Accessible design for some may still produce barriers for others. This tension, called access friction, creates challenges for both designers and end-users with disabilities. To address this, we present the concept of softerware, a system design approach that provides end users with agency to meaningfully customize and adapt interfaces to their needs. To apply softerware to visualization, we assembled 195 data visualization customization options centered on the barriers we expect users with disabilities will experience. We built a prototype that applies a subset of these options and interviewed practitioners for feedback. Lastly, we conducted a design probe study with blind and low vision accessibility professionals to learn more about their challenges and visions for softerware. We observed access frictions between our participant's designs and they expressed that for softerware's success, current and future systems must be designed with accessible defaults, interoperability, persistence, and respect for a user's perceived effort-to-outcome ratio.

翻译：对部分人群的无障碍设计仍可能为其他群体制造障碍。这种张力——称为访问摩擦——为设计师和残障终端用户均带来了挑战。为此，我们提出柔性软件的概念，这是一种系统设计方法，赋予终端用户自主权，使其能够根据自身需求对界面进行有意义的定制与适配。为将柔性软件应用于可视化领域，我们汇集了195项以预判残障用户可能遭遇的障碍为核心的数据可视化定制选项。我们构建了一个应用部分选项的原型系统，并通过访谈从业者收集反馈。最后，我们与盲人及低视力无障碍专家开展了设计探针研究，以深入了解他们面临的挑战及对柔性软件的愿景。我们观察到参与者设计方案中存在的访问摩擦，他们指出：为确保柔性软件的成功，当前及未来的系统设计必须具备可访问的默认设置、互操作性、持久性，并尊重用户感知的投入产出比。