How do you communicate the accessibility features and benefits of your GUI to your clients or stakeholders?

2 Use clear and concise language

When you explain the accessibility features and benefits of your GUI, use clear and concise language that avoids jargon, acronyms, or technical terms. Instead, use plain and simple words that describe what the features do and how they benefit the users. For example, instead of saying "This GUI has a high contrast mode that complies with WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria 1.4.3", you could say "This GUI has a high contrast mode that makes the text and images easier to see for people with low vision or color blindness". Also, use active and positive verbs that convey action and value, such as "enable", "support", "improve", "enhance", or "empower".

3 Show, don't tell

One of the most effective ways to communicate the accessibility features and benefits of your GUI is to show them in action, rather than just tell them. You can use various methods to demonstrate how your GUI works for different users and scenarios, such as screenshots, videos, prototypes, or live demos. For example, you could show how your GUI adapts to different screen sizes and orientations, how it responds to keyboard or voice input, how it provides captions or transcripts for audio or video content, or how it uses color, icons, labels, or feedback to indicate status or errors. Showing the accessibility features and benefits of your GUI can help your audience visualize, understand, and appreciate them better.

4 Provide evidence and examples

Another way to communicate the accessibility features and benefits of your GUI is to provide evidence and examples that support your claims and arguments. You can use various sources of evidence and examples, such as user research, testing results, best practices, case studies, or testimonials. For example, you could share how your user research revealed the needs and preferences of different user groups, how your testing results showed the improvement of usability and satisfaction metrics, how your best practices followed the industry standards and guidelines, how your case studies showcased the success stories of similar projects or organizations, or how your testimonials highlighted the positive feedback from real users or clients.

5 Address challenges and objections

You may encounter some challenges or objections when you communicate the accessibility features and benefits of your GUI to your audience. Some common challenges or objections are related to cost, time, scope, or return on investment. To address these challenges or objections, you need to be prepared, respectful, and confident. You need to anticipate the potential questions or concerns that your audience may have, and provide factual and logical answers or solutions. You need to respect the opinions and perspectives of your audience, and avoid being defensive or aggressive. You need to be confident in the value and quality of your GUI design, and highlight the positive outcomes and impacts that it can bring to the users, the clients, and the society.

6 Invite feedback and collaboration

Finally, you need to invite feedback and collaboration when you communicate the accessibility features and benefits of your GUI to your audience. Feedback and collaboration are essential for improving your GUI design, building trust and rapport with your audience, and fostering a culture of accessibility. You need to ask for feedback from your audience, and listen to their suggestions, comments, or questions. You need to acknowledge and appreciate their feedback, and incorporate it into your design process. You also need to collaborate with your audience, and involve them in the design decisions, testing activities, or evaluation methods. By inviting feedback and collaboration, you can create a more accessible and user-centered GUI that meets the needs and expectations of both your clients and stakeholders.

7 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?