Inclusiveness and diversity are core requirements when designing and creating a digital software solution. No matter the age, geographical location, languages spoken, technical and physical limitations/abilities, every user expects a product to be accessible. That means ensuring the basic level of inclusivity and accessibility when designing a product’s UX/UI is a must.
Established and major firms like Google, Apple, and Microsoft design and create their products based on inclusive and accessible design principles. The amount of cases filed against inaccessible web applications and sites is on the rise. This proves that inclusivity and accessibility aren’t just a trend. They’re a necessity for a UX agency and any other digital business.
This article discusses how UX agencies are making technology accessible. Let’s read on to unearth more.
Accessibility in UX: What is it?
When creating a new web application or website, the user experience and user interface are hugely considered. The web user interacts with the UI, which includes the design and visual layout of the web pages. How the user feels is the UX. It impacts the overall experience of the user with a digital product, or brand.
Designers need to think about how the user will behave. Also, they need to consider how the design will support behaviour of users when designing a user interface. It’s the designer’s responsibility to ensure that users will have an enjoyable experience. An experience that is intuitive and friendly to everyone regardless of their technical and physical limitations/abilities.
Web application and website accessibility is a vital part of this process. Designing and creating a website that is straightforward to use supports an excellent experience. However, not every user has the same capabilities. That is where accessibility in the user interface comes in.
It involves recognising different abilities and taking into consideration whether an application will be friendly and work for any user. This includes deeply thinking about what needs to be done to ensure it is usable by individuals with different disabilities, including those with challenges like:
- Literacy
- Language
- Cognitive
- Physical
If such users cannot access and consume the content on your web application, website or mobile app, it’ll massively affect the quality of their overall experience.
How UX Agencies are Making Technology Accessible
In order to understand how UX agencies are making technology accessible, you must identify the various types of disabilities available. Various permanent and temporary disabilities exist. These disabilities make users face different challenges.
UX agencies and application developers look for different ways to offer solutions to these challenges. To provide the same user experience to everyone, your digital solutions need to address the challenges that these disabilities present.
Cognitive Disabilities
Your application needs to accommodate users with learning disabilities, ADHD, Down syndrome and dyslexia. Also, it should support those with other cognitive disabilities, including those that occur when users become older.
Users with these disabilities will benefit massively from a consistent UI and clear content. That means your UI designers and developers need to create a logical interface and organise your content using headings to easily identify parts. A logical interface usually features:
- The same colour for similar actions
- Simple animations
- A combination of fonts
- Visual hints when asked to participate
Motor Disabilities
Users with these disabilities may be temporarily or permanently unable to use a trackpad or mouse. That means they can only use a keyboard to browse a web app, pressing the “arrow” or “tab” keys. Ensure your application can be experienced fully using a keyboard.
This is one of the cheapest and easiest features that UX designers and app developers can implement in application accessibility. The applications and browsers automatically choose clickable items on a page by simply engaging the TAB button. This greatly helps with accessibility.
Sensory Disabilities
Hearing and sight problems are common sensory disabilities. However, several other disabilities are also affected, including:
- Seniors
- Autistic users
- Those who’re hard of hearing or colour blind
Video captioning and text transcripts offer the perfect way to solve accessibility problems for users with hearing disabilities. These solutions are ideal for the deaf and useful for the hearing.
Contrasting colours (background and text) are the perfect solution for users who are colour blind, or suffering from a migraine. Every user will benefit from huge, relative font sizes and the option to change the size. Senior users will especially appreciate this key feature.
Final Remarks
Irrespective of their abilities, you need to create an application or website that is accessible to all users. An application that is accessible to everyone will help increase traffic and consumer loyalty and offer an excellent user experience (UX). Also, designing for accessibility is the right way to present your application. It offers an opportunity to enhance the lives of those with disabilities.
Accessibility is becoming increasingly important in web app development. Businesses that prioritise it can avoid compliance risks and stay ahead of others. So, partner with a design agency that allows you to design for accessibility and develop an application or website that is for everyone.
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