Most Important Skills for an Accessibility Specialist at Salesforce
For a successful career as an Accessibility Specialist at Salesforce, Haley emphasizes the importance of "empathy," understanding learner needs and anticipating potential obstacles to create inclusive learning experiences, such as offering diverse content formats. The second key skill is "simplification," streamlining user experience to reduce barriers and ensure a meaningful learning experience by minimizing clicks and search time.
Empathy, Simplification, User Experience (UX), Accessibility, E-learning
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
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Traits
Haley Shust
Accessibility Specialist
Salesforce
Elon University, 2015
Masters of Education in Curriculum & Instruction (focus: Digital learning); University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Biology & Related Sciences
Technology
Education
Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Empathy: Understanding learners' perspectives and anticipating potential learning barriers is crucial for creating accessible learning materials.
2. Simplification: Streamlining user experiences and reducing unnecessary steps are key to improving accessibility and the overall learning process.
3. Learner-first approach: Prioritizing the needs and preferences of learners by offering diverse learning materials and formats is essential for creating inclusive learning experiences
Transcript
What skills are most important for a job like yours?
Two skills come to mind: empathy and simplification.
Empathy is crucial because when designing learning content or creating a learning ecosystem, you need a learner-first perspective. This means putting yourself in the learner's shoes and anticipating potential blockers or needs.
You should consider how they might want to access the material. For example, someone working in a cafe might prefer a PDF or interactive e-learning over videos, as a loud environment can be distracting.
The second skill is simplification. This doesn't mean discouraging innovation, which is always encouraged. However, we must streamline the user experience and make it accessible.
This means reducing clicks and the need to search for content, simplifying the process to access learning. The more obstacles there are, the less likely a learner will have a meaningful experience.
Advizer Personal Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haleyshust193/
Personal website: https://www.haleyshust.com
LLC website: https://www.thehelpfulfolks.com
