eBay announced a plan to help ensure an accessible experience for users of all ability levels. In March 2023, the e-commerce powerhouse announced that it was launching its own accessibility Figma plug-in called Include. eBay hopes that this plug-in will help implant accessibility early on in the development life cycle of a product.
Figma
Figma is a collaborative web tool used for digital design. Designers can use Figma to construct logos, app interfaces, and web pages. Microsoft and Google praised Figma for its good reputation.
According to an article by design expert Ben Kopf, Figma is browser-based and allows for design teams to collaborate on a project easily.
Include
Include is a plugin designed to help test for accessibility within the Fugma platform. According to an article by Fastcompany.com, Include can help designers check for screen reader compatibility, legible color schemes, and how easily users can click on elements in page elements. The article quotes eBay VP and design head, Aaron Carámbula, saying, “It’s kind of like getting a critique as you work in Figma.”
According to an article by eBay, Include is incredibly easy for a designer to use. First, the designer uses Figma to highlight a particular element on a web page. Then the plug-in provides actionable steps to help ensure that the highlighted feature is accessible. The plug-in will guide the designer through each of these steps while providing the rationale for following these steps. As the eBay article explains:
“Include will create a list of images the designer used in a mockup. If the designer marks an image as informative, the plugin will prompt them to include alt text — a catch that makes sure that screen readers can describe the image.”
eBay’s role
While this is an exciting development, it does raise the question…what does eBay have to do with any of this?
Include is the fruitful result of a year’s worth of work completed by eBay’s accessibility, design, and design tech teams. The need for this kind of software arose after struggling against ineffective methods for communicating about accessibility among eBay teams.
Accessibility needs to help account for the nuances of a subjective experience. Accommodating these experiences is frequently a challenge for design teams—especially those who aren’t on the same page.
Through the intricacies of Include, eBay’s teams were able to streamline this process and effectively generate solutions before problems could arise and take a toll. Include quickly multiple solutions to common accessibility problems.
As for the decision to bring this plug-in with Figma and, as a result, share it with other companies, eBay’s Dan Nosowitz writes, “...how could we create an accessibility tool and not make it accessible to everyone?”
Reception
Include has been on the market for over a month. So far, it has been received well. One user says, “This is a great plugin, making designers and developers' life so easy. Thanks for sharing!”
Another commented, “OMG! I have been dreaming of this. Thank you.”
Another still wrote, “This is very promising. Just wanted to echo some of the earlier comments regarding Aria roles and screen reader annotations. We'd need that before we could use this where I work. Thank you so much for pulling this together.”
Time will tell how sustainable this app is. Given the feedback at this deployment point, things seem to bode well for eBay, Include, and Figma.
Potential benefits
A plug-in like Include has the potential to be a real game changer in automated accessibility testing. An issue that many businesses face is not prioritizing accessibility early on in the product development cycle. Be it from negligence, ignorance, or even miscommunication. Once a product or service is deployed, many issuers are discovered.
By testing for accessibility early on, companies can ensure that their products are up-to-date and usable by the time they reach the public. A tool like Include is sure to help keep accessibility as a fundamental consideration of product development.
Potential drawbacks
While the benefits of Include are undeniable, it’s not without its potential issues. Chief among these is that automated accessibility testing isn’t always the best strategy. It certainly isn’t the only strategy a design team should rely on.
Ensuring accessibility also involves expert-manual testing and educating staff on its importance. With accessibility, the “why” is key. As useful as they are, streamlined methods, like Include, run the risk of being a team's sole means of accessibility testing.
Accessibility covers a diverse and nuanced spectrum of user experience. There are some needs that software can’t predict. Design teams should be careful not to think that tools like Include will solve accessibility problems quickly.
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