From SXSW: Accessibility at Apple with Sarah Herrlinger

Written by camille imbert , Executive Creative Director at Kettle

We had the chance to listen to Apple’s Senior Director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives, Sarah Herrlinger, at SXSW. She spoke about the company’s decades-long commitment to accessibility and disabled users. And we were inspired. Here is The Tea:

In 2007, Apple launched iPhone. It could have been considered one of the most unaccessible products out there — as it was literally a piece of glass built with no cognitive cues. But Apple knows that you make the best technology when you make it for everyone. With that philosophy, and the creation of Voice Over, iPhone became the first consumer touchscreen device accessible to the blind community. And as touch screen technology evolved, so has Apple.

Accessibility is built into Apple technology — right out of the box, without any added features, additional accessories, or cost. Up to 20% of the world population is differently abled. The Apple dedication of surprise-and-delight only works when products reach people where they are and are made to consider everyone with respect and dignity.

And even keeps people safe.

When the pandemic hit, Apple fast tracked the ongoing work on distance detection as a way to help people who are blind or have low vision with social distancing. The feature measures the distance between the user and nearby people and helps them maintain the then-recommended 1.5 meter distance, even in tight spaces, like in line at the grocery store.

Sarah Herrlinger pushed the feature through, fast. And it wasn’t the first time that she worked closely with engineers to create a feature she believed in. One of her most memorable projects happened after speaking with K-12 educators. Her conversation made her realize that a simple change — highlighting words within the text-to-voice feature — could be an amazing opportunity to help people with dyslexia. She worked with engineers to launch word-by-word highlighting (see and hear) in the very next iOS release.

Steve Jobs defined creativity as “connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things.”

So it makes sense that for Sarah Herrlinger, the Accessibility work at Apple is the most creative work. It connects with people. It meets them where they are. And the work is done by tailoring solutions to real problems, rather than delivering one solution for all.

Kettle has partnered with Apple for a decade and we’ve always admired Apple’s commitment to accessibility and values in general. Their Values sites have the same ambition in design and storytelling as their pages for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Because they know that each product’s inclusivity and impact on the world matters as much as the product itself.

This is the inspiration for all of the work we do at Kettle. We bring empathy, intention, and thoughtfulness to everything we design.