5 Reasons to Care About Accessibility
Imagine an item of clothing sewed for a person of average height and physique. How many real people will actually fit in it?
Despite many inconveniences here and there, most of us will probably be able to wear this item of clothing. But for a lot of others, the size will be too big, or small, or loose, or tight. These people will never wear these clothes to go somewhere outside.
The same applies to websites, mobile apps, and other digital products. We need to make them well-designed and diverse enough to fit each user, and this is when a conception of universal design comes to mind.
“Universal design (UD) means being usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation”
— Center for Universal Design (CUD) at North Carolina State University, United States
All people are diverse, and we don’t have to suffer from inconveniences trying to “fit into clothes” that aren’t right for us. We should be able to find our “size” and use it.
When designers and developers apply the principles of universal design and increase application or website accessibility, the product meets the needs of a potential audience with a wide range of characteristics.
For example, a smartphone should have an accessible size and interface: the key operating buttons being visible and available even when a user holds their device with one hand. There also should be voice control for users who aren’t able to use their hands, constantly (due to their disability) or in particular situations (carrying heavy bags or a baby stroller, having wet hands, and so on).
“Universal design” is an American term that is widely used. In the UK and some other countries, you can also hear the term “inclusive design”. They mean the same principles of web accessibility for people with permanent or temporary disabilities or simply those who use their smartphones in inconvenient situations. Now let’s find out why it matters.
WHY YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT WEB AND APP ACCESSIBILITY
Let’s look at some stats proving why any big organization should be motivated to apply the web accessibility standards:
- 12% (960 million) of the world population is left-handed and need an alternative layout of action buttons;
- 64 million people (1 out of 5) in the United States have a disability;
- 3.4 million American people have active epilepsy;
- 3 million Americans have some form of vision impairment that can’t be corrected;
- 8.5% of European ancestry people are color blind, which means your app or website shouldn’t use just red and green for buttons;
- 1 out of 20 people has significant ear loss.
Is universal design really that important? Perhaps there is no real need for companies to invest in another version of the app or website design, as there may be not so many users to appreciate it.
In addition to all these facts, there is the 5th reason to care about making accessible products: they often benefit people who have a full range of physical or mental abilities.
Convenient layouts, right-sized elements, contrast colors, clear button icons and names, intuitive navigation processes, voice- or gesture-driven control, predictable updates, and many other features will make the overall experience more convenient for a wide range of users.
The truth is, most of us have faced some kind of temporary disability at least once. For example, if you have a twisted or broken wrist, you’re no longer able to use a mouse for navigation; flickering images and bad color contrasts are unbearable for people with migraines.
On the other hand, we all can benefit from universal design. When audio or video content on a website is captioned, it becomes accessible not only to users who are deaf or have hearing problems but also to those in noisy places without headphones or when the situation doesn’t allow listening.
Despite the fact that universal design is vital for many people, there are still lots of misconceptions about web accessibility. Let’s debunk the most popular ones.
COMMON MYTHS ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY
One of the enduring myths about the app and web accessibility is that it’s boring and incompatible with visual aesthetics. In reality, strong color contrast looks appealing and user-friendly. An experienced UX/UI designer doesn’t have to sacrifice anything to reach the goal. WCAG rules still allow using images, videos, or JavaScript plugins — you just ensure that your website’s content remains accessible if some users aren’t able or don’t want to use these things. Inclusive design requires alternative text descriptions, captions, transcripts, accessible plugins, etc.
Another common myth about website accessibility standards is that they’re complicated, time-consuming, and expensive in implementation. It originates from the idea that universal design requires some sort of unique technology or programming language. That isn’t true. Everything you need for inclusive design is more thoughtful planning with attention to detail and a qualified designer who applies best practices. Yes, rebuilding an existing website or app entirely to make it accessible might be sometimes difficult and expensive, but such an investment will pay off in the long run.
Another myth is that web accessibility is optional. This isn’t really correct because the inclusive design of a website, PDF document, or native mobile app is required by law in many countries and industries.
Accessibility for content, software, and interfaces is a critical issue nowadays. It affects not just people with disabilities but every one of us. This is the main reason why you should think about your product’s accessibility today.
Here at Exceed Team, we often hear from our clients that they need a website or mobile app to be 508 compliant. What they want is called web accessibility, but our clients aren’t sure how to make it happen or check the results.
Read the rest of the article on our blog to learn about design, compliance and audit.
