10,000 Cents

Accessibility audit and re-design

goal

Audit the 10,000 Cents exhibit for accessibility and redesign it to make the piece fully accessible for visitors with visual needs while maintaining its original artistic integrity.

client

Cooper Hewitt
DX Center @ Pratt

tools

Figma

Cooper hewitt wanted our team to

Create an accessible version of the 10,000 Cents digital artwork so that non-visual users could engage with it meaningfully without losing the original artistic intent. Our goal was to reimagine the piece as a multisensory, inclusive experience—using sound, touch, and accessible navigation—to ensure visitors of all abilities could fully participate.

In the original experience, visitors used a computer to manually select a pixel from the 10,000 Cents image. A standout then revealed two views: the actual pixel from a real $100 bill and a hand-drawn recreation of that pixel. However, the experience included no accessible features for blind or visually impaired visitors.

Our accessibility review (WCAG 2) of 10,000 Cents revealed several accessibility issues:

Offended criteria:WCAG 1.1 - Text Alternatives

Lack of text alternatives for each image in the project

Offended criteria:WCAG 1.3.6- Identify Purpose

Programmatically unclear purpose  for image ‘cells’

Offended criteria:WCAG 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum)

Small Cursor Size. Less than the recommended 24 by 24 pixel size

Offended criteria:WCAG 1.4.11- Non-text Contrast

Red cursor selector on green background. Inaccessible for red-green colorblind users.

TO Design a Non-Visual Friendly Experience, we created 6 new features

Screen reader–friendly structure for titles and navigation

Accessible randomizer cursor for non-visual interaction

Audio-alternatives to visualizations

Built-in project and accessibility info for context and clarity

Audio guide that brings the artwork to life through sound

Toggle between accessible and original views for flexible engagement

We implemented these features in two key ways: through a randomizer and an improved tab index.

Solutions

Randomly selects a cell and reads its alt text aloud:

Allows users, especially those with visual impairments, to explore the project with the same sense of curiosity as if in a fully visually by randomly selecting cells rather than manually selecting.

Using tab-index to Support Keyboard Accessibility

Adding tab index to the project’s HTML improves keyboard navigation and supports compliance with WCAG 2.1, ADA Title III, and Section 508, while also providing users with a more accessible and flexible way to interact with the content.

These features allow visitors with visual impairments to

Move through content in a logical, predictable order

Reach and interact with hover-triggered content using the keyboard

Use screen readers and assistive tech more effectively

Access custom elements like <div> via keyboard focus

Takeaways

These changes improved the experience of 10,000 Cents while maintaining its artistic integrity, preserving the random cell selection that helps audiences understand the meaning of the work within the artist’s original intent.

This project was well received by the Cooper Hewitt team, who appreciated our accessible, thoughtful reinterpretation of the original work. Although our goal was to make 10,000 Cents accessible, the Cooper Hewitt team was especially excited by our multi-sensory approach, which invited visitors of all abilities to engage with the piece in inclusive, interactive ways.

There is still room to grow:
How might blind and deaf users engage even more fully?
How can we broaden alt text and narration to support more languages?

These are meaningful opportunities for the Cooper Hewitt—or future teams—to build on and make the exhibit even more inclusive.

Aquarium Ticket Flow 10,000 Cents Exhibit GenAI Human-Centered Research