Poor accessibility = Poor UX
Dirk Unger
connecting users with brands |?UX Enthusiast | UX Design Lead, Co-Founder & Managing Partner bei Campfire GmbH
Learn how meeting the needs of people with disabilities significantly can improve the user experience of websites and apps for all of us.
What does accessibility mean for companies and what benefits does it offer? What impact does accessibility have on the user experience?
There are many misconceptions that make accessibility seem like a complex, expensive and time-consuming project that is neither relevant nor really useful.
It is time to dispel this prejudice – not just since the introduction of the European Accessibility Act (EAA). In this article, I'll give tips, tools and an actionable approach on how companies can not only implement accessibility, but also use it as a success factor.
Why accessibility is so important
Checking updates, looking up train connections, reading an article, watching a video or sending a message to a friend – these are all things we take for granted and spend a lot of our daily time doing.
But what if you can't use the website or app, if you can't read the text or listen to the voice message or video? Unthinkable for many and unfortunately an everyday challenge for many.
However, impairments do not only affect the daily lives of people with permanent disabilities such as deafness. Disabilities come in all shapes and sizes and can also be permanent or temporary.
A temporary condition such as an ear infection or a situational impairment such as traveling on a noisy train can lead to similar limitations in using an app or website as someone experiences who was born deaf.
Accessibility for all
Accessibility is often reduced to keyboard usability, output of non-text-information and clean technical semantics. While these optimizations are essential for a large number of people with disabilities, it is forgotten that the overwhelming majority of accessibility optimizations help all users.
“When we design for disability first, you often stumble upon solutions that are better than those when we design for the norm.” – Elise Roy, disability rights advocate, public speaker and design thinker
A few examples of optimizations that help both people with and without disabilities:
Contrast
Elements with sufficient contrast and non-critical colors and color combinations not only enable readability for people with visual impairments such as partial blindness, color blindness or light sensitivity.
Users with tired eyes, declining eyesight (e.g. due to old age) or in difficult lighting conditions such as direct sunlight or darkness, can also better recognize content with high contrast.
Simplicity
Simple, understandable language, well-structured content and calm images or videos are an enormous help for people with dyslexia, attention disorders and other cognitive impairments such as ADHD. Similarly, users who suffer from excessive demands or stress and people who are learning a new language are grateful for making things simple. Honestly: who doesn't this apply to?
This can range from an explanatory image to supporting an action with a suitable icon. Clear prompts, a clear structure, the differentiation between primary and secondary actions, precise labels etc. These optimizations also significantly result in a higher conversion rate.
Text alternatives
The subtitling of videos not only supports people who are completely or partially blind. People with temporary conditions such as ear infections are also able to follow the content of a video thanks to audio description. We are also all familiar with situations in which we cannot hear the sound of a video due to a noisy environment or cannot understand it due to a foreign language or strong dialect.
The output of alternative text for images and other content is not only essential for screen readers - such as those used by blind people - in order to have website or app content read aloud. So-called 'alt texts' are also important for people in developing countries and when our internet goes haywire again. If images load slowly or not at all, the image description gives us a clue as to what it is about. Not to mention the relevance of alt texts for search engines and the resulting better ranking of the website.
Touch
Easily accessible and sufficiently large click targets such as buttons not only help people with motor impairments such as tremors.
Even in situations where we only have one hand available, we are grateful when designers have thought about this rule of thumb.
Everyone knows the frustration of not hitting the desired button even after the fifth time because it is simply too small for our fingers.
Accessibility pays off
As you can see, accessibility goes far beyond compliance with standards and legal regulations. Accessible, user-friendly websites and applications are better for EVERYONE - not just people with disabilities.
A fully understood definition of accessibility enables a seamless user experience that takes into account different abilities, contexts and situations and includes all users.
Unfortunately, temporary and permanent restrictions are all too often forgotten, especially in the corporate context, or the effort involved is considered too high. The needs of people with disabilities are also often underestimated or ignored. This is a negligent practice that not only weakens companies, but also their brand.
To make a clear statement in favor of accessibility, here is a list of opportunities that companies can seize with the help of accessibility:
Better user experience and conversion
Accessible, user-friendly websites and applications are better for EVERYONE - not just people with disabilities, optimize the overall user experience and also significantly support the conversion rate.
Reaching untapped buyers
In Switzerland alone, the number of people with disabilities is estimated at around 1.7 million. 1.3 billion people worldwide and over 100 million people in the EU suffer from a disability.
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Companies that neglect this large number of potential customers are closing themselves off to an enormous market with considerable purchasing power.
Strengthening brand image
Accessibility promotes diversity and ensures that all people, regardless of their abilities, can fully use and develop the product or service.
Companies that see accessibility not as a necessary evil, but as an opportunity, can establish inclusivity, diversity and equal opportunities as part of their brand and strengthen brand loyalty by ensuring that all people can fully use their product or service, regardless of their abilities.
Preventing penalties
With the European Accessibility Act (EAA), the transition period for the new legal requirements ends on June 28, 2025. The consequences are similar to those of the introduction of the GDPR: from high fines to a general ban on doing business. This affects all companies that offer products or services in the European Union - regardless of where the organization is based.
Learn more about the requirements of the European Accessibility Act (EAA), what consequences it has for your company and ask your questions in our free webinar on November 28, 2024.
How can you implement accessibility?
The accessibility of a website or app surely does require some effort and resources, but they are not as high as commonly assumed. As part of a modern approach to user-centered design and for projects that – in terms of technical development –?correspond to the current state of the art, many optimizations regarding accessibility have already been taken care of and the next steps can be implemented with little effort.
When redesigning or creating a new website, it is much easier to take all accessibility requirements into account right from the start. Basically, the earlier the better. For example, digital brand guidelines or an initial design draft can be tested for potential pitfalls with the support of an independent company specializing in accessibility, such as the foundation “Access for All”.
For all companies that want to exploit the full potential of accessibility, we have summarized proven best practices as a starting point below.
1. Establish an inclusive mindset
There are a number of concrete things that companies can implement immediately to make their digital products accessible.
However, instead of starting implementation straight away, we recommend that larger companies in particular first establish a common mindset and attitude that involves everyone.
The fundamental questions that companies need to ask themselves are:
Not least because of the costs involved and the internal resources that are required, decision-makers, management and related disciplines such as the internal graphics department must understand the relevance of accessibility and actively support the project in addition to the people responsible for the website and app.
Good solutions with long-term prospects of success are only possible if everyone involved has the same understanding and goal.
2. Understand accessibility
Familiarize yourself with the legal requirements of the European Accessibility Act. This includes the European Standard (EN) 301 549, which contains the effective accessibility requirements. Also the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are fundamental.
For understanding the often general and abstract requirements and ultimately being able to implement them have a look at:
3. Carry out an accessibility review
Have your website tested for accessibility by an independent organization like Access for all.
As usual, the earlier the better. An initial assessment is also possible using automated tools such as WAVE. However, these do not replace manual testing!
4. Anchor accessibility in research
Include people with disabilities in your research work such as user tests and interviews. Conducting an accessibility review and involving users with disabilities in the testing process can provide valuable insights and lead to products that are not only accessible, but also provide better solutions for everyone.
5. Meet accessibility criteria
Meet the accessibility requirements of the EAA by including alternative text for images and other non-text content on your website or app, using clear and descriptive and correctly structured headings, ensuring sufficient color contrasts, keyboard navigation, subtitles for video content, etc.
Join our webinar
If you would like to learn more about the requirements of the European Accessibility Act (EAA) and how it affects your business, attend our free webinar on November 28, 2024 (in german) and use the opportunity to ask your questions.