The Business Case for Digital Accessibility and the European Accessibility Act

Full feature originally published on our blog: https://www.testbirds.com/en/blog/the-accessibility-edge/

Digital accessibility is more than just a compliance requirement; it's a strategic business move that can lead to significant growth and customer satisfaction. By making digital platforms accessible to all, companies can tap into a large, often overlooked market segment and enhance their brand reputation. And that’s not touching on the ethical aspect. From regulations to business benefits, and positive societal contribution, here are the 9 benefits of accessible design in detail.?

Deep Dive into the Opportunities of Digital Accessibility:?

1. Inclusion: Accessible digital solutions empower individuals with disabilities to access information, services, and opportunities and participate in society like everyone else. This boosts social inclusion, diversity, and equity, leading to equal opportunities for education, employment, and more. On top of that, access to information and digital resources fosters independence. This, in turn, enables self-expression and enhances social connections. All these aspects contribute to a more inclusive society where everyone can contribute and thrive.?

2. Expanded Reach: One in six people worldwide has some kind of disability. By following digital accessibility recommendations, your product becomes more interesting and useful to a larger audience. Imagine the untapped potential of an audience that is empowered to explore your digital playground without hindrance.?

3. Better SEO: Accessible digital content means optimizing your digital solutions' markup and responsiveness, directly affecting usability and improving your search engine rankings. It’s as simple as that.?

4. Improved UX: Optimizing your digital products for usability makes user flows simpler, faster, shorter, and more intuitive. Accessible solutions also benefit users with poor or unstable internet connections, enhancing overall user satisfaction.?

5. Improved Customer Satisfaction: Digital accessibility positively impacts customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention. A user-centric approach helps build long-term relationships, making customers feel valued. Because first impressions do matter. 71% of users with disabilities will leave a website that is not accessible.?

6. Brand Reputation: Creating inclusive products sets you apart from competitors and helps establish a positive brand image. It signals that you care about all user communities and are committed to providing an inclusive experience for everyone.?

7. Financial Opportunity: Expanded audience, better SEO, and improved reputation eventually lead to higher revenue. By drawing in and retaining more users who benefit from accessible features, you create more opportunities for growth and competitiveness.?

8. Changing Consumer Expectations: Meeting user expectations for accessible digital products is now a necessity. Take a moment to ask yourself: can your business afford to alienate users with disabilities? While potentially losing an even bigger portion of your audience on account of this alienation? Embracing digital accessibility is more than a choice. It’s a path to a stronger, more inclusive future for your brand.?

9. Changing Regulations: Every year, digital accessibility is increasingly regulated locally and internationally. Next year sees the implementation of the EAA (European Accessibility Act), a mandatory directive that requires EU member states to ensure that certain products and services (including digital) meet accessibility requirements. If your digital products and services in the EU aren’t compliant (by June 2025 or June 2030, depending on when it’s released), you risk significant legal action. Above being an ethical issue, accessibility is also a legal one, so instead of gearing up on lawyers, we suggest you gear up on Accessibility Testing.?

But we’ll talk about the EAA in more detail in our next article of this series. Be sure to check it out!?

How Do I Reap All These Benefits??

Testing is crucial. Thoroughly researching and testing digital products gives companies critical insights into user experiences. Crowdtesting with real users who have disabilities or rely on assistive technology highlights issues automated tests might miss. This process fosters empathy and more inclusive design choices.?

Conclusion?

Accessibility is a team effort that reflects your brand’s values. It’s about humanity—acknowledging diverse audiences and ensuring everyone can interact with your digital space. Timing is crucial, and partnering with accessibility experts makes the process natural, cheaper, and less time-consuming. Let's build a more accessible future together.?

Full feature originally published on our blog: https://www.testbirds.com/en/blog/the-accessibility-edge/