How to Achieve ROI in Accessibility

The moral commitment to make websites usable by everyone, regardless of ability or disability, is often overshadowed by questions of the tangible profitability of inclusive design. Professor Jonathan Hassell, a leading UK based Accessibility expert is tackling this issue head on.

Hassell, who is best known for his pivotal role in transforming the way the BBC and the UK landscape deal with accessibility, and his business partner, strategist and economist, Christine Hemphill, have recently opened their own accessibility agency, Open Inclusion. Their aim: To put the issue of Return on Investment in Inclusion on the agenda in the boardrooms around the country.

Combining Jonathan’s extensive accessibility expertise and Christine’s business acumen, they help organisations use inclusive design as a transformational tool to achieve their strategic business goals.

“We support organisations in getting competent and confident in embedding our approach to inclusive design in their existing culture, processes and people,” Hassell said.

The next level of inclusion

Open Inclusion specialises on what they have coined ‘Return on Investment in Inclusion (ROI2)’, and they pride themselves on providing a personal and real understanding of their clients’ needs, goals, culture, products and consumers.

“Solving the technical issues of accessibility is actually the easy bit,” Hassell said, “especially for our team who have been doing this for a long time. The interesting and more challenging part is the prioritisation of design and development options to align strategic business objectives with real customer experiences. This is the stuff we thrive on.”

Accessibility as a part of business goals

Christine explained that for inclusive design to become sustainable, as well as embedded, companies need to know what they are getting back for their effort, and how to improve or maximise that return.

This exact issue will be their focus when the duo are presenting at a digital accessibility seminar in London on June 18. Web management specialists Siteimprove will host the seminar.

Strong supporters of Siteimprove’s automated accessibility checking tool, Hassell and Hemphill will give participants of the seminar a chance to consider how inclusion can specifically aid the achievement of their and their business’ strategic and tactical goals.

The seminar, will outline the connections between the various ‘levers’ of inclusion and how they impact the returns companies care about; market penetration, per customer value, staff or customer engagement and loyalty, corporate social responsibility and their bottom line and long term value to stakeholders. During a breakout workshop session, participants will work together with Hassell and Hemphill on how to embrace inclusive design in their business.

“Rather than lecturing people with either a metaphorical stick or carrot in hand as to why they should or must do accessibility,” Hasell said, “we’ll work interactively with smaller groups to connect their goals and top priorities this year to how inclusive design can help them achieve these goals.”

Winning at inclusive design

This will be the first time Open Inclusion offer this kind of workshops within the UK, and Jonathan strongly encourages companies to sign up for this event and take advantage of the opportunity to gain new perspectives on the worth of inclusive design and development, plus come away with something tangible, practical and valuable.

“This is what we are passionate about,” Hassell said, “making accessibility about winning, not just about avoid losing.

For those who cannot make the seminar, but who would like to learn more Jonathan Hassell’s book Including your missing 20% by embedding web and mobile accessibility is a great place to start.

Sign-up for the seminar.