Stark CEO Cat Noone on designing accessible products

We know what accessibility looks like in a physical space. Many countries have regulations and laws in place to ensure that you don't design a building without considering a wheelchair ramp, for example. But when it comes to software, we don't have those same controls in place, and it's much more common to create products and services that don't accommodate people with disabilities.

Enter Chat Noone. Cat is passionate about making sure innovation is within everyone's reach, which is why she co-founded Stark, a startup that provides tools and insights for businesses to design and create accessible products right from the start. the first day.

Stark was born out of necessity when Cat was a designer working on a health technology project that needed to be accessible to seniors. There was no solution they could use, so they built one. According to the World Bank Group, one billion people, or 15% of the world's population, suffer from some form of disability. So why isn't accessibility a priority when developing software? Why was such a system not already in place?

This industry is slowly starting to catch up, finally realizing that this isn't just good design practice; it's a smart business decision. And while it may take a few more years to effect the cultural shift that will bring the software to a point where it truly serves everyone, the more awareness there is, the sooner we can get there.

In today's episode, we talk with Cat about accessible product design and the importance of software that doesn't exclude by design.

If you're short on time, here are some quick tips:

Businesses are only just beginning to realize the impact of accessibility on their bottom line. Accessible products facilitate increased market reach, brand equity and return on investment. Beauty and accessibility are not incompatible. In fact, it is the designer's job to find solutions that are both accessible and aesthetic. Accessibility is the foundation of the product development pipeline. By keeping this in mind from the start, you can create a safety net and avoid an upgrade after shipping. The same way companies have security and privacy experts, accessibility specialists can make sure things are done right and are up to date with the latest recommendations.

If you like our discussion, check out other episodes of our podcast. You can follow on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube or grab the RSS feed in the reader of your choice. The following is a slightly edited transcript of the episode.

A creator at heart

Liam Geraghty: Cat, you're welcome to the show. Before getting to the heart of the matter, could you give us an overview of your professional background? I know you've always been interested in technology, haven't you?

Cat Noone: Yeah, it's been quite the journey. I think that's the only way to describe it. But for me, I took, I guess, a non-traditional approach to how I got there. And if you asked me over a decade ago whether that would make sense or not, I'd say that's a ridiculous path. But it ended up being incredibly beneficial, playing a central role in my ability to see what I'm doing now.

I went to school, pursuing studies in pediatric neurology. I wanted to end up in this space. I would move on to what is considered the New York City Board of Education's special education space, working with children with a range of disabilities and disorders. And for what it's worth, I don't like the term special education for many reasons, but it's neither here nor there right now.

"There was no easy to use, nice and beautiful solution for accessibility in design. And so we said, 'Let's build something so we can do our job well'"

But the whole time, I had been drawing since I was in high school, and I loved it. I absolutely loved it. It set my soul on fire. I realized that technology was going to be able to advance these very archaic spaces. I dove deep into design and did the freelance thing, which is a wild ride. I worked at an agency and led iOS design for EyeEm, an Instagram competitor at the time. I led the overall design for ADP's Innovation Labs, then dove into the startup world and co-founded my own.

At one point I was working on a health technology project and it needed to be accessible to older people, who were the target group. And there was no solution for it. There was no ease of use...