Windows 11 has received a lot of interest due to its clean and elegant design, but it’s not only for the eye candy. According to a new post on the Windows Experience blog, Windows 11 is “the most inclusively designed version of Windows.” In the post, Windows Accessibility Leader Jeff Petty details how Microsoft is designing Windows 11 to “help tackle the “disability divide” — to contribute to more education and employment opportunities for people with disabilities across the world.”
Accessibility was considered from the start, Petty says, using Trusted Tester tools to make sure that Windows 11 conforms to accessibility standards. The new sound schemes, for example, which are making a reappearance in Windows 11, are there in part to help those with vision issues, as well as being “delightful” for all users. Closed Caption themes have been redesigned for the hard of hearing to be easier to read and customize.
Windows 11 is being designed with easier to find and use features, too. Windows Insiders have already offered lots of feedback on better branding, confused by “Ease of Access” when they were looking for “Accessibility,” and that’s been changed, along with a number of other changes to Windows:
We redesigned the Accessibility Settings to make them easier to use. And of course, Accessibility features are available in the out of box experience and on the Log on and Lock screens so that users can independently setup and use their devices, e.g., with Narrator.
Windows 11 has been designed, too, to make better use of the assistive technology ecosystem, with feedback from industry partners to make the new OS “more responsive by design.”
If you’re interested in Microsoft’s interest in making Windows 11 more accessible, check out the blog post, and to provide feedback, check out the Windows Insider program.
