• A blind man in a soft pink shirt is seated at a desk in front of an open laptop and cellphone, his folded white cane and a takeaway coffee cup sit alongside

About Accessible User Experience

At LightHouse, our Accessible User Experience (AUX) team delivers consulting services focused on cultivating the tools and knowledge necessary to create truly inclusive UX for blind and low vision users. Meaningful accessibility goes beyond just meeting compliance; it’s about ensuring that every user can seamlessly engage with digital platforms, no matter the device or Assistive Tech (AT) tools they are using. That’s why we prioritize going beyond standard WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) testing and we focus on usability testing to assess how well your product or service works for all types of users.

This approach allows us to uncover nuanced insights into how blind and low vision users experience and engage with your products and services. Our AUX team is well-versed in the technical aspects of accessibility and UX, while also drawing on their lived experiences as blind and low vision individuals. This pairing of expertise and lived experience ensures that our consulting services go further than the baseline industry standards and reflect an authentic understanding of the hows and whys of accessible design.

Whether you’re an enterprise, nonprofit, government agency, or university – we’re ready to collaborate and develop fully accessible solutions that resonate with your organization and your clients or customers.

Our Services

Accessibility and Usability Testing
Through our robust accessibility and usability testing, we deliver comprehensive UX analysis for developers and designers across all digital platforms. We’ll identify accessibility and usability gaps, along with actionable remediation strategies that your developers can actively implement to improve the UX of your product or service for all of your users, including users with disabilities.

Our proficient team at LightHouse, comprised of experienced individuals who are blind or low vision, conducts in-house evaluations and expert-level testing. We are well-versed in assistive technology (AT) tools and their users, sharing valuable insights drawn from both our UX expertise and lived experiences.

Accessibility-Focused UX Research
With our extensive database of blind and low vision “trusted testers”, we provide access to a rich community of individuals who align with target participant profiles to conduct in-depth accessibility-focused UX research, either in-person or virtually over video meeting platforms.

We can also provide additional support across all stages of UX studies, covering design, pre-screens, scheduling, and participant compensation.

Usability Walk-throughs
Be it virtually or in person, we offer comprehensive accessibility UX walk-throughs, providing in-depth insights into how blind and low-vision users interact with your websites, software, and applications. With our first-hand perspective on the assistive tech tools users rely on to navigate your platforms, we can highlight accessibility issues and solutions in real time.

AUX & AT Training
In our AUX and Access Tech (AT) training sessions, we share with designers, developers, and product/project managers the fundamentals of implementing AUX design principles and working with AT tools/features. Our informative trainings can also guide your company’s leadership on how they can build a culture of inclusion that incorporates accessibility from day one.

ACCESSIBLE USER EXPERIENCE (AUX) SERVICES OVERVIEW – DOWNLOAD

Our Mission

Our mission statement: promoting the independence, community, and equity created by and with blind and low vision people. Our efforts are directed towards:

  • • Narrowing the accessibility gap for the blind and low vision community.
  • • Promoting technological developments that prioritize accessibility.
  • • Preparing blind and low vision individuals for work and life, providing them with the training and resources needed for successful careers.
  • • Direct employment of members of the blind and low vision community.

We are not just consultants. We are advocates for change and champions of inclusivity. Join us in building a future where accessibility is not just a checkbox but a fundamental aspect of design excellence.

Working with AUX

Our goals are promoting the independence, community, and equity created by and with blind and low vision people. Our efforts are directed towards

  • • Narrowing the accessibility gap for the blind and low vision community.
  • • Promoting technological developments that prioritize accessibility.
  • • Preparing blind and low vision individuals for work and life, providing them with the training and resources needed for successful careers.
  • • Direct employment of members of the blind and low vision community.

We are not just consultants. We are advocates for change and champions of inclusivity. Join us in building a future where accessibility is not just a checkbox but a fundamental aspect of design excellence.

A person with long hair in bun and dark glasses works at a computer screen with his cane resting on the desk next to him.

Client Testimonials

“The SF Environment Department recently had the pleasure of working with the Lighthouse team for usability testing during a major overhaul of the website. The Lighthouse AUX team went above and beyond by hosting a comprehensive demonstration of how our site interacts with various assistive technologies, and following up with a prioritized list of recommendations. This was an invaluable experience that has significantly improved our website’s core structure, code, and accessibility features. Thanks to their expertise, the department’s website will be a better for resource for all San Franciscans!“

Stephen Wilson, Web Experience & Strategy Coordinator, San Francisco Environment Department

SF Environment Department

“For 8 years now, Exygy has partnered with LightHouse in our ongoing work to design and build equitable and accessible products and services. The lived experience and extensive technical knowledge of their community and staff has been critical to increasing our ability to reach as many people as possible. The AUX team has given their expertise as subject matter experts to inform early product strategy, provided training and educational resources to up-level our delivery teams, connected us with a diverse range of community members representing the spectrum of people with visual impairments for usability testing. Lastly, they have consistently delivered informed accessibility remediation instructions for our engineering team to ensure the highest quality experiences.“

Jesse James, Director of Design at Exygy

Exygy

Contact LightHouse Accessible User Experience

Interested in learning more about our AUX capabilities?

Get in touch with our team by emailing aux@lighthouse-sf.org or calling 415-694-7358

Contact Form

LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, EIN #94-1415317.
Headquarters: 1155 Market Street, 10th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103. Telephone: 415-431-1481.

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