I mention the ideas of accessibility all of the time on this site. Accessibility is very important to us as people living in the modern day world. So it should be no surprise that it’s a technological philosophy. But, I’d like to talk about the design aspects of it. Because I think the choice of design in many cases influences what we buy as individuals.
Have you ever compared a Playstation Portable and a Nintendo Dual-Screen side by side? They are total opposites of one another in some ways. The PSP is a longer thinner handheld made for an adults hands. While a DS is more of a one size fits all and is a wider taller device. Both play games but beyond that, the ideas of accessibility change them far more drastically.
The PSP was made with the mindset of teenagers and adults. You can use it for the internet, downloading music, downloading other apps, and storing data for on the go. These are things that children might want, but in honesty they are obviously geared for adults who might want fun on the go. Be it playing a game or using one of its several other functions.
However, the Nintendo DS didn’t have internet capability on that scale. So they focused more on the “playability” using the touch screen in conjunction with the top screen. This has also pushed their games toward making the experience more interesting by using the touch screen. Everyone can play the DS but in my opinion Id wager children and teens gravitate to it more than adults.
So who do you design for? Accessibility is always best when it’s helping to solve a problem that was in the previous model. Or when it adds something new the last model didn’t have. But in the end I suppose however you design and implement anything, you’re going to lose some people. Now, what do you think Audience?
