale, therefore increasing the accessibility of smart things for all. All of this, however, does come at a cost, both in the literal sense and in terms of engagement—as people have to make a leap of faith to invest in learning new technology and its capabilities.
As wellness and home trend expert Jamie Gold recently wrote, current adoption of voice control features—in the general sense and those designed to aid those with accessibility needs—are slowed down by operational costs and a lack of synergy between devices and systems.
The Job On Our Hands
The key takeaway for those who work at the interface between humans and machines is that accessibility is becoming an obligation, not a choice. Legislation is coming, and solutions are required.
It’s easy to gravitate towards solving the problems of normal operation and ignoring the significant challenges of setting up and maintaining complex technology. The challenges of cloud-connected smart things—establishing wifi connectivity, configuring “routines” and managing network outages—present accessibility issues of their own. Moving intelligence to the edge—either eliminating the need for always-on connectivity or at least facilitating its configuration—is needed.
The EU is the first to set a clear deadline to mandate accessibility features in digital equipment; others will follow. This is a sounding bell for the “smart thing” supply chain to look beyond the self-interest of proprietary ecosystems and acknowledge the needs and diversity of their customers—to focus on real ease of use, delivering inclusivity and accessibility in every possible scenario.
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