How one designer motivates others to build more ethical products | Figma Blog
Cat Noone’s work argues that accessibility should be treated as a product requirement, not a limitation added at the end of development. Through three apps— Iris Health, Stark, and Lyra—she designs for people often excluded by “typical user” assumptions. Her conclusion is that ethical, inclusive products emerge when teams understand diverse users and build accessibility directly into their workflows. ## Accessibility as a Product Priority - The article cites an estimate of 57 million disabled Americans, with 54% active online—roughly 9.3% of the population. - Noone challenges the idea that accessibility makes interfaces worse, asking whether excluding an entire population is itself poor design. - She recommends considering accessibility from the beginning rather than treating it as a later constraint. ## Iris Health: Emergency Medical Information - Iris Health was inspired by the risk of being unable to communicate medical information during an emergency, especially while traveling or living abroad. - If the app detects that a user is at a hospital and receives no response within ten minutes, it alerts emergency contacts by text. - A medical profile appears on the iPhone lock screen, allowing professionals to quickly view the user’s name, medications, allergies, and organ-donor status. - **Lesson:** Analyze potential users from every angle and adapt the interface to different medical and personal circumstances. ## Stark: Accessibility Within the Design Workflow - While developing Iris Health, Noone noticed that designers lacked sufficient tools for accessibility testing. - Stark provides color-blindness simulations and contrast-ratio checks directly within Sketch. - It enables designers to test different types of color blindness and verify typography against background colors. - The tool was already being used by teams at companies including Twitter, ESPN, Palantir, Dropbox, and Microsoft. - **Lesson:** Make accessibility checks part of the default workflow, using tools such as Stark, Contrast, and W3C accessibility resources. ## Lyra: Communication for Autistic Children - Lyra grew from Noone’s experience working with autistic children and others with special needs. - The app modernizes symbol-to-speech communication methods that traditionally relied on laminated cards and Velcro tabs. - Its goal is to help non-verbal autistic children communicate in a digital environment. - **Lesson:** Educate yourself about accessible design and learn to recognize common barriers before building a product. Inclusive design is most effective when it is built into research, design, and development from the outset. Teams should study the needs of underrepresented users and use accessibility tools continuously rather than relying on a final compliance check.
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