Although every organization is unique with unique requirements, there are common steps involved in developing a good accessible design plan. There are five steps involved in developing an effective design strategy for an organization. The five steps are as follows:

1. Define the design strategy.

In this critical first step you define how the design is going to fit into your organization. It should specifically define how the design is going to fit into your business and competitive strategies, objectives, and measures of success. This information will help to integrate the design technology into the business plan and ensure that the design strategy is aligned with the business needs. This first step provides the framework for the other goals to be met. The elements of an effective design strategy include:

-Vision statement. You should create a unique vision statement that defines the role of the technology design in the organization and how it will support the organization’s overall vision statement.

-Objectives. You should define the success metrics and clarify the specifics of the vision.

-Expenses and budget. The budget for the design project should be set aside. It is surprising how many companies never pay particular attention to the design process and therefore end up overshooting the budget. The appropriate purchases should be made so as to avoid any project delays.

-Ownership. Duties should be assigned to every member of the team to avoid a clash in the duties of each member. This will also lead to faster execution of duties and overall faster completion of the project. Whichever unique approach the organization takes, two elements are critical to success: Support from senior management and alignment with the business objectives. The leaders and senior management must clearly understand the business value of an effective design strategy. Without the leaders support the design project is likely to fail.

2. Identify requirements.

A needs assessment needs to be done on the current state of technology and success measures created. If the current technology does not meet the needs of the organization then an appropriate remedy should be found. Under this step the following can be done:

3. Design and develop the necessary technology.

In this step the focus should be to design and to focus on the appropriate technology for the company. All employees should be involved in this process. The technology should be well explained to the employees who will find the appropriate means designing it. The design process should be cost effective and offer real value for money. The appropriate ergonomics evaluations should be taken into account. The organization will need to update internal systems based on requirement and success measures undertaken. For new systems that are currently being planned, evaluate accessibility needs and requirements and make necessary changes in the design to ensure that the new systems are accessible. For existing systems, evaluate and measure the system against the accessibility needs and requirements.

4. Implementation and training.

After successful design you now implement the technology and train employees on how to use it. This involves constant communication with the employees.

5. Maintenance of the technology.

This is the last step and it involves regular maintenance of the system. This step also involves supporting employees use of the technology.