Healthcare’s Digital Accessibility Problem
Plus, an early report card on AI’s successes and failures, hiring vs. educating developers, what happens when you finally get users, and asking for your help on the podcast.
The push for digital accessibility aims to ensure equal access and inclusion for all individuals. So why are healthcare companies failing to keep up?
In this week’s episode of Dev Interrupted, we sit down with Plum Ertz, Director of Engineering at Ro, to dissect healthcare’s digital accessibility problem. Following explosive growth in telemedicine due to consumer behavior changes brought on by the pandemic, the healthcare industry has struggled to provide accessible healthcare services on the internet, regardless of the technology or disability someone may have. Plum sheds light on the work being done at Ro to address these challenges, emphasizing the simple steps that teams can take to enhance their digital accessibility.
Plum also shares stories from her time at Buzzfeed, where she accidentally took down the entire site after forgetting a semicolon and once mistakenly calling a midterm election 5 hours too early!
“Everything we do and everything that we're working on is built around: How is this solving a patient problem? Like if anyone said anything about the blockchain, I would straight up walk out of the building.”
Episode Highlights:
(1:35) Defining accessibility
(6:20) Why accessibility matters
(9:50) An explosion in the number of telemedicine users
(12:19) How Ro defines success
(16:05) Screwup stories
(18:15) Stories from Plum's time at Buzzfeed
(22:50) Getting started with accessibility at your company
The Download
The Download is engineering leadership content we’re reading, watching, and attending that we think you might find valuable.
1a. The State of AI in 14 Charts
AI’s effects, potential and impact on engineering are changing every day. To help get a grip on it outside of personal anecdotes,
and distilled 14 of the best charts that give you visibility into the real state of AI. Definitely check out the chart on most starred AI-related repositories.1b. Predicting The Future Of AI On The Success & Failures Of The Internet
No public intellectual has been thinking about AI as much as
. This piece is very much a summation of his thoughts on where AI is likely to succeed and likely to fail. From what predictions are overblown to what potential impacts are overlooked, this is a real, vivid look at what the lives of engineers and the public will be like in the years to come.Read: Beyond the ‘Matrix’ Theory of the Mind
Want to prove your non-AI humanity in the best way? Leave a review for the Dev Interrupted podcast!
We try our best to make the Dev Interrupted podcast a vital conversation that leaves you a better, more informed and inspired engineering leader each week.
To help other engineers find the podcast, a review from you is crucial. It takes under 60 seconds, but can help others improve their careers over a lifetime.
Take a second and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify now!
2. Why Do Engineering Orgs Hire Instead Of Educate?
Hywel Carver of Skiller Whale spends all his time thinking about why companies are so quick to hire to solve their problems when educating the staff they already have is on the table.
3. The 4 Things You Learn After Getting Users
We hope every engineer gets the chance to be an entrepreneur one day. We also hope you’re prepared for what happens when your creation becomes a success.
For a look at what happens when you aren’t prepared, the Basement Community blog immortalized what they wished they had known before their 2000s-inspired internet forum went viral.
Read: 4 Things I Learned After Getting Users
Our friends at Cloudsmith are hosting their first virtual conference Unpacked on June 20th, and we’re proud to be an inaugural sponsor! 📅
This conference is for DevOps professionals and engineering leaders interested in learning more about securing and scaling software delivery. Leaders from across the globe will gather to discuss:
☑️ Software distribution at scale
🔒 Securing open-source dependencies
📉 Reducing complexity and cost