Ahmed Khalifa

So, their two points, accessibility and the hidden meaning in the ‘g’—almost contradict each other. If it’s not clear, so is it truly accessible?

What do you think? You can read their blog post about it here: www.goodreads.com/blog/show/29...

I get that once you know, you know. But even with the explanation, their depiction is still a stretch. It’s kind of there, but not obvious.

And how many people will actually read the blog post to learn this backstory? Unless you have an interest in this like I do, I suspect most will not.

Eventually, I gave up and checked their explanation. Apparently, it's a magnifying glass over an open book.

Honestly, my first impression was that it looked like a person kneeling and praying, almost monk-like. Even after knowing the answer, I had to squint to see their intended design.

Their second claim: “The lowercase ‘g’ incorporates a magnifying glass over an open book.” This is where it gets interesting. Whenever there’s a new logo, I play a game: can I guess what it’s supposed to be?

This time, I stared at it for a while and just couldn’t see what it's supposed to be.

First, they say the logo is “optimized for accessibility so it looks clear and sharp no matter where you see it.” Maybe! The bolder font and type choice could help on different platforms.

But I don’t have a visual disability, so I can’t confirm how accessible it truly is.

The old and new Goodreads logo above one another. The top one is their old logo, which has a think 'good' and a slightly bolder 'reads' and in sans-serif font type. The bottom logo is their new one, which is a lot bolder throughout the logo and in a serif type font. The lower case g is supposedly symbolising a magnifying over an open book.

I've noticed Goodreads has launched a new logo. Normally a rebrand sparks lots of discussion and pushback from loyal fans and design pros. I’m neither, but I do have thoughts on two claims from their blog. Let’s break it down.

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Because truly inclusive events don't just talk about accessibility, they live it. I've written more about reimagining conference networking here: www.iamahmedkhalifa.com/conference-p...

What's your conference networking experience like? 💭

But here's the hopeful bit: small changes make huge differences. Quiet networking spaces, better acoustics, flexible formats, clearer communication.

It's not about creating special accommodations, just good design that works for everyone even other for the organisers and attendees.

Every networking break becomes a calculation for me:

Do I have energy left? Can I position myself where I can actually hear? Will I catch what they're saying over the keynote speaker's mic? Will we catch the conversation during those hallway conversations?

Those "ultimate networking experiences" conferences promise? They're built for one type of person.

Bright lights, constant chatter, rapid-fire convos, juggling coffee and name badges, noisy background...and then your energy depletes rapidly (it does for me)

What if that's not how you thrive? 🤷🏽‍

The conference paradox: I speak about accessibility on stage, then struggle to network afterwards due to the very barriers I just presented about.

The irony is... a lot. 😅

That kind of attention to detail is what makes the show so engaging. It’s not just about the food or the places, it’s about the personality, the humour, and the little moments that make you feel like you’re right there with Phil.

It's that little extra flavour that makes it all the more delicious

A still in an episode of 'Somebody Feed Phil' where Phil Rosenthal is making a facial expression that implies he is trying. The caption reads "Not so much [speaks German-flavored gibberish] in the pronounciation, right?

Case in point is in the image attached:

in one episode, Phil tries to pronounce a German word but totally butchers it. Instead of just writing [attempting to speak German], the caption reads [speaks German-flavored gibberish]. It’s a small detail, but it made me laugh but also appreciate it.

Back to the show: another reason I love it is Netflix’s captioning. Not only is it accurate, but there’s a deliberate effort to make it more than just functional, without going overboard. It adds a layer of enjoyment for viewers like me.

The show combines everything I love about travel, culture, and food. Whenever I go abroad, I make a conscious effort to eat something local or something I’ve never tried before. If it’s both, even better.

One of my favourite @netflix.com series is 'Somebody Feed Phil', fronted by Phil Rosenthal. He’s not to everyone’s taste, but to me he’s hilarious and seems like great fun to spend the day with…provided food was involved.

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A plea to all accessibility specialists:
How do you currently track WCAG compliance across multiple clients/projects?

I'm building a tool that I believe will help you to solve this and need 15-30 min convos with you. I can't pay you but in return, I want to offer discounted lifetime access 🙏

A huge thanks goes to the co-organisers inviting me to speak at the event and to allow to talk about the importance and power of accessibility in the online world. It's always refreshing to see organisers wanting to make sure that the topic of accessibility is amongst their agenda.

There are so many people to thank, whether it's online, stopping me to thank me for the talk in the hallway or even for a quick hello. Thank you all!

Ahmed on stage speaking to an audience, wearing green shirt, patterned brown trousers and yellow shoes. He is standing in front of the screen.

anyone else in the tech industry to make a positive impact within the community and the wider world.

I still had my challenges where it's so noisy, I wasn't able to keep up with conversations or attend as much talks as I wanted to. But when I did, it was a blessing.

Selfie of Ahmed who is smiling, mic'd up and standing in front of the Muslim Tech Fest stage.

It's not often I speak at an event where there is a sense of belonging amongst the attendees. That's what happened when I spoke at a recent Muslim Tech Fest.

You can see and feel it, when people are comfortable with each other, knowing that we are all in it together.

Muslim Tech Fest banner showing headshot of Ahmed Khalifa speaking at the event on 21st June 2025 about "When biased AI and lack of accessibility creates unwelcome experience". The session description is "has your AI ever fumbled on Islamic terms or misinterpreted your accent? Ahmed reveals how technical oversights become digital barriers for Muslim users. The discount code is Ahmed.

5/5: As such, "human review remains essential for meeting accessibility standards".

Otherwise, it can get ugly...very ugly, as I will demonstrate at the #MTF2025 event. 🫣

You can get your ticket here: muslimtechfest.com/tickets/

And I hope to see you there.

4/5: But a 2025 report (available to read in the comment) on the state of Automatic Speech Recognition software by 3Play Media has shown that even though "the technology has made remarkable strides, we’re witnessing an increasing plateau in accuracy improvements for English pre-recorded content".

3/5: Even though the likes of auto-captions has been around long time (in fact, Google has first announced it in a 'blogspot' way back in 2006, which you can access in the comment), you'd think that it would have gotten better and it's "perfect".

2/5: Because I'm lucky enough to be speaking at the event about a topic that I'm passionate about: video accessibility and captions. And judging by the conversations I'm having, it promises to be a brilliant event.

Muslim Tech Fest banner showing headshot of Ahmed Khalifa speaking at the event on 21st June 2025 about "When biased AI and lack of accessibility creates unwelcome experience". The session description is "has your AI ever fumbled on Islamic terms or misinterpreted your accent? Ahmed reveals how technical oversights become digital barriers for Muslim users. The discount code is Ahmed.

One week (on 21st June 2025) today is Muslim Tech Fest , and if you haven't gotten your ticket, you can get one now using the following discount code:

Ahmed

Oh, how is my first name used as a discount code?

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7/7: If Apple sets this trend, comprehensive testing (like time-to-locate, A/B, accessibility) becomes crucial to ensure distinctive visual design and optimal user experience.

This affects everyone, regardless of accessibility needs, and creates all the more reason to test across even more formats.

6/7: And then think about the logos that are very similar:
- Message vs WhatsApp
- Pepsi vs Korean Air (look it up and you'll know what I mean).
- Even Google's icons still baffle users, years after it was first introduced: www.creativebloq.com/news/google-...

5/7: Consider the pattern in certain app categories:
- Ride-sharing: circular elements to suggest movements
- Food delivery: warm colours to suggest speed
- Social media: bright, simple symbols to grab attention

This is intentional but are already leading to confusions...without liquid glass.

4/7: So if you add "Liquid Glass" to the mix, that could mean more friction and cognitive load, reducing fluid interaction for icons and logos alike. Is this the right approach? I'm not sure, though it's still early days.