My Preferred Information World

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My Preferred Information World

The information world I want to live in will promote accessibility, equity and inclusion, and will foster an environment where diversity is welcome. We can use information systems to meet goals of a world that is more accessible, equitable, and inclusive. Let’s start with an example of an information system that while benefiting me, was not accessible, nor equitable, nor inclusive. 

About a year ago, my very first Microsoft Surface which I had for about 2 years would constantly run out of battery, basically it would go from 100% charged to <10% within 30 minutes. I was able to discover that the battery was starting to fail by running the energy report on the laptop. The report clearly indicated that the battery needed servicing. In this case the information system worked in my favor because it provided me with the necessary information to make a decision whether to get the battery serviced or get a technology refresh with a new laptop. I went ahead with the latter option and ordered a new laptop that worked much better. The specific information system that helped me with the aforementioned problem is the Windows error reporting (WER) and energy report system. Now, despite WER working in my favor, it could have definitely worked against someone else - namely someone with limited knowledge of computer operating systems. WER is not only inaccessible, but also the content of the report is inequitable because it can only be understood and interpreted by someone who is a technical expert. 

The mechanism to run the energy report is very hidden and hard to understand and interpret. In fact, even I found out about this report only after looking up possible fixes on Google. All the steps I had to take to resolve this issue required a certain degree of technical competence. This completely flies in the face of an information world promoting accessibility, equity and diversity - people should be able to use a laptop and troubleshoot issues no matter their level of tech literacy. People with a diverse range of knowledge have a necessity to use computers for work, life, and entertainment. But now, how might this feature be fairer and promote these ideas?

First, let's explore how to make this report more accessible. As an overall preview of what my thinking is, the laptop should be programmed to do automatic energy reports at regular intervals, and explicitly and clearly present to the user how the laptop’s battery is faring. I would also as a default, pin the mechanism to run an energy report to the Start menu, for easy access.

Second, what about “more equitable”? Well, essentially exactly what it sounds like; everyone having an equal chance to succeed in something, which is not the same as equality; for example, imagine you are allergic to peanut butter, but during an apocalypse where food resources have effectively been cut off, if the government were to start rationing to every person in the United States exactly one peanut butter and jelly sandwich and nothing else - sure, this is equality, but not really equity, because the government is basically saying by doing this “Oh, You are allergic to this? Well too bad! You either get this, or you starve!!” Ideally, each person should get food that they are able to eat. In our example, The energy report should be easy to understand and actionable for someone who is not familiar with technical jargon.

Finally, let’s talk about inclusion: the battery report and Windows error reporting system in general, excludes and alienates a swath of people, such as elderly folks or non-native English  speakers. The energy report should be simpler and straightforward so that a common person can understand and take necessary action. It should also come with multilingual support.

These are small steps in our overall journey of promoting a better information world that promotes accessibility, equity, inclusion and diversity. To quote adcouncil.org: “all have the power to take actions that promote inclusion and make those around us feel loved and accepted. Even small actions can make a big impact.” One of the six ways listed is to “create a sense of belonging” because it “contributes to a world that values kindness and understanding over exclusion.” Allowing those who are not very tech savvy to feel included and welcomed and not feel alienated when troubleshooting a computer issue can go a long way in promoting this environment in the world at large. 

As an example, healthcare providers often have video conferencing appointments for patients who can not physically go to a doctor’s office to try and improve access to healthcare. However, this comes with its own challenges, because if someone, like my grandmother, who was not very tech savvy were to use this service, they would likely feel very demoralized or unintelligent when they encounter an error message full of technical jargon from their computer or the application they are trying to use.

My ideas about accessibility, equity, and inclusion are primarily targeted towards marginalized communities, but everyone should benefit from this in some form. My hope is to provoke conversation, and gently challenge long-held views, beliefs, and ideologies about the way the world works. It is critical that we understand how this can be achieved not just in our own lives, but across communities and the planet we share if we want to make the world an equitable place. 

One challenge or constraint we might face for taking this small step is that people in the industry that design these features are engineers themselves so engineers are designing these features for other engineers. Information systems should not be designed for just engineers to use but for everyone to use. This would require that companies would have to hire more accessibility experts and people that bring in diverse views and perspectives while designing an information system that works for everyone. 

An information world designed like this would make people feel empowered, confident about using technology and allow people to be successful in society. One way we can make the world more equitable relates to a basic principle of user design, which is to think about how the user will use the product you are designing, not just you, not just engineers. Take into account the needs of the user - if they have accessibility issues, usability issues, whether they want a specific feature in the product, and do not bury it somewhere for the user to have to find and use a bunch of technical jargon that the user cannot understand.

What I’m saying is that when designing a product, you should not just create a design that addresses a user group with absolutely nothing wrong with them and say “Yep, this should work for everyone else, too!” To quote the National Center for Biotechnology Information, “Pervasive use of these technologies in all spheres of life is anticipated to continue. However, opportunities afforded by technology will not translate to benefits if people with disabilities are unaware of or cannot access them, or if services are implemented such that inequities multiply.” If we provide accessibility solutions but hide them, that defeats the point of having them in the first place and flies in the face of the principle of equity over equality. Just because YOU are fine with a feature being hidden doesn’t mean that EVERYONE is ok with that feature being hidden. 

But if everyone wanted this world, we would probably already be working towards it by now, wouldn’t we? This brings me to my next point: why would someone disagree in taking these steps? Some of the possible barriers to taking this step are ego and ignorance. As Cheryl Ingram says, one big reason people don’t want a more equitable world is ego. As they describe it, “Ego itself is related to power and position and how much we fight to maintain a false idea of authority...” This sense of ego is possibly present in that engineers are designing features on a computer or OS for other engineers. While designing information systems, it is not uncommon to assume the user to be other technically savvy people. Another possible reason for someone disagreeing with taking this step is accessibility ignorance - which is a form of ableism - while there may not be malice, some people just lack the knowledge. Overcoming this means that companies and businesses must provide accessibility training to teams that design information systems.

But why even do all this? As Sam Graves says in an article on Allyant, “Companies that fail to prioritize digital accessibility risk losing a significant customer base due to the inability of people with disabilities to access and navigate their websites. .” Companies need to be motivated to make their products more accessible or else they could lose a significant amount of consumers willing to buy the product. Gokulnath B wrote in an article on Hurix that “Businesses in the UK lose around £2 billion every month by overlooking the needs of disabled people.” 

 As Erika Hall says in her book “Just Enough Research”, “assumptions are insults...There are over seven billion people on the planet…” and Konrad Marzec says that “Over one billion people in the world live with a disability, according to the World Health Organization and including their friends and family, that’s a market estimated to value around $8 trillion”. It is imperative that we create a more equitable world by not assuming. This helps businesses be more profitable as well.

In closing, my preferred information world would be one that promotes equity over equality and promotes an environment of diversity, accessibility,  equity, and inclusion. It’s a very small step to make the world a better place, but as rapper Lil Baby said in “The Bigger Picture”, “It's bigger than black and white/It's a problem with the whole way of life/It can't change overnight/But we gotta start somewhere”. So let’s start now and make the world a more inclusive place! Because really, just because your life may be perfect and you love things exactly the way they are right now does not mean everybody feels the same way.

Works Cited

M., S. K. (2023, February 16). The building of the information age. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/building-information-age-sanjay-k-mohindroo-/ 

Safsel, D. (2019, September 2). Living in a Digital age. Medium. https://medium.com/@dsafsel123/living-in-a-digital-age-6ae57c03caa 

Hall, E. (2014). User And Customer Research. In Just enough research (2nd ed.). essay, A Book Apart. 

Deland-Han. (n.d.). Windows error reporting and windows diagnostics enablement guidance - windows client. Windows Client | Microsoft Learn. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-client/system-management-components/windows-error-reporting-diagnostics-enablement-guidance 

Sanders, C. K., &amp; Scanlon, E. (2021, March 19). The digital divide is a human rights issue: Advancing Social Inclusion Through Social Work Advocacy - Journal of Human Rights and Social Work. SpringerLink. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41134-020-00147-9

Sanders, C. K., &amp; Scanlon, E. (2021a, March 19). The digital divide is a human rights issue: Advancing Social Inclusion Through Social Work Advocacy - Journal of Human Rights and Social Work. SpringerLink. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41134-020-00147-9 

CI, Dr. (2019, March 26). Top 5 reasons people refuse to support diversity, equity, and Inclusion Initiatives. Medium. https://cheryl-80279.medium.com/top-5-reasons-people-refuse-to-support-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-initiatives-25ceaf9d23ca 

Using accessibility literacy to counter accessibility ignorance. Using accessibility literacy to counter accessibility ignorance | Devon Persing. (n.d.). https://devonpersing.netlify.app/posts/using-accessibility-literacy-to-counter-accessibility-ignorance/

6, S. G. J. (2023, July 6). 5 reasons why accessibility is good for business. Allyant. https://allyant.com/why-is-accessibility-good-for-business/#:~:text=Accessibility%20increases%20market%20reach&amp;text=Companies%20that%20fail%20to%20prioritize,online%20than%20the%20average%20person. 

Marzec, K. (2020, September). 7 business benefits of Inclusive Design. Indeed Design. https://indeed.design/article/7-business-benefits-of-inclusive-design

B, G. (2023, October 6). Six ways accessibility solutions help in business growth. Hurix Digital. https://www.hurix.com/6-ways-accessibility-solutions-help-in-business-growth/#:~:text=By%20offering%20accessibility%20services%2C%20you,to%20various%20opportunities%20for%20growth 

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