This article was originally published on UX Matter's website. You can read it here.
Accessibility transcends regulatory compliance; it is about designing digital landscapes and experiences that cater to all users, including those with diverse abilities and disabilities. Too often, however, companies treat accessibility as an add-on, addressing it only later in the design process. This approach often results in products that merely check off compliance boxes without truly serving the users who need these features most. This isn’t just bad for the user experience; it’s also bad for business.
To avoid these pitfalls, businesses should incorporate accessibility features from the onset of product development and ensure that they integrate them seamlessly across all consumer-facing products. Treating accessibility as a foundational design principle is vital to tapping into new, valuable markets; growing your customer base; and gaining customer loyalty.
Treating accessibility as a foundational design principle is vital to tapping into new, valuable markets; growing your customer base; and gaining customer loyalty.
An estimated 20–30% of the global population experiences some form of disability, ranging from vision and hearing impairments to mobility limitations and cognitive-processing difficulties such as adult attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Contrary to common misconceptions, this demographic possesses significant purchasing power. In the US, the total after-tax disposable income of working-age people with disabilities is approximately $490 billion. Plus, baby boomers, who are increasingly at risk of suffering from age-related impairments, hold more than half of all US wealth. Prioritizing accessibility features and ensuring that you seamlessly integrate them is, therefore, key to serving this valuable market.
While certain accessibility features are universally applicable and essential, I want to share some of the best practices that I have learned in developing digital products and experiences within the travel loyalty and booking space.
Booking a trip through a travel loyalty program or travel Web site is a multistep process that might seem simple, but is actually quite complex when you consider the amount of information such services exchange. At every step, travelers must answer questions such as the following: Where do I want to go? When do I want to go? Where do I want to stay? Do I need to book more than one room for my family? How do I want to pay? How much can I afford to pay? How many loyalty points are necessary to book a trip versus paying in a combination of points and cash? Can I save money if I travel on a Monday instead of on a Sunday? What kind of ground transportation is available at my destination? The travel booking and planning process can become even more complicated for individuals with certain disabilities. For instance, those with mobility impairments might need to verify whether their hotel is wheelchair accessible before booking.
For travel-booking providers, the goal is to streamline this process and ensure that all users are afforded a certain level of independence in their travel planning. How can we do this?
[Using] semantic HTML … provides meaningful structure and context for content and ensures that screen readers and other assistive technologies can interpret and convey the user interface’s hierarchy effectively.
First, any modern Web site should be built on a foundation of semantic HTML and abide by the ARIA specifications. This provides meaningful structure and context for content and ensures that screen readers and other assistive technologies can interpret and convey the user interface’s hierarchy effectively. However, while these technologies are fantastic for those who want to and can use them, implementing them does not always ensure a good user experience for people with disabilities.
Consider aging people whose vision is failing. They might not know how to use a screen reader. Nor would they necessarily have someone in their community who can help them navigate this technology. Designing with contrast in mind—reducing the use of light-gray text in forms for instance and avoiding small fonts—is the most effective way of accommodating visual impairments and enhancing usability for those with various vision challenges. These design choices also benefit customers in other challenging situations such as trying to book excursions on their phone when in a bright, sunny environment.
Forms, which are integral to travel booking, require particular attention. Travel forms might ask for extensive information such as the traveler’s passport number, country of birth, and emergency contact information. For someone struggling with ADHD, early-onset dementia, or even temporary memory loss, having to answer all these questions can feel overwhelming. Splitting complex forms across multiple pages can be a good way to help reduce the user’s anxiety and increase the likelihood of the successful completion of a form. Also, consider allowing users to return to their forms later, without requiring them to re-enter their information, in case they become distracted or are unable to complete the entire process in one session. Integrating digital-wallet options such as Apple and Google Pay can further streamline the booking process and be particularly helpful for those who frequently make errors when entering their credit-card information online.
As more and more commercial platforms start exploring the power of AI in delivering a superior user experience to all customers, including those with disabilities, … keep in mind … the importance of integrating native applications into your products….
Forms should also provide users with clear, consistent feedback, using visual cues to signal errors or explain prompts such as Enter your credit-card security code. Often, designers use color to communicate feedback, which is ineffective for users with color-deficient vision. Instead, consider highlighting errors by enlarging fields, adding highly visible ToolTips, or even using pop-up chatbots when users are experiencing difficulties.
Speaking of chatbots, developments in artificial intelligence (AI) are further streamlining the travel-booking process by enabling the use of natural-language processing (NLP) to find travel options more efficiently than using traditional search filters. This improvement could be beneficial for neurodivergent individuals and those with mobility or vision impairments.
As more and more commercial platforms start exploring the power of AI in delivering a superior user experience to all customers, including those with disabilities, one thing for Web designers and developers to keep in mind is the importance of integrating native applications into your products rather than creating custom widgets. There was a time when custom widgets were necessary to help businesses accomplish their digital-experience vision. However, recent improvements in native iterations have changed this dynamic. Native options often preserve brand cohesion, which was previously a key sticking point, are accessible out of the box, and come at no extra cost.
For businesses that rely on digital user interfaces when engaging and transacting with their customers, the user experience is integral to customer retention and loyalty.
Customer loyalty is important to all businesses. After all, acquiring a new customer can cost five times more than retaining one. For businesses that rely on digital user interfaces when engaging and transacting with their customers, the user experience is integral to customer retention and loyalty. Imagine being a long-time member of a loyalty program and suddenly finding that you can no longer fully utilize it because the user interface has become difficult to navigate with your declining vision. First, you’ll likely be disappointed and frustrated, then you might go elsewhere. Multiply that disappointment across hundreds or even thousands of customers and the cost of investing in accessibility features seems minor in comparison.
Prioritizing accessibility features from the beginning of the design process ultimately results in long-term cost savings. To be sure your product is on the right track, consider hiring UX specialists who have disabilities. Their lived experiences and expertise can significantly and meaningfully contribute to the development of accessibility-first digital products. Plus, inviting a group of people with disabilities to evaluate your plans and test initial prototypes can be eye opening.
Embracing advanced accessibility goes beyond simply adhering to current standards; it’s about setting the stage for future developments. As technology advances and users’ expectations change, inclusive design principles will become the norm. They’ll not only serve as a guiding light but also as a strategic imperative with far-reaching implications for business success.
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