EXPERIENCE DESIGN

Accessibility: Making it a Part of Our DNA

Do you know what accessibility standards are and why your business needs to take them seriously when you consider building a new website? Micah Joyner, a User Experience (UX) Designer at Acro, discusses accessibility, a subject that not everyone devotes enough time and energy to when developing websites. 

When you think about an ecommerce website and all of the business functionality and requirements you need from it for your business, meeting accessibility standards likely isn’t even on that long, long list. This is why our team at Acro lives, breathes and embeds accessibility into our UX design workflows so that you don’t have to. Build with Acro and know that accessibility is baked in, and your website users will get the best version of your content and commerce based on their needs.

What Does Accessibility Mean in Web Development?

“Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i.e. unassisted) and "indirect access," meaning compatibility with a person's assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers).” - Wikipedia

Great. Okay, let’s see what else the information superhighway (“Internet,” for you spring chickens) says about accessibility in UX design specifically.

“Any modern organization, including but not limited to a UI/UX design services company, must promote the concept of equal access and accessible designs.” - Ramotion, Accessibility in UX Design: Guidelines and Key Principles.

• It means that the design is usable and useful in multiple settings, meeting users' varying needs so they can use the product or service without having to worry about whether it will work for them.
• Combining accessibility standards and usability processes with real people ensures that web design is technically and functionally usable by people with disabilities. This is referred to as usable accessibility or accessible user experience (UX).

Nice. However, I think UX should inherently mean “all users,” and we shouldn’t have to prefix it with “accessible.” Okay, for fun, let’s ask ChatGPT what it means to adhere to accessibility requirements:

“Integrating accessibility into the workflow and culture of a digital agency involves adopting practices, processes, and attitudes that prioritize the creation of inclusive digital products and services.” - ChatGPT

That part gives me the feels, specifically the ‘attitudes that prioritize the creation of inclusive digital products and services’ part.

Accessibility as Part of Your Development Ethos

In my experience, accessibility hasn’t always been given the love it truly deserves unless specifically required by the client. At Acro, we’ve built some great solutions, many of them fully accessible. Of course, this is after a proper accessibility audit and dedicating resources to resolving the resulting issues. I’d venture to say we’ve become pretty good at it. However, we saw an opportunity to improve further for many reasons, some of which we already adhere to. 

Legal Requirements

In many countries, including the USA, EU, UK, Israel, and Japan, it’s legally required not to discriminate against people with disabilities. Failure to comply can result in legal consequences. (In the USA, 2,235 new ADA Website lawsuits were filed in federal court in 2019. That’s one per hour.)

Better Coding and Robustness

Accessible sites tend to be better coded and more robust. Following accessibility guidelines leads to cleaner code and improved site performance.

Search Engine Rankings

Accessible sites often rank well on search engines. Properly structured content benefits both users and search engine algorithms.

Business Impact

Inaccessible sites are bad for business. A UK survey found that over 4 million people abandoned retail websites due to accessibility barriers. Turning away potential customers is detrimental to any business.

Why Accessibility Matters in Web Development

While the above legal and business ramifications are good reasons to consider accessibility when creating websites, I believe there is a better reason to strive for accessibility excellence. I suspect the reasons will be somewhat different for everyone, but hopefully, it’s all in the same vein of responsibility. I believe that if we have the ability, we have the responsibility. 

I’m going to get just a little mushy on this here, and then I’ll get to what we’re doing at Acro.

Our capabilities come with an inherent duty to use them wisely and for the greater good. Whether it’s the power of knowledge, creativity, or influence, we must recognize our responsibility to contribute positively to the world around us.

In a world where technology and interconnectedness continue to grow, this principle becomes even more critical. As individuals, we can make a difference by acting ethically, supporting the causes we believe in, and uplifting others.

I personally believe that with any solution I contribute to, I have the ability (therefore the responsibility) to positively impact every single user’s experience of that solution. I can confidently say that at Acro, we all share very similar attitudes.

How Acro Commerce Supports Accessibility in Development Projects

Off my soapbox now, so let’s talk about what we are actually doing.

Education and Awareness

We are continually educating our teams about accessibility principles, guidelines, and best practices. This includes raising awareness about the importance of accessibility and its impact on users with disabilities.

Accessibility Guidelines and Standards

We are incorporating accessibility standards and guidelines, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), into our design and development processes. These guidelines are becoming a central part of the workflow to ensure that accessibility considerations are addressed from the beginning of a project.

Accessibility Testing

We are integrating accessibility testing into the quality assurance process. This includes every solution we build, not just ones that explicitly require it. We are investigating the use of automated testing tools like Deque’s AxeTools API. We are also making sure to use manual testing methods and tools like WebAIM’s WAVE Evaluation Tool and Axe DevTools to assess the accessibility of our solutions and identify areas for improvement.

Inclusive Design Thinking

We are encouraging our designers and developers to adopt inclusive design thinking. This involves considering users' diverse needs from the outset and designing with empathy for people with disabilities.

Collaboration and Communication

We are making sure we try to foster collaboration between different teams within the agency, including designers, developers, content creators, and testers, to ensure that accessibility considerations are integrated across all stages of a project.

Accessible Documentation and Training

We are providing accessible documentation and training materials for employees to learn about accessibility requirements and how to implement them effectively in their work.

Client Education

While many clients are aware of accessibility requirements, we try to continue the education about the importance of that accessibility and advocate for the inclusion of accessibility features in their projects. Generally, we are helping clients understand the business case for accessibility and the benefits it can bring to their brand, reputation, and user base.

Continuous Improvement

We are implementing a process for continuous improvement by regularly evaluating and updating accessibility practices and standards based on feedback, new developments in accessibility technology, and changes in regulations.

By embedding accessibility into the workflow and culture at Acro, we are ensuring that accessibility is not treated as an afterthought but as an integral part of creating digital experiences that are usable and inclusive for all users. At the end of the day, every user of your website needs to experience your products and services in a way that works best for them depending on their individual needs. Making accessibility a priority ensures that and makes a superior customer experience happen seamlessly.