Investors Should Demand Web Accessibility

Angel Investors and VCs, what are the odds you’ve heard of web accessibility? Probably less than 50–50. But a quiet buzz is mounting in the design and web development community. And the buzz is more like an ear-splitting roar for managers of government, higher education and online retail websites whose industries face costly lawsuits for non-compliance.

We investors should listen closely, though, because developments in web accessibility, low-decibel as they seem today, will affect all startups with a public online presence- and their bottom-line- in the next few years.

Okay, so what is web accessibility?

Imagine being blind and trying to watch a YouTube video or being deaf and unable to hear the ping for an incoming text. The web experience many of us take for granted wouldn’t exist. Bring it a step closer to home. Think of your colorblind friend, frustrated and unable to buy a last-minute gift because he can’t differentiate the text colors on an online form. What about the time YOU broke your thumb and couldn’t use a mouse pad or forgot your ear buds and couldn’t listen to music at work. The ability to use the web affects more than the permanently impaired. It impacts every one of us at some time in our lives.

Definition

Simply put, web accessibility “means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them.” A site achieves accessibility through intentional design using an elegant, easily navigable interface and relatively simple backend coding. When combined with assistive technology tools such as screen readers and others, the site becomes usable by those with visual, hearing, physical or cognitive impairments. (By the way, did you know both Mac and Windows come with a screen reader installed? For Mac it’s Command+F5. For Windows 10 go to Start > Settings > Ease of Access>Narrator On. Take it for a test-run on your favorite site to understand how a blind person interacts with the web today.)

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, known as WCAG (pronounced wuh-CAG ), the Bible for designers and programmers trained in accessibility, stipulates internationally recognized best practices and benchmarks. These include alternate text for images, correct hierarchy of headlines on a page (both used by screen readers for the visually impaired), good color contrast, closed captions and more. Several free services, including Webaim, provide immediate feedback on a web page’s accessibility. 

Why is web-accessibility important to investors?

An accessible site improves a startup’s financial performance and ultimately your return:

1) It increases your startup’s market potential. Online sales today largely exclude a huge swathe of the population, specifically those with disabilities. In 2018, working-age people with disabilities had $490 billion in disposable income. Yes $490 billion. That’s roughly equivalent to the disposable income of African Americans ($501 billion). Yet accessibility issues make it difficult for them to purchase online. Segmenting the $490 billion, those with vision and hearing difficulties have more than $120 billion in disposable income. Accessible guidelines and technology currently in existence can vastly improve their user experience — and increase online purchases. Any startup that doesn’t consider the financial potential of this group is leaving revenues on the table for their competitors to grab.

2) It mitigates the risk associated with possible lawsuits and the cost of remediation.

Remember the ear-splitting uproar over web-accessibility mentioned above? Much of this is due to the rapid increase in lawsuits -more than 2250 in 2018 versus 814 the previous year- contending that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to mobile apps and websites.

In the next few days*, the Supreme Court will decide whether to hear a case that Domino’s Pizza must make its site accessible for the visually impaired. Retrofitting the website (or remediating, as it’s called) would cost millions of dollars and ultimately impact thousands of restaurant, retail and other public websites which could also be required to comply. Don’t hold your breath that SCOTUS will hear the case, since only a small percentage progress that far. That means continued uncertainty about the legal requirements for web accessibility and most likely more litigation.

With real, expensive risks looming, a company should know it’s much cheaper to implement accessibility when designing a site, rather than trying to remediate later. Just ask Domino’s. A UX design firm and developers with certification and/or knowledge of WCAG requirements can efficiently design a website, app and/or shopping experience inclusive for those with disabilities. As with any project, price depends on the complexity and size of the site. A word of caution: Some companies offer an automation tool that analyzes a site and auto-tags the code to allow it to pass accessibility tests. It may be sufficient to pass the test, but you should be wary whether this provides adequate accessibility. In addition to these auto tags, an optimal user experience comes from good visual design and proper context for the alternate text given for images- items that can’t be easily automated today.

And, Investors, there’s another, less data-driven, but possibly more vital reason to embrace accessibility: It’s the morally right thing to do. Look at the value statement of every startup you’ve ever seen. I bet it includes words like “increased diversity”, “self-fulfillment” and “empathy, ” ideas and sentiments that promote inclusivity for all.

So what’s next?

Whether or not we choose to fund a startup, one service we investors offer young companies is advice and constructive criticism. Because we see so many fledgling ventures, we hover above at satellite, rather than street, view and more easily see changes out there on the horizon

So next time you hear a pitch, ask the entrepreneur about their web accessibility policy. They’ll probably have no idea what you’re talking about, but the ensuing conversation will prove enlightening, productive and perhaps profitable. Remember, an accessible site is a win-win for both of us.

*Update: In early October 2019, the Supreme Court declined to hear this case, leaving in place the lower court's ruling that Domino's Pizza must have an accessible website.

Note: This article also appears on WrightDesignLab.com and  Medium.