LAUM - Library of Accessible and Usable Micro Frontends

We at FFIT like innovation and technological challenges. Here, we make technology, together with our partners and friends, which seeks to value human beings, allowing more to be done with less effort and leaving no one behind.

With this philosophy, we present Laum to our clients and friends, a work approach focused on the reuse of interaction components written in the form of micro front-ends with high usability and accessibility. We believe that component reuse is the main way to produce high-quality and low-cost software. The discovery of which components should be used/reused must occur at the time of interface prototyping. This helps bridge the gap between end customers (who can actively participate in the process), interaction designers, and requirements engineers. Historically, this approach, widely proclaimed in universities, encounters practical difficulties due to the low interactivity of the components available in the prototyping tools and the low fidelity of the generated prototypes (they even have graphic fidelity, but not interactional fidelity). The slightly higher granularity allows more meaningful components to be made available, such as login screens, software terms of use, chats, etc. Because it is based on the design system, the rendering of the screens follows the design definitions indicated by the client. Finally, because they are micro front-ends, they are running code, which greatly brings together the actors involved in software production.

Accessibility is another aspect of quality that has gained relevance and deservedly so. All Laum components score top marks for accessibility based on the code check provided by Google Lighthouse. This ensures superior accessibility for people who are blind or visually impaired. For the deaf, some components may contain videos for signaling in Libras. Signaling is done by professional interpreters, artificial intelligence or avatars are not used in this process, and this is to ensure that the message will reach the deaf person correctly. FFIT customers who need videos in Libras with their content can order them free of charge via email to: design@ffit.com.br. The videos produced will be inserted into the client's design system and can be reused in prototypes and real applications.

High quality comes from a basic fact: if it is to be reused, it must be done well. In this aspect, usability is strengthened through two checks with more than 200 items based on Nielsen's heuristics, one review after the prototyping phase and another after the development phase, before the micro-frontend enters the gallery.

The components from the Laum gallery can be used (reused) at prototyping time (only available in Figma/Anima). It is important to note that FFIT also provides a script to access the client's prototype (made in Figma/Anima under specific rules). This script enables the testing of accessible prototypes quickly, strengthening the Lean Software Development strategy. Watch the video to understand how we do this.

If you have any questions or want to schedule a workshop, send an email to: design@ffit.com.br