THE IDEA SHELF / OPEN STARTING POINTS

Something worth making.

Fifty small project directions to help you get unstuck. Pick one, reshape it, or use it as a starting point for something better.

5 IDEAS13 TOPIC AREASSTART SMALL. ITERATE.
A PLACE TO BEGIN

Accessibility

5 FOUND
01 / IDEAAccessibility

Accessible Audio Player

A reusable audio player with transcripts, keyboard controls, and speed options.

THE PROBLEM

Audio experiences often lack transcripts and clear keyboard interaction.

FIRST SMALL STEP

Build a semantic player with transcript navigation and visible focus states.

audioaccessibilityweb
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02 / IDEAAccessibility

Accessible Color Audit

A small tool that checks a palette against contrast requirements and suggests safer alternatives.

THE PROBLEM

Designers often discover contrast problems after UI colors have spread across a product.

FIRST SMALL STEP

Build a palette input with contrast ratios and a preview of text sizes.

accessibilitydesignweb
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03 / IDEAAccessibility

Keyboard Shortcut Map

An interactive searchable map of shortcuts for tools a team uses.

THE PROBLEM

Shortcut knowledge is hard to discover and varies across apps and operating systems.

FIRST SMALL STEP

Create a searchable shortcut schema with platform-specific variants.

accessibilityproductivitykeyboard
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04 / IDEAAccessibility

Plain Language Checker

Highlight dense sentences and help editors simplify public-facing instructions.

THE PROBLEM

Important instructions become inaccessible when they are packed with jargon.

FIRST SMALL STEP

Build a text editor with sentence length and jargon prompts.

writingaccessibilitylanguage
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05 / IDEAAccessibility

Public Space Access Map

Map practical access details like ramps, seating, noise, and step-free entrances.

THE PROBLEM

Generic place reviews rarely answer specific accessibility questions.

FIRST SMALL STEP

Design a place schema with evidence date and contributor confidence.

mappingaccessibilitycommunity
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