Design for all

“The power of the web is in its universality access for everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.” Tim Burners-Lee creator of the World Wide Web.

Accessibility has always been a part of the web’s narrative, and Timber Lee said it best when he said that it’s all about universal access. There are three cases to be made for accessibility: the moral the legal and a business case. Accessibility is being more widely recognized as a human right around the world. It is more like a fundamental right because it is part of the fabric of successful coding and UX design. So accessibility is actually required by federal law and there are many lawsuits formed in many countries like Sweden or the USA. Also in terms of business, it helps attract new customers and improve the conversion rate.

Why it matters

Accessibility is overlooked by companies or designers. Considering accessibility is a difficult thing, as it extends the duration and expense of a project’s development phases. Although, in the future, there is no need for maintaining the service. Since search engines like Google only understand text, a website with qualified accessibility would rank higher in search results. It’s also important to consider architecture information and alternative text for photos when it comes to SEO. It is noteworthy that people with major impairments make up a small group of users in contrast with people having minor impairments such as those who suffer from hearing disability or colorblindness or people who cannot distinguish bright colors or small font sizes.

It is only beneficial to companies that care for people with disabilities. Making their digital services completely available would boost their credibility and demonstrate their social responsibility. As an example, Facebook has shown a commitment to becoming a disability-friendly company, and they are grateful for the 2 billion images shared on Facebook every day. Improvements in accessibility will not turn away current users but will gain new ones and increase conversions. By supporting users with disabilities, you are letting them know that their rights are inevitable. Users with disabilities are more likely to invest more money with businesses that provide them with a well-designed user experience.

Disabilities and Barriers

There are many barriers in digital products that prohibit people with permanent and temporary disabilities from using such products, and the barriers are as varied as the disabilities. Low contrast between background and text, or images without alt-text, are visual obstacles for people with vision issues or colorblindness. Larger font sizes and the ability to change the size will benefit everyone. For those with hearing impairments, there are also auditory obstacles, such as videos without captions or audio tracks without transcriptions. video captioning and text transcripts are not only necessary for the hearing impaired, but they are also beneficial to healthy users. People with learning (cognitive) disorders such as down syndrome, as well as those who are aging, can definitely benefit from simple content and a consistent user interface. As a result, make an effort to create a logical interface (similar colors for similar actions, font hierarchy, etc.). There are some problems that aren’t considered usability barriers, such as including too many choices in a checklist, which may add to the user’s cognitive load. Other issues include a low IQ required to use a home appliance, a technical disability required to use a gadget, and so on. However, each type of disability can require a unique set of accessibility solutions.

Conclusion

Accessibility is a major concern that is gaining importance as more of our daily lives are performed digitally and as the world’s population increases and ages. Businesses that tend to neglect accessibility must recognize that they are already losing users and will lose many more in the coming years, resulting in significant sales reductions. Refusing to acknowledge accessibility rights are human rights would damage those businesses’ public profile and prestige in a society that has made strides in accepting other minorities. By making products accessible, we enhance the experience of all users, not just those who have difficulty with the products.

Anis Aliabadi