Accessibility has become a fundamental aspect of digitalization and of the design of technological solutions. Companies have to be sure that their products and services are accessible to everyone, independently from their abilities. Let’s explore together, in this article, the necessity of accessibility in the design of technological solutions, and how one can create inclusive experiences.
Understanding the needs of users with disabilities
By accessibility we mean the ability of IT systems to provide services and information that can be used, without discrimination, even by those who, due to disabilities, require assistive technologies or particular configurations. To design really inclusive technological solutions, you need, first of all, to understand the needs and the challenges of people with disabilities. In this definition one should include not only physical disabilities, but also neurological and cognitive ones. It is paramount to involve the users in the designing process, to make sure that the solutions really respond to their needs.
Accessible Design’s principles for digitalization
These principles provide guidelines to create technological solutions in digitalization that keeps accessibility in mind . Some examples are:
- Ensure good contrast between background and text
- Allowing the functionalities to be accessible ven through the keyboard
- Use visual, audio, and tactile cues to guide the user through the experience
- Offer options to customize the user interface, such as text dimension, color contrast and alternative input modalities, to adapt to diverse users’ needs
- Simplify the interface’s flow and reduce the number of actions required to complete common activities
Accessibility integration strategies for accessibility
There are some practical strategies that one can adapt to integrate accessibility in your own digitalization solutions. For example there are instruments and resources that allow you to evaluate the accessibility of the solution during the development process, or the implementation of specific design characteristics, like alternative text for the images and the right structuring of the content.
Accessibility’s advantages for all users in digitalization
Accessibility in digitalization improves the experience not only for users with disabilities, but for everyone. Accessibility should be part of the development and design strategy, since it promotes inclusion and allows us to build a digital world that is fair and accessible for everyone.
It is crucial to keep educating and raising awareness about accessibility: only this way we can achieve an inclusive and welcoming digital environment.