Most people think of accessibility as a feature that makes products and services usable for people with disabilities. While this is an important part of accessibility, it’s just one small part. Inclusivity, the practice of designing for everyone, should be at the forefront of your mind when you’re making your product or service accessible. That means not just accounting for people who have different abilities but also thinking about things like age, income level, and cultural background.
When you make your product or service accessible to as many people as possible, you open up your market to a whole new group of customers. The potential customer base for accessible products is huge and growing all the time. So why not tap into it? Making your product or service more inclusive is good for business and good for society
What is accessibility and why should modern businesses care about it?
Accessibility is the ability of a product, device, service, or environment to be used by people with a wide range of abilities and disabilities. It includes everything from the design of products and services to the way they are advertised and sold. In recent years, there has been an increased focus on accessibility in the business world. This is due in part to the increased connectivity of the world as a whole. With more people connected than ever before, businesses have come to realize that accessible products can be used by more users. With more than 1.5 billion people with disabilities in the world, businesses are bound to take notice.
Additionally, many modern businesses view accessibility as simply the right thing to do. After all, everyone deserves the same opportunities and access to information and products. Moreover, it can be good for business. Good word of mouth and online reviews can help to attract new customers.
In contrast, with the proliferation of accessible product options on the market, lack of accessibility also means falling behind your competition. In today’s competitive marketplace, businesses need to be aware of the importance of accessibility and take steps to ensure that their products and services are accessible to all.
How can making your products accessible increase your market reach and bottom line?
Here is a scenario: imagine a person without hands who wants to write digital content. They must force themselves to learn how to use a computer despite their different anatomy by adapting to current equipment (using keyboards and mice using feet or cheeks) or using accessible alternatives (such as touchscreen surfaces). They may not have other options for writing, so they are forced to learn to use the equipment they have. However, they may quickly ditch the current word-processing software they are using if they discover another app that has speech-to-text capabilities.
Making your products accessible to a wider range of people can have a big impact on your market reach and bottom line. By design, accessibility features make it possible for people with disabilities to use your products. However, these features often have the added benefit of making your products easier and more convenient to use for everyone. For example, features like voice control can help people with limited dexterity to interact with your product. But they can also be helpful for people who are driving or otherwise busy with their hands.
In addition, features like text-to-speech can make it easier for people to consume content in a format that suits them. And this can lead to increased brand loyalty and higher customer retention rates. Ultimately, making your products accessible is not only the right thing to do, but it can also be good for business.
Tips for making your website and your software more accessible
Making your software products accessible to as many people as possible is an important goal. There are a number of ways to make your products more accessible, including options to increase the font and UI size and different theme options for colorblindness. Here are some tips to help you make your products more accessible:
- Use software that offers speech-to-text and text-to-speech capabilities. Opt for user-friendly software for people with hearing impairments or those with dexterity problems.
- Make sure your software or website has font and UI size options. This will allow users to increase the size of the text and interface elements if they need to.
- Offer theme options for colorblindness. This will help users who are colorblind be able to distinguish between different elements on the screen.
- Design your software with an intuitive layout. This will make it easier for all users to find what they’re looking for and navigate through your software or website.
By following these tips, you can make your software products more accessible and available to a wider audience.
Accessibility resources for businesses
Businesses of all sizes can benefit from making their websites and products accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. Microsoft’s Accessibility Blog and Better Practices guide provides a clearer picture of their thought processes when designing for accessibility. Google’s Accessibility Resource Centre offers a range of free resources, too. The Web Accessibility Initiative’s Introduction to Web Accessibility is also a great starting point for understanding the issues and learning about best practices when it comes to accessibility. By taking these simple steps, you can help ensure that everyone can enjoy your content and products.
Final Thoughts
Accessibility features make your products more convenient to use for everyone, not just people with disabilities. Making your products accessible opens up your market reach and increases customer loyalty. Implementing these simple steps will help ensure that everyone can enjoy your content and products.
