Co-design accessible and inclusive digital services
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Use this guide to help you co-design accessible and inclusive digital services. It should be incorporated into your service design and delivery process and can be applied to both external and internal digital services.
Principles of co-design
Co-design fosters a collaborative, inclusive, and user-centred approach to design. It promotes the development of meaningful and relevant solutions that address user needs, preferences, and aspirations.
Co-design principles include:
- collaboration — bring together designers, users, and other stakeholders to work together and share diverse perspectives, expertise, and experiences
- inclusion — involve a wide range of participants with diverse backgrounds, abilities, and perspectives to cater to the needs and preferences of all users
- participation — value active participation and encourage everyone to contribute their ideas, insights, and expertise to build engagement and ownership
- empowerment — recognise participants as experts in their own experiences to acknowledge their value as co-creators and decision-makers in shaping the design
- iteration — embraces an iterative approach by encouraging testing, feedback, and continuous improvement throughout the design process
- shared learning — promote shared learning and knowledge exchange between participants so that everyone involved gains a deeper understanding of the problem space, user needs, and design possibilities
- flexibility — allow for flexibility and adaptability to enable the exploration of different ideas, approaches, and solutions, and evolving user needs, technological advancements, and changing contexts
- respect and ethical considerations — place importance on respect, trust, and ethical considerations to respect the rights, values, and privacy of participants.
Co-design in Queensland Government
Co-design is one of the building blocks of Queensland’s Disability Plan. Read more about how it relates to Australia’s Disability Strategy, and how you can embed co-design into your work.
- Co-design fact sheets — Principles, when to implement and how
- Good practice guidelines for engaging with people with disability
Co-design process
The process of co-designing accessible and inclusive digital services typically involves:
- research and analysis
- stakeholder engagement
- prototyping and iteration
- collaboration and co-creation
- accessibility guidelines and standards
- user testing
- continuous improvement.
Each project may have its own specific requirements and considerations. Consult with accessibility experts and follow inclusive design principles and practices tailored to the specific context and user group.
Begin by conducting research to understand the needs and preferences of diverse users, including people with disabilities and other underrepresented groups. Identify any existing barriers and gaps in accessibility in current digital services.
New to research?
Read more about best practice research in the Queensland Government context:
- Human-centred design in Queensland Government
- Digital service design playbook
- OZeWAI Research and usability testing
Refer to criteria 1 Understand user needs of the Digital service standard for more information.
Engage with stakeholders, including users with disabilities, accessibility experts, and relevant community groups, to ask their input and involve them in the design process. This can be done through Human centered design with interviews, surveys, workshops, and usability testing .
People with firsthand experience should be respected and encouraged to share their perspectives and given support to effectively communicate their ideas. Involve participants with diversity in age, race, gender identity, ability, culture, socio-economic background, and/or life stage.
There are a variety of ways you can recruit participants for research activities.
- Use a recruitment agency.
- Contact existing clients who have provided consent to be contacted.
- Engage specialist, community and advocacy groups.
Recruitment agencies are generally the most efficient way of recruiting large groups of end users. Relevant specialist and advocacy groups will likely be more effective in helping connect you to specific user groups.
It is important to recognise and often pay individuals for their insights. When giving incentives, it's important to make sure they're fair and cover the participant's time and expenses. The incentives shouldn't affect their feedback or create any unfairness.
Recruitment and engagement resources
Create prototypes of the digital service that incorporate accessibility features and design elements based on the research and stakeholder input. Test these prototypes with users, gather feedback, and iterate on the design to continually improve accessibility.
Prototyping resources
Facilitate collaborative workshops or co-design sessions involving a diverse range of stakeholders. Encourage open communication and active participation, allowing stakeholders to contribute ideas, feedback, and suggestions for improving accessibility.
Collaboration resources
Refer to accessibility guidelines and standards, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), to ensure compliance with industry best practices and legal requirements. Incorporate these guidelines into the design process to address specific accessibility needs.
WCAG resources
- An overview of WCAG
- How to meet WCAG—Quick reference checklist
- WCAG evaluation techniques and resources
Refer to criteria 6 Build consistent and responsible design and criteria 9 Make digital services accessible of the Digital service standard.
Conduct regular user testing throughout the design and development process to ensure the accessibility and usability. Involve users with disabilities to obtain their insights and ensure the service meets their diverse needs.
Consider asking participants if they’d like to hear about the outcome. The willingness to share a final draft helps to create a sense of inclusion and demonstrates their feedback is valued.
Testing resources
Refer to criteria 10 Test the digital service of the Digital service standard.
After launch, gather user feedback and monitor the performance and accessibility of the digital service. Use this feedback to further improve and refine the service to better meet the needs of all users.
Refer to criteria 11 Measure the performance and improve of the Digital service standard.
Benefits of co-design
By considering diverse user needs, accessible and inclusive design promotes a more equitable and inclusive digital environment, ensuring that everyone can fully participate and engage in the digital world.
Benefits to government
Accessible and inclusive design benefits government in several ways:
- Compliance with accessibility laws and regulations, including Disability Discrimination Act 1992.
- Promotion of equity and inclusion within government services.
- Delivery of better user experiences enabling users to easily find and access government services.
- Avoidance of costly retrofits by considering accessibility requirements early in the design process.
- Helps shape a positive public perception of government by demonstrating commitment to fairness, equality, and public service.
- Meets the requirements of the Queensland Government Digital services policy(Opens in new window)
- Increases participation in the workforce, education, and other aspects of society can which lead to a more inclusive economy and reduce reliance on social support programs.
Users who benefit from co-design
Accessible and inclusive design benefits a wide range of people, including:
- People with disabilities — accessible design ensures that people with disabilities can equally access and use digital services, removing barriers and providing equal opportunities for participation.
- Elderly people— as we age, we may experience changes in our vision, hearing, dexterity, and cognitive abilities. Inclusive design accommodates these changes, making digital services more usable for the elderly population.
- People with temporary disabilities — temporary disabilities, such as a broken arm or a temporary illness, can impact people's ability to use digital services. Accessible design provides temporary relief and ensures usability during such periods.
- People with language limitations — inclusive design considers individuals with limited proficiency in the primary language of a digital service. Providing multiple language options or using plain language can help these individuals access and understand the content.
- People with low literacy skills — inclusive design with clear language, simple instructions, and intuitive interfaces benefits people with low literacy skills, ensuring they can comprehend and interact with digital services effectively.
- Users in noisy or distracting environments — accessible design often includes features such as captions or transcripts for multimedia content, enabling users to access information in noisy or distracting environments where audio may be difficult to hear.
- Users on slow internet connections — designing for accessibility also improves performance, making digital services more usable for individuals on slower internet connections or limited bandwidth.
- Everyone — accessible and inclusive design enhances the experience for all users. Design choices such as clear navigation, consistent layouts, and intuitive interactions benefit everyone, regardless of their abilities.
More information
Inclusive design
- Inclusive design, Online Accessibility Toolkit (Government of South Australia) (Opens in new window)
- Inclusive design principles (Digital.NSW) (Opens in new window)
- Inclusive design (Nielsen Norman) (Opens in new window)
- Inclusive design (Microsoft) (Opens in new window)
- National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research 2023 (Opens in new window)
- (Opens in new window) How the UK passport service was tested with visually impaired users (GOV.UK) (Opens in new window)
User research
- National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research 2023(Opens in new window)
- Opens in new window) How the UK passport service was tested with visually impaired users (GOV.UK) (Opens in new window)
Case studies
Get help
For help, more information or feedback, email designandcapability@chde.qld.gov.au.