No User Left Behind #RSAA25

The hardest part of building software isn’t the programming; it’s making sure you’re building the right thing for your users. For research software this gets even trickier due to complex research goals and shifting requirements. UX research and accessibility practices have been tackling these problems for decades but most research teams don’t have a dedicated UX designer, let alone a budget or formal training. Fortunately there are simple, practical UX and accessibility methods anyone can use, even in small, inexperienced teams with limited resources. I’ve been applying these methods to research software development for five years and have seen firsthand how much difference they can make. I’ve used UX design to improve web applications, APIs, Python packages, documentation, and tutorials. With a little effort you can add automated accessibility checks, use simple design heuristics, and run quick user interviews to design and build research software that works better for everyone. In this talk, I will share practical tips, real-world stories, and easy ways to get started. You will leave with ideas you can use right away to make your software more accessible and user-friendly, no matter your team size or budget. By making these changes we can connect with a wider community and make our research software more impactful.