Addressing the ampersand in the room
Sometimes you find points of risk in your product's brand guidelines. This was just that — a miss that no one had quite noted yet, and something I couldn't let go until it was addressed.
Why should you care, anyway?
Respect the screen reader
As content design experts, we have a responsibility to consider assistive technologies and how they interact with content in digital design.
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In an article on special characters, Holly Take highlights the bottom line for users supported by screen readers:
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"Some screen readers will read most special characters, and some will read very few. This depends on their default settings. Screen readers can also pronounce special characters differently, adding extra confusion."​
Too long; didn't read?
Because screen readers can be unreliable in the representation of special characters, the use of strict content guidelines are necessary to avoid potential risk.
Say goodbye to the ampersand altogether?
Actually, no.
The goal was not to ban all use of the ampersand — it was to correct the way our products used them.
An improved conclusion
My care and dedication to accessibility of digital content led me down the path of solving this problem, but it was the journey that improved my dedication to other skills, like public speaking, case study creation, collaboration across disciplines, and so much more.