Accessible UX Research: A Practical Guide to Inclusive Testing

Smashing Magazine has released Accessible UX Research by Dr. Michele A. Williams in eBook formats, with printed copies now shipping as of March 2026. The book offers a practical roadmap for including users with different abilities throughout every phase of UX testing.

The work goes beyond a simple compliance checklist. It provides detailed explanations of assistive technologies, disability etiquette, and common prototype pitfalls — material useful even for those who don't regularly conduct UX research. Dr. Williams challenges assumptions about disability and encourages readers to reconsider what genuine inclusion means in product development.

Hardcover edition of Michele Williams’ new book ‘Accessible UX Research’ on a wooden table, with a cup of coffee next to it. The book has a teal cover that shows a three times three grid of windows in different architectural styles. On top of the windows, there’s a light varnish that spells out the word ‘UX’ with research-related icons such as speech bubbles, a looking glass, a keyboard, and UI components.

Book Details

The high-quality hardcover edition runs 320 pages and features cover art by Espen Brunborg. A free sample is available for download as a PDF.

A look inside the book.
“Accessible UX Research” shares successful strategies that’ll help you recruit the participants you need for the study you’re designing. (Large preview)

What the Book Covers

Content is structured to guide readers from foundational concepts through field-applicable practices:

  1. Disability mindset: Addresses how ableism shapes our approach to inclusive research.
  2. Diversity of disability: Explores disability categories to understand the full range of user needs beyond screen reader users.
  3. Disability in the stages of UX research: Covers how disabled participants fit into formative, prototype, and summative research phases.
  4. Recruiting disabled participants: Offers strategies for finding participants despite common challenges.
  5. Designing your research: Ensures the research process itself is accessible, not just the product being tested.
  6. Facilitating an accessible study: Emphasizes preparation and participant communication for smooth logistics.
  7. Analyzing and reporting with accuracy and impact: Treats findings communication as a storytelling and advocacy task.
  8. Disability in the UX research field: Addresses inclusion for colleagues, with insight from blind UX Researcher Dr. Cynthia Bennett.
Eric Bailey
Devon Pershing
Manuel Matuzović
Anna E. Cook

Who Should Read It

The book targets UX professionals working in industry or academia, but also anyone in engineering, product, or design roles. It applies if you:

  1. Need to improve product accessibility but don't know where to start.
  2. Want to build an accessibility culture within your company.
  3. Aim to go beyond WCAG/EAA compliance into established inclusion practices.
  4. Want to deepen your accessibility knowledge and become a specialist in your organization.

The eBook edition is DRM-free and available in ePUB, Kindle, and PDF formats, and is included with a Smashing Membership.

Illustration showing Smashing Magazine’s mascot Topple, a red, cartoon-style cat wearing a black sweater. It is smiling and holding a post-it note in its right hand that reads “New” as it is peeking from behind Michele A. William’s new book “Accessible UX Research”. The book has a teal cover that shows a three times three grid of windows in different architectural styles. Inside the windows, there are icons related to UX research, such as speech bubbles, a looking glass, a keyboard, and UI components. The text on the illustration reads: “Thanks for your kind support.”