How can you explain the benefits of accessible design to clients?

1 What is accessibility?

Accessibility is the practice of designing and developing digital products that are usable by people with diverse needs, such as vision, hearing, motor, cognitive, or situational impairments. Accessibility also benefits people who use different devices, browsers, languages, or settings. Accessibility is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but a process of applying standards, guidelines, and best practices to ensure that everyone can access and interact with your content and functionality.

2 Why is accessibility important?

Accessibility is important for many reasons. First, it is a matter of ethics and social responsibility. By making your digital products accessible, you are respecting the human rights and dignity of your users, and promoting inclusion and diversity. Second, it is a matter of legal compliance. Many countries and regions have laws and regulations that require accessibility for digital products, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the US, or the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) internationally. Failing to comply with these laws can expose your clients to lawsuits, fines, and reputational damage. Third, it is a matter of business value. By making your digital products accessible, you are expanding your potential audience, improving your user satisfaction and loyalty, enhancing your SEO and performance, and reducing your maintenance costs and risks.

3 How does information architecture support accessibility?

Information architecture (IA) is the discipline of organizing and labeling the content and functionality of your digital products, so that users can find and use them easily and efficiently. IA supports accessibility by ensuring that your digital products have a clear and consistent structure, navigation, and labeling, that match the needs and expectations of your users. IA also supports accessibility by providing multiple ways for users to access and understand your content, such as headings, menus, breadcrumbs, search, filters, sitemaps, etc. IA also supports accessibility by applying principles of simplicity, clarity, and consistency, to reduce the cognitive load and confusion for your users.

4 How can you assess the accessibility of your information architecture?

In order to assess the accessibility of your information architecture, you can employ a combination of methods and tools. User research is a great way to understand user goals, challenges, and preferences, as well as test how they use your digital products. Surveys, interviews, personas, scenarios, and usability testing are all viable options. Expert review is another way to identify and fix any issues or gaps that may affect the accessibility of your digital products. Heuristic evaluation, cognitive walkthrough, and accessibility audit are all helpful methods. Additionally, automated testing with tools such as WebAIM, WAVE, and AXE can scan and check for any accessibility errors or warnings. Labels, headings, links, and alt texts are all important factors to consider.

5 How can you improve the accessibility of your information architecture?

To improve the accessibility of your information architecture, you can follow some best practices, such as using clear and descriptive labels for your content and functionality that convey purpose and context, and are consistent across digital products. Headings and subheadings should be marked up with HTML tags and follow a logical order. Menus and breadcrumbs should also be marked up with HTML tags to provide navigation options and orientation cues. Search and filters should provide clear and relevant results, while sitemaps and other aids should be accessible by keyboard and screen readers. Ultimately, these best practices will help users understand the scope and structure of your digital products.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?