How do you make the case for accessible website design to clients?

When advocating for accessible website design to clients, emphasize the broader audience reach and inclusivity it offers. Highlight that accessible design caters to users with disabilities, enhancing usability for everyone. Showcase the positive impact on brand reputation, reflecting a commitment to social responsibility. Emphasize compliance with legal standards, reducing the risk of litigation. Lastly, underline the potential for increased traffic and engagement, as a seamless user experience fosters positive interactions and encourages user loyalty.

When advocating for accessible website design to clients, I start by underscoring the profound impact on inclusivity and audience reach. An accessible website transcends physical and cognitive barriers, opening up avenues for engagement with a broader and more diverse user base. This inclusivity, I stress, is not just a moral imperative but a strategic move that directly influences the client's market share and revenue potential. I weave into the conversation the imperative of legal compliance, drawing attention to regulations such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Web Accessibility Directive in Europe.

Accessible website design ensures that websites are usable by people with different abilities. It follows universal design principles and adheres to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Key aspects include making information perceivable through text alternatives and adaptable content, ensuring operability with various input methods, maintaining clarity for understandable navigation, and promoting compatibility with different technologies. By considering visual, auditory, cognitive, and motor abilities, accessible design enhances the overall user experience for everyone, fostering inclusivity in the digital realm.

Making a website accessible is like opening your store’s doors to every single customer, no matter their challenges. When you tell clients about accessible design, it’s like explaining why having ramps alongside stairs benefits not just those in wheelchairs but also parents with strollers, delivery people, and more. It broadens their audience, welcoming everyone and not just a few. It’s good for business, too - more people can visit, and search engines favor websites that everyone can use. Plus, it's like following safety codes in building design; it keeps them on the right side of the law. Accessible design isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have for inclusive, successful websites.

Accessible website designs ensure that everyone that wants to interact with your website is able to. Allowing people that have color vision issues by making sure of proper contrast is important. It's also important that a site can be browsable via keyboard keys and have screen reader capabilities. The more compliant to the WCAG standards, the more people you can reach with the application.

Accessible website design is crucial for inclusivity, reaching the 15% of the global population with disabilities and accommodating temporary impairments. It enhances SEO and performance, as user-friendly sites rank higher and load faster. Compliance with accessibility standards reduces legal risks, aligning with global mandates and averting potential lawsuits. Prioritizing accessibility is ethical, broadening audience reach, improving SEO, and ensuring legal compliance—a strategic and responsible approach for a diverse and digital audience.

Especially in the US and EU directives do exist that require to create accessible websites for governments and governmental driven companies. In Europe especially required by the "European Accessibility Act (EAA)" according to the "Web Accessibility Directive - EN 301 549" in version 3.2.1 at also applies to ecommerce and communication companies. Companies MUST implement corresponding technology or technological solutions to support people with disabilities. However, there are exemptions: Companies with less than 2 million yearly revenue and less than 10 employees are not required to implement accessibility. Still, it might be a good chance to show responsibility and use it as a core value of your brand.

This is important because the reason to have a website is to reach out to people. As it says here 15% of people have some sort of disability that would prevent them from being able to properly interact with a website that isn't accessible. So not only is it the right thing to do in order to make sure all people are able to enjoy your site but in many countries it's becoming required by law to meet certain levels of accessibility.

Accessible website design is not just a legal or ethical obligation but also a practical business decision that enhances user experience, broadens audience reach, improves SEO, and contributes to a positive brand image.

Accessible website design comes with challenges, such as the substantial cost and time associated, particularly when retroactively implementing changes to existing code and content. Lack of awareness among web developers and clients regarding accessibility standards and best practices is another hurdle, leading to misconceptions and errors. The diversity and complexity of accessibility needs pose a challenge; solutions vary based on the type and degree of disability, assistive technology, and user context. Addressing these challenges requires a proactive approach, emphasizing education, careful planning, and a commitment to inclusivity from the outset of web development projects.

Accessibility consists of multiple different disciplines. You need to think about the different user needs: not only, but also visual, auditory, motor or cognitive disabilities. Depending on all of these different aspects your site concept can be heavily affected. Next step is to adapt your design to these challenges. That might lead to additional elements on the site (tools) or the ability to also look good with very large typography or high contrast rendering. This leads to technical challenges which also increase projects costs. You might have to implement 3rd party services or adaptive designs and progressively enhanced technology. Also the testing of these components can become quite challenging and expensive.

The biggest challenge is making sure the designers and developers have taken appropriate accessibility training. Understanding the importance and how to accomplish it goes a long way in getting the website moving in the right direction. Developers can choose libraries and frameworks that help give more accessibility out of the box but there will always be some more work to do. Teams should use many tools to test accessibility such as axe dev tools and NVDA screen reader.

Agree, it's a no brainer: 1. Get a bigger addressable market 2. Improve your conversion rate 3. Avoid legal issues 4. Do the right thing, differentiate from competition and boost your brand The ROI is straight forward and fairly quick if you choose off the shelf technologies that allow you to implement website accessibility best practices

Making the case to the client should be as simple as asking the question of whether they want their site to be able to be used by as many people as possible. If the answer is yes, then show how they would miss out on 15% of the population by not addressing accessibility. Lastly, show how many countries are requiring compliance by law.

Promoting accessible website design to clients involves highlighting its value. Emphasize benefits like improved brand reputation, user satisfaction, and conversion rates. Outline your approach, detailing WCAG compliance methods and testing strategies. Proactively address concerns about cost, time, and feasibility with evidence-based examples. Illustrate how accessibility aligns with their business goals, making it not just an ethical imperative but a strategic investment. By showcasing tangible advantages and a well-thought-out implementation plan, you make a compelling case for integrating accessibility into their website design.

Accessibility is becoming less of a trend and more of a requirement with each passing year. It is another layer on top of the UI and UX of the project, ensuring more users can interact with the website. It improves your business' reputation as well as it makes you stand out amongst your competitors and you ensure that a certain user base will have the best experience on your website rather than your competitors. In a nutshell, you either will do it by choice now or by force in some months/years due to compliance laws.

Crafting an accessible website involves clear layout, semantic HTML, and readable fonts. Prioritize color contrast, ensuring information is discernible without relying on color alone. Accompany images with alternative text, captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions. Clearly label forms with instructions and feedback. Ensure operability via keyboard and mouse, integrating shortcuts, focus indicators, and skip links. Design for compatibility across browsers and devices using progressive enhancement. Regularly test with automated tools and engage users with disabilities for feedback. Following these practices ensures a universally inclusive online experience.

Some of the key best practices would be the following: 1. Educate the designers, developers, and clients. 2. Pay attention to color contrasts. 3. Pick libraries and frameworks to help make it easier. 4. Make the site screen reader compliant. 5. Make sure the site can be navigated with just a keyboard. 6. Test early and often with as many tools as you have available.

Consider the user journey beyond the homepage. Ensure accessibility across all pages, including forms, interactive elements, and multimedia. Address time-sensitive content, allowing users to adjust timing or providing alternatives. Prioritize mobile accessibility, optimizing for various screen sizes and touch interactions. Foster a culture of accessibility within your team, promoting ongoing education and awareness. Collaborate with users with disabilities for valuable insights. Lastly, stay informed about evolving accessibility standards and technologies to future-proof your design. By incorporating these considerations, you create a more holistic and forward-thinking approach to accessible website design.

Aside of the technological and design aspects your company must also adhere to these challenges. You might have to train your personell and must make sure that after sales operations are accessible as well. Think of documents you send along with your products, customer service communication options like hotlines, chat, etc. Also, whenever you implement these services or technologies you still must comply with law. Especially in Europe and even more specifically in Germany that becomes another challenge. You should always talk to legal personell while you write the concept and design you website/application to avoid later changes with much higher costs.

There are different ratings that you get for accessibility on your website. There would be no point in building accessibility features when no body is going to use it. A better way is to take data driven decision here and progress in steps to target the rating that is ideal or acceptable. The roadmap can again be decided based on the data, usage and users.

When advocating for accessible website design: 1. Broader Audience Reach: Emphasize catering to users with disabilities for increased traffic and engagement. 2. Legal Compliance: Stress meeting accessibility standards to avoid legal issues and comply with regulations like the ADA. 3. Enhanced User Experience: Highlight improved overall user experience for higher satisfaction and retention rates. 4. SEO Benefits: Mention that accessible design aligns with good SEO practices for potential search engine ranking improvement. 5. Positive Brand Image: Showcase how commitment to inclusivity builds trust and loyalty, creating a positive brand image. These concise points effectively communicate the benefits of accessible website design.