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TEMECULA, Calif. (PRWEB) September 16, 2022
Reaktiv and Intuit Mint and TurboTax Blog was honored in Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards for 2022 in the Accessible Design category.
The Innovation by Design Awards, which can be found in the October 2022 issue of Fast Company, honor the designers and businesses solving the most crucial problems of today and anticipating the pressing issues of tomorrow. The competition, now in its 11th year, features a range of blue-chip companies, emerging startups, and hungry young talents. It is one of the most sought-after design awards in the industry.
The Intuit Mint and TurboTax blog refresh was initially designed for those who can see and navigate a website like most of us do. The problem is, 25% of the population has some disability that does not allow them to see or navigate sites without the aid of technology at all. We partnered with the Intuit Mint and TurboxTax team to build an accessible site and explained how it might impact design decisions. We implemented changes and adjustments to the designs and the code that were not only accessible but stayed true to Intuit’s ultimate design goal.
We started this project with an accessibility audit and leveraged that audit in the design phase to make sure we could address Intuit’s recommendations and requirements for branding while still being able to maintain accessibility. For example, we pushed back on some brand colors to make sure we had enough contrast.
But our designers and developers always have accessibility in mind, so we went beyond color contrast and alt text, and looked at the functionality of the site and how we could make it more accessible. The initial designs called for a “Load More” functionality that used infinite scroll. Infinite Scroll is not accessibility friendly, but the feature was a requirement. So, the question became, “How do we implement this component, and make it accessible without breaking the intended functionality while staying true to the initial designs?”
We did this by implementing a hidden keyboard page functionality that would allow those who use screen readers to navigate websites to understand and thus navigate the site. This resulted in a better screen reader experience and Intuit saw a boost in SEO as a byproduct.
At Reaktiv, our designers and developers always have accessibility top-of-mind. So, addressing and implementing unique features, is what we at Reaktiv, consider to be part of the project and not something that gets tacked on as an upsell.
“A common theme among this year’s Innovation by Design honorees, which range from healthcare interfaces to autonomous driving technology, is permanence,” said Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “The products that leaped out to our editors and judges went against our quick-fix consumer culture, while also manifesting a more inclusive vision of design.”
Honorees for the 2022 awards were selected in the following categories: Accessible Design; Apps and Games; Automotive; Branding; Circular Design; Data Design; Design Company of the Year; Enterprise; Experience Design; Experimental; Fashion and Beauty; Finance; General Excellence; Graphic Design; Health; Home; Hospitality; Impact; Learning; Marketing; Materials; Packaging; Pandemic Response; Products; Rapid Response; Retail; Social Justice; Spaces and Places; Sports and Recreation; Students; Sustainability; Transportation; Urban Design; User Experience; Wellness; Workplace; Best Design Asia-Pacific; Best Design Europe, Middle East, and Africa; Best Design Latin America; Best Design North America; Years in Business (On the Rise: 0–4 Years, Established Excellence: 5–19 Years, Enduring Impact: 20+ Years); and Size of Business (Small Business: Fewer Than 100 Employees, Midsize Business: 100–999 Employees, Large Business: 1,000+ Employees). New categories included Accessible Design, Automotive, Circular Design, Enterprise, Experience Design, Hospitality, and Rapid Response.
The judges include renowned designers from a variety of disciplines, business leaders from some of the most innovative companies in the world, and Fast Company’s own writers and editors. Entries are judged on the key ingredients of innovation: functionality, originality, beauty, sustainability, user insight, cultural impact, and business impact.
Winners, finalists, and honorable mentions are featured online and in the October issue of Fast Company magazine, on newsstands September 27, 2022.
To see the complete list, go to https://www.fastcompany.com/innovation-by-design/list
About Fast Company
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at http://www.fastcompany.com.
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