Titanic. It was meant to be unsinkable.
Its makers certainly thought so. And they didn't bother to equip it with enough lifeboats. When would those be needed?!
Their overconfidence and ego cost lives when it hit the iceberg and there weren't enough boats for everyone. (Yes, Jack had enough space on that plank of wood.)
It's always tempting to assume you know what's best and base your decisions on your expertise and second-hand knowledge. Or even worse, on theory alone.
I know I've made this mistake many times. I still do. Expertise is a nasty bug.
I always try to stop myself from assuming I already know all the solutions. Without testing with real users or listening to their feedback.
I've seen others do it as well and that has more often than not lead to exclusion. That's your ego. Your ego is the enemy of inclusion.
You might insist on a complex navigation system because it "looks sleek." You ignore feedback from screen reader users who find it unusable.
Your ego says, "I know better." Empathy says, "Let me understand your experience better before making my decision."
Prioritising empathy means:
- Listening to users with disabilities. Their insights are invaluable.
- Collaborating with your team. Accessibility is a shared effort, not a checkbox.
- Accepting feedback gracefully. Especially if it challenges your assumptions.
Accessibility isn't about being right. Accessibility is about doing right.
And you can't do right with your head up your bum.