How Website Accessibility Serves Everyone
You may have seen the announcement of our Web Accessibility Audits. We’ve also shared the details of our own website audit, which outlines our process, findings, and how we made our site more accessible as a result. Now we’re going to dive into how web accessibility serves everyone. Spoiler: The “why” is a critical aspect.
The Curb Cut Effect
If you haven’t heard of the “curb cut effect,” here’s a quick summary:
“The curb cut effect is the phenomenon of disability-friendly features being used and appreciated by a larger group than the people they were designed for. The phenomenon is named for curb cuts—miniature ramps comprising parts of sidewalk—which were first made for wheelchair access in particular places but were also welcomed by people pushing strollers, carts or luggage.” — Wikipedia
Ever notice those audible pedestrian crossing signals? Used an electric toothbrush, audiobook, or e-reader? Switched on closed captioning while watching a video? Used a keyboard? If so, you’ve benefitted from the curb cut effect. Everything we just mentioned was originally created to serve the specific needs of specific groups—and wound up being incredibly useful for the majority of people.
Another example is the OXO Good Grips product line. If you’ve ever used a Good Grips peeler in the kitchen, you can thank one of the leading designers, Dan Formosa. He and his design team created the line with the goal of helping people with arthritis. Because the tools were so easy to use and hold, Good Grips quickly became one of the most popular kitchen accessory lines across the globe. In an interview with ZDNET, Formosa said:
“The analogy I usually give is that if you designed a doorway for the average person, half the people who used it would bump their heads. What we really want to do is understand the extremes. A lot of times, there are really good ideas at the extremes—and the average is covered there, too.”
And we agree: Covering your website’s accessibility bases leads to an improved experience for your entire audience.
The Benefits of Website Accessibility
If you think you or your audience won’t see the value in making your website more accessible, think again. The experts at The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) outline who benefits from web accessibility:
“people using mobile phones, smart watches, smart TVs, and other devices with small screens, different input modes, etc.
older people with changing abilities due to ageing
people with “temporary disabilities” such as a broken arm or lost glasses
people with “situational limitations” such as in bright sunlight or in an environment where they cannot listen to audio
people using a slow Internet connection, or who have limited or expensive bandwidth”
That means everyone benefits from improved accessibility.
Not familiar with W3C? We bet you’ve heard of Microsoft. Their Inclusive Toolkit Manual reinforces the point:
“Designing for inclusivity not only opens up our products and experiences to more people with a wider range of abilities. It also reflects how people really are. All humans are growing, changing, and adapting to the world around them every day. We want our designs to reflect that diversity.
Every decision we make can raise or lower barriers to participation.”
Accessibility makes it easier for your audience to interact with and take actions on your website, which in turn supports your ROI.
So, how do you get started improving accessibility on your website? That’s where we come in.
Get Curious About How Inclusive Your Website Is
Start with some basics, from our Web Accessibility 101 resource—but that list is just the tip of the iceberg. Go further by starting with a Web Accessibility Audit. You’ll get:
Automated scan across all pages.
Manual spot-check of key page types and user flows.
Findings report with every issue identified, categorized by severity, and mapped to the specific WCAG criterion it fails.
An Accessibility Impact score for the site overall.
And, perhaps most importantly, a plain-language summary written for non-technical stakeholders.
For your benefit, our audits are standalone engagements. You can take our findings and deploy changes independently, or we can roll right into a new project for HALO 22 to handle the lift.
Get started on improving your website’s accessibility by sending us just a few details.
