Asad Khan is the founder & CEO of LambdaTest, an AI-powered unified enterprise test execution cloud platform.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 16% of the world’s population has a disability—which means apps and websites must integrate special features like speech recognition, screen magnification, the right color contrasts and much more. The 2023-2024 State of Digital Accessibility Report by Level Access found that almost 72% of enterprises already have a digital accessibility policy in place, while 85% see it as a competitive advantage.
One way to validate accessibility is to focus on accessibility testing. This can ensure everyone is able to use the app/website, including folks with visual, audio, physical, neurological and cognitive issues.
Accessibility Testing For Achieving Digital Inclusion And Business Goals
According to a U.K.-based survey, 55% of consumers abandon purchases due to accessibility issues, leading to 120 billion pounds in lost sales. While accessibility testing can help in achieving user-friendly UX, it can also help businesses tap into markets, help with online rankings and build reputation. Let’s discuss how:
• Accessibility and UX go hand in hand. Accessibility testing is an important step to widen the user base and allow websites and apps to handle different disabilities for a better user experience. For example, screen reader compatibility and keyboard navigation are among the most important accessible features that make webpages easier to use for everyone.
• Digital inclusion beyond compliance. The concept of digital inclusion goes beyond ticking the legal checkboxes. With the European Accessibility Act (EAA) in the picture, it’s crucial for organizations—irrespective of their size—to create a more inclusive digital market where everyone can access and interact with online services. Accessibility testing becomes crucial to ensure compliance with the act and avoid potential penalties.
• Market expansion with accessibility. Apart from enhanced UX, accessibility testing can be a key to achieving brand credibility and market research. According to a Forrester report (via the Bureau of Internet Accessibility), accessibility and improvements yield $100 for every $1 spent. Ideally, by being accessible to 1.3 billion people worldwide, businesses can cater to a new customer base. Additionally, accessibility features like clear website structure and proper use of alt text can contribute to better SEO and online ranking.
Why Achieving Digital Inclusion Is So Tricky Sometimes
To achieve accessibility, there are set guidelines like Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 that developers and designers must follow. However, according to WebAIM, in 2021, 98% of websites did not conform to accessibility guidelines/legal standards.
First things first, accessibility could be treated as an afterthought, including by the dedicated accessibility teams following the design phase. It’s suggested to include the developers even in the design phase to avoid such critical scenarios.
Another roadblock could be that accessibility testing primarily relies on predefined guidelines and may overlook the nuances unique to various disabilities, resulting in a one-size-fits-all policy. Involving people with disabilities and understanding real-world perspectives throughout the testing process can further help the development and design teams come up with a personalized approach. Even in 2023, WebAIM found that across 1 million homepages, 49,991,225 distinct accessibility errors were detected—an average of 50 errors per page.
Last, but not least, with the continuous rise of web technologies like virtual reality, complex UI developers and testers must stay updated on the latest accessibility best practices. Further, it’s important to understand that websites with overly complex layouts, dense information and unclear instructions can pose significant barriers to understanding and navigation. While this may fascinate some users, it can be problematic for people with cognitive limitations.
Getting Started With Accessibility Testing
Organizations can easily perform accessibility testing on any of the tools available in the market. However, before even beginning the process, here are some of the points to consider for making the testing strategy a hit:
• Start small, but start now. Before starting, familiarize yourself with the WCAG guidelines, and keep yourself updated on the latest technologies and industry best practices.
• Befriend automated tools. Automated testing tools can save you a lot of time by identifying basic accessibility issues—missing alt text, funky color contrast or problems with keyboard navigation.
• Don’t forget about manual testing. While automated testing is an easier way out, it has its own limitations. Manual testing with assertive technologies like using screen readers and voice recognition software is crucial to understanding the challenges users with disabilities may face.
• Real people, real feedback. As already discussed, accessibility is incomplete without user testing. Try to include people with disabilities. Watch them interact with your product/website, listen to their feedback and improve accessibility.
How Global Players Are Achieving Digital Inclusion
When talking about accessibility and digital inclusion, some organizations have done it right and can be a great example for anyone starting with app/website accessibility.
For Netflix, accessibility has been a core principle. It made entertainment accessible to everyone by implementing features like audio descriptions and keyboard navigation to cater to viewers who are blind and/or visually impaired.
When BBC faced significant accessibility challenges with its online content, it revamped its content with audio descriptions and introduced sign language to make information accessible to all. Sky, a British telecommunications company, also implemented accessibility features like audio descriptions and subtitles for its TV services, as well as provided special services for users with dementia and priority fault repair for accessibility users.
Final Thoughts
It’s important to understand that accessibility testing is not a one-time fix for any website or app but a continuous process. The forthcoming EAA serves as a pivotal moment in prioritizing accessibility in tech. According to a 2024 WebAIM survey, 95.9% of homepages have detectable WCAG 2 failures, underscoring the ongoing need for improvement and vigilance in ensuring digital inclusivity. As tech advances, our dedication to accessibility ensures full digital inclusion for all.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
