The Web Usability Podcast

Lucy Collins and Ken Groom explore what allyship means in digital accessibility, especially for people without lived experience of disability. She explains why she feels cautious about using the label “ally” and why it matters to make space for disabled voices. The episode focuses on amplifying lived experience rather than speaking over the people directly affected. Lucy argues that accessibility advocacy should be a shared responsibility. She describes how inclusive user testing can help teams understand barriers through real experiences. She encourages allies to speak up when products, suppliers, or decisions are inaccessible.

Make room for disabled people to share their own experience's

Use your platform to amplify those voices, not replace them.

Treat accessibility as a shared responsibility.

Include people with a range of access needs in user testing.

Help decision-makers understand barriers through direct user experiences.

Challenge inaccessible tools and processes when you encounter them.

“Good allyship means lifting up disabled voices rather than taking space from them”

“Allyship is not passive support, but active advocacy”

“Disability inclusion becomes a shared responsibility”

“Inclusive user testing lets people experience accessibility barriers directly”

“Allyship means both amplifying others and challenging exclusion”

“Speak up when products or services leave people out”

Lucy Collins speaks with inclusive design advocate Matt Roberts about the relationship between accessibility, disability, and inclusive design. Matt shares how arthritis, colourblindness, and hearing loss have shaped his personal and professional perspective. The conversation explores why access needs can be permanent, temporary, situational, or invisible. Lucy and Matt discuss moving beyond diagnosis labels and designing around real human circumstances and outcomes.

Ask what someone is trying to do and what is stopping them, rather than focusing only on diagnosis.

Design for shared states such as fatigue, low energy, limited attention, or reduced dexterity.

Consider a range of inputs and outputs, including keyboard, touch, voice, screen readers, captions, and adjustable text.

Treat accessibility as a continuous learning process, not a one-time checklist.

Observe how people interact with the world and use those observations to create more inclusive experiences.

“Accessibility is about designing so that more people in more circumstances can achieve what they came to do.”

“I can’t switch on and off being colourblind. I can’t switch off having good and bad arthritis days. It’s just who I am.”

“It’s everybody. It’s everybody in some sort of way and it will impact you differently at different times.”

“Accessibility is good for all, but accessibility is essential for people with disabilities.”

“Don’t think that you’re done. Don’t think you’ve completed it.”

Find out more about Matt here...

mattroberts.me / Linkedin

Summary

Lucy Collins speaks with Hannah Knowles about using a weekly research sprint to turn complex product challenges into focused, actionable insights. Hannah explains how her research sprint approach is inspired by design sprints, but adapted specifically for research questions. By breaking large, vague problems into smaller questions, teams can reach useful conclusions in five days without undermining the robustness of the research. The conversation covers the importance of setting clear assumptions, working closely with product teams and clients, and using a Lean UX Canvas to create a strong foundation for the research process.

• A weekly research sprint can help teams generate useful insights in just five days.
• Large research problems are easier to manage when they are divided into smaller, focused questions.
• Shorter research cycles help teams maintain momentum and avoid losing interest.
• Research findings can become less valuable when projects take so long that the product or problem changes.
• The Monday setup session creates alignment between the researcher, product team, or client.
• A Lean UX Canvas can help define the research goal, user problem, and key assumptions in around 60 to 90 minutes.

• “Why can’t I just break that big problem down into little sets of questions?”
• “Each week deliver something to them.”
• “It wants to take a big thing, make it into cute little chunks that I can deal with.”
• “Coming with a question at the start and delivering something in eight weeks’ time just isn’t feasible.”
• “The insights at the other end become a bit devalued.”
• “I’m a massive lover of a Lean UX Canvas.”

Summary

In this episode, Lucy Collins interviews Ed Whicher about the impact of AI on web design, SEO, and user experience. They explore how AI agents work, their current capabilities, and practical steps for website owners to prepare for an AI-driven future.

Takeaways

• AI bots now make up more than half of web traffic
• AI agents can perform structured, repetitive tasks efficiently
• Trust and context are critical when deploying AI agents
• Websites need to focus on accessibility and SEO for AI compatibility
• Rushing AI integration can lead to costly mistakes

Sound bites

“The traffic to websites is now more bots than it is humans.”

“For every one human, there’ll be a thousand agents on your site.”

“An agent takes the same brain and applies it to lots of different things.”

“Agents are really good at the heavy lifting work.”

Find out more about Ed here...

Bouncing Bean: https://bouncingbean.uk/

Sort my site: https://sortmy.site

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/bouncingbean

https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwhicher/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/clara-whicher-grant-6353b634/

Summary

Lucy Collins sits down with Gill from the IPO to discuss how user research can drive meaningful change inside a government organisation. They explore the balance between staying independent and working closely with design, analysis, and delivery teams to make research more actionable.

Takeaways

• Independence can improve research quality
• Research works best when it’s embedded in teams
• Shared ownership creates better outcomes
• Co-design helps teams challenge assumptions early
• Accountability keeps user needs visible

Soundbites

• “User research is a team sport.”
• “Everybody needs to get involved.”
• “We’re all part of that UCD community.”
• “Question how this design decision meets a user need.”

Summary

Lucy Collins is joined by Chris Lewis, Managing Director of Wholegrain Digital, to explore the idea of the Humane Web and why good digital experiences should respect both the people using them and the planet we all share. The conversation explores why accessibility, sustainability and human-centred design are inseparable, and why creating better digital experiences often requires organisations to be brave enough to trust real user insight.

Sound Bites

“Humane web principles that matter”

“Design for people and planet”

“Accessibility, trust, and empowerment”

“AI should serve users first”

Takeaways

• Humane web design is built on trust, empowerment, and human-centered thinking.
• Accessibility and sustainability are core parts of ethical digital design.
• AI can support humane web goals, but only when it serves real user needs.
• Success should be measured beyond traditional business metrics.

The Web Usability team explores why web accessibility still matters, what WCAG compliance means, and why many websites continue to fall short. She also highlights the business value of accessibility and the barriers disabled users still face online.

• “Why accessibility is still a challenge”
• “Most websites still miss the mark”
• “Accessibility is good business”
• “Inclusion starts with better design”

• WCAG compliance is still difficult for many websites.
• Accessibility improves both user experience and business reach.
• Inaccessible websites can cause disabled users to give up.
• Legal and ethical pressure around accessibility keeps growing.

In this episode, Lucy Collins interviews Ross Exton, a video and multimedia producer with a focus on accessibility and visual storytelling. They explore what makes a good video, the impact of AI on video production, and how inclusive communication enhances engagement.

• "Your job is to convince the audience, not me"
• "My hearing loss has made me a better communicator"
• "Trust is key in AI-generated content"

• Audience-Centric Content: Understand your audience to create engaging and trust-building content.
• Accessibility by Design: Integrate accessibility from the start to enhance clarity and reach..
• Authenticity and Human Touch: Emphasise genuine human stories to build trust.
• Iterative Creation: Frequent content creation builds skills and confidence.

Find out more about Ross here...

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossexton/

Watch and Learn Productions: Watch & Learn Productions

Summary

In this episode, Lucy Collins chats with user research expert Nikki Anderson about the rapid evolution of AI in user research. They explore how AI tools are shaping research processes, their benefits, limitations, and the responsible ways to integrate AI without losing human nuance.

Sound Bites

"AI is transforming user research by accelerating processes and refining analysis."

"Maintaining human strategic thinking is crucial despite AI advancements."

"AI moderation has potential but cannot replace deep, nuanced conversations."

"Ethical use of AI requires practical guardrails and human oversight."

Takeaways

• AI enhances desk research and scenario planning, offering significant time savings.
• Over-reliance on AI can lead to a loss of critical thinking and depth.
• Practical guardrails are essential for ethical and effective AI use in research.
• AI-moderated interviews and synthetic personas have potential but also limitations.
• Human-AI collaboration is key to understanding diverse user groups.

Summary

In this minisode, Lucy Collins explores the complexities of greenwashing, offering practical advice for consumers and marketers on how to identify authentic sustainability claims and avoid being misled. Discover key insights on language, regulations, and asking the right questions to make more informed decisions.

• "Differentiating genuine sustainable practices from greenwashing is crucial for informed decision-making."
• "The role of questions in uncovering truth behind green claims cannot be overstated."
• "Clear terminology and vocabulary are essential in sustainability marketing."
• "Consumer curiosity and asking suppliers detailed questions are vital for transparency."

• Understanding greenwashing helps consumers and marketers make informed decisions.
• Asking the right questions can reveal the truth behind sustainability claims.
• Regulatory standards like the Advertising Standards Authority and the EU Green Claims Directive provide guidance.
• Clear language in marketing builds trust and avoids misleading consumers.
• Consumer curiosity and critical evaluation of product labels enhance transparency.