Why it is important
Accessibility has become increasingly important in recent years. Due to the increasing digitalization in all areas, more and more people are using digital solutions. Nevertheless, the “Internet for all” approach is still not lived out enough.
Table of contents
- It affects us all
- There are people with disabilities in every target group
- The user experience is improved for all users
- Accessible design does not have to be boring
It affects us all
For me as a UX designer, accessibility is an extremely important issue. On the one hand, the developers and the code can greatly improve a product in terms of accessibility. On the other hand, there is the design part, which also has a huge impact on accessibility. As designers we have the power to make the Internet accessible to everyone.
According to the WHO, over 1 billion people worldwide suffer from some form of disability. Not all of them can use digital solutions, but for those who can, we should make it as easy as possible.
There are people with disabilities in every target group
Do people with disabilities even belong to our target group? This question can be answered with yes. People with disabilities make up a large percentage of the population. Excluding these people from your services is questionable, not only from a business point of view. It is also a questionable decision from a human perspective and does not contribute to a good company image.
The user experience is improved for all users
When a website or app is designed and developed with the “accessible for all” mindset, the experience is enhanced not only for people with disabilities. It is not a question of enabling people with disabilities to use digital systems, but of not excluding them.
Accessible design does not have to be boring
A prejudice that is heard again and again is that barrier-free design is boring and restricts creativity. I am always surprised by this attitude. Is UX design really just “fancy digital product design”? For me, it is more the recognition of problems and their solution. This does not mean that the solution cannot be aesthetically pleasing. But there is more to a well-balanced digital product than just making it beautiful. As a designer, if I know the rules of accessible design, I know how to push the limits. Within these rules, beautiful results can be achieved that improve usability for all user groups.