Fact: 40% of UK households have at least one person with accessibility needs. A timely reminder given that today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day, promoting the fact that “every user deserves a first-rate digital experience”.

For many creatives and developers, the visual aspect and user experience of their product is usually what they consider first when creating something new.

While these are important, it’s also necessary to think about accessibility: at least one billion people worldwide have a disability or impairment that impacts their digital experience. We can no longer overlook accessibility or view it as a “nice to have”.

However, research by WebAIM has found that 98% of homepages have at least one accessibility error, showing there’s still a lot of work to do to solve this problem.

As any developer or project manager knows, it is easier to incorporate elements at the beginning rather than add them in later.

The solution, then, is to take digital accessibility into account from the very start of product development rather than make it an afterthought. Doing so will minimise resources needed and optimise results.

Our reliance on technology

In 1997, Tim Berners-Lee said: “The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.”

It was a prescient statement, especially given the events of the past year. With so many people self-isolating, even those who may have previously avoided technology – whether due to accessibility needs or not – were relying on it to access the outside world.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) developed guidelines on how to make web content more accessible to people with additional needs, whether that be relying on screen readers and speech-input software, alternative text for images, or ensuring all functionality is operable through a keyboard interface.

Even people without disabilities can benefit from following accessibility guidelines.

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For example, making the experience predictable for those who are less tech-savvy (Guideline 3.2), or ensuring content can be displayed in different ways without losing information for those who rely on a mobile phone to access the internet or who live in rural areas and have less bandwidth (Guideline 1.3).

But it’s important to remember that digital accessibility encompasses more than just websites. It applies to all tools that use digital technology, including software, mobile applications, connected objects, and more.

We use digital tools for everything from planning trips to shopping, monitoring our health, or even to simply relax.

Build it and they will come

There is no legal requirement to ensure accessibility in the UK, aside from certain regulations for public bodies, beyond making “reasonable adjustments”.

However, the business argument is clear; people will gravitate towards digital experiences that meet their needs.

A 2019 report from Freeny Williams showed 69% of customers abandon websites that don’t meet their accessibility needs. Additionally, 86% said they will pay more for a product if it means using an accessible website rather than one that’s more difficult to use.

The onus has always been on businesses to meet their customers wants and needs. It’s clear now that this must also include their accessibility needs, in terms of how customers interact with the business itself.

Including accessibility from the start, rather than developing your ideal product and then going back and shoehorning it in will ensure an ideal and inclusive digital experience for everyone.