Discord Accessibility Feature
Increasing accessibility for the visually impaired
An added feature to the popular communication app enhances accessibility for the visually impaired while expanding font selection choices for everyone.
Problem
Last year, Discord's shift from Whitney to GG Sans posed challenges for visually impaired users who depend on particular fonts for improved readability. Unfortunately, this change inadvertently excluded a significant user community simply because they faced difficulties in reading the client.
Solution
I presented a forward-thinking proposal for a feature addition that would empower users to customize the client's fonts, enabling them to select options that suit their preferences and enhance their reading experience on the screen.
Role
I’m working on the client version of the app addition and how the new feature is integrated into it.
Team
Myself (UI/UX Designer)
2 UI/UX Designers
Overview
Recognizing Discord's visual accessibility challenges, notably user complaints regarding readability, I introduced a theoretical feature. This enhancement empowers users to customize the app's fonts within the client, significantly improving accessibility for a broader audience.
Research
User Research
By meticulously analyzing user feedback, we pinpointed their pain points and embarked on brainstorming sessions to devise effective solutions.
What Others Are Doing
Notion has an option for users where you can easily switch to different styles for the typeface. They offer the default style, serif, and mono styles.
User Comments on Accessibility Issues
A prevalent theme that emerged from our research highlighted the challenges faced by individuals with vision issues, including conditions like astigmatism and dyslexia. Some user comments that resonated with these concerns are provided below:
Personas
We've identified two distinct user personas: one who engages with Discord casually for networking, and another who's a dedicated gamer, relying on Discord daily to connect with friends. Both personas share a common desire for additional features that enhance accessibility and customization options.
Empathy Map
We developed this map as a strategic tool to foster a stronger connection with our users and gain profound insights into the challenges they face. This collaborative effort was especially valuable for team members who might not have been intimately familiar with these issues, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of the context we were designing for.
User Flows
Through in-depth user analysis, we designed a comprehensive user flow for font customization within the client interface. This strategic approach ensures an intuitive and user-friendly experience for our new feature.
Lo-fi Prototypes
With a well-defined vision for user interactions, we crafted low-fidelity wireframes. These visual prototypes provided a glimpse of the user experience, showing how screens would appear as users select their preferred fonts. This process also helped us refine the desired user flow.
Hi-fi Prototypes
Popup notification to let users know of the new feature.
In the end, we achieved a seamless integration with the client. Users were notified of the upcoming change via Discord's standard update banner. Testing revealed that the feature was easy to access from the settings tab and simple to use. This allowed users with visual impairments to customize their client, enhancing their overall experience.
What I’ve learned so far…
Pivoting
Since this was an independent project, I consulted various sources to guide my design path. I discussed my design challenges with a software engineer, who pointed out that the initial concept was too intricate and complicated to implement. However, I devised a workaround that still provided accessibility to users.
Future Steps
Due to time constraints, we had to wrap up the project sooner than anticipated. Despite this, we managed to conduct some final tests to solidify our designs and finalize the project. With more time, we would have expanded user testing and explored alternative designs. If time permits, we also hope to present this feature to Discord, potentially enhancing accessibility for their users.