User Centric Design & Funding of Accessible Tech
Summary
This panel will focus on user centered design (UCD) as the crux of successful product development - with inclusion at the core. Founders with disabilities will discuss their experiences developing technology and services - focusing on how they undertook UCD, identified testers in their communities, and ultimately - funded those initiatives and brought them to market.
- Format: Panel
- Category: Panel
- Event Type: panel
- Presented By: n/a
Contributors
- Brandon Biggs
- Chris Maher
- Diego Mariscal
- Rebecca Rosenberg
Raw Event JSON
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