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Mon 28 Apr 2025 12:12 - 12:30 at 201 - Paper Session #2 Chair(s): Andre van der Hoek

Accessibility is a fundamental aspect of designing and developing systems that are inclusive and usable by individuals of all abilities. Despite its importance, accessibility often receives insufficient attention during the development process, primarily due to the pressures of tight deadlines and early-stage design constraints. While existing literature largely focuses on the technical implementation of accessibility features, there is limited emphasis on enforcing accessibility as a core principle from the outset. Additionally, misconceptions persist about potential trade-offs in user experience when designing inclusive systems from the beginning. This research explores the premise that inclusive design does not compromise user experience when integrated from the initial stages of development. Through hypothesis testing, we demonstrate that systems designed with accessibility in mind deliver comparable user experiences to those developed without such considerations. Furthermore, by surveying software engineers and analyzing their feedback, we identify practical strategies for embedding accessibility into the software development lifecycle. These include introducing fixed story points on accessibility features during the requirements phase, integrating personas of disabled people into the design and specification processes, and maintaining dedicated repositories for reusable back-end and front-end components. Our findings establish a clear framework for systematically ensuring accessibility, thereby fostering the creation of inclusive systems without adding unnecessary complexity or compromising quality.

Mon 28 Apr

Displayed time zone: Eastern Time (US & Canada) change

11:00 - 12:30
Paper Session #2Designing at 201
Chair(s): Andre van der Hoek University of California, Irvine
11:00
18m
Talk
Design Obligations for Software, with Examples from Data Abstraction and Adaptive Systems
Designing
Mary Shaw Carnegie Mellon University
Pre-print
11:18
18m
Talk
Building MVPs: An Experience Report of a Software Engineering Capstone Course
Designing
Melissa Sahl University of Maryland Baltimore County, Mohammad Samarah University of Maryland, Baltimore County
11:36
18m
Talk
Accessing LLMs for Front-end Software Architecture Knowledge
Designing
Luiz Franciscatto Guerra University of Victoria, Neil Ernst University of Victoria
Pre-print
11:54
18m
Talk
Adaptive Abstraction with AI for Managing Software Antipatterns Throughout the Software Lifecycle
Designing
Roberto Andrade Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Jenny Torres Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Pamela Flores Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Erick Cabezas Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Jorge Segovia Escuela Politécnica Nacional
12:12
18m
Talk
A Structured Approach to Accessibility in Software Development Lifecycle
Designing
Md Hasan Saju Ontario Tech University, Sanaa Alwidian University of Montreal, Partha Mazumder Ontario Tech University, Akramul Azim Ontario Tech University
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