Overview

Accessibility is about equitable access to products, services and environments. It considers the different ways people perceive information, understand it and interact with the world, and the barriers that can prevent them from participating.

In digital products, barriers can emerge in places that designers and developers may commonly overlook, or haven't adequately considered. For example; a form that can't be completed using a keyboard, text that becomes unreadable when enlarged, or an error message that relies entirely on colour.

Disability is central to accessibility, encompassing physical, sensory, cognitive and other experiences. Access needs can also be shaped by neurodivergence, including ADHD and dyslexia, ageing, temporary injuries and situational limitations. People's needs differ, and can change depending on their environment, the technology they're using and what they're trying to do.

The aim is to make products, services and environments accessible to as many people as possible by identifying and addressing barriers. Some are technical; others arise from design, language, content or assumptions about how people interact. Different access needs can require different approaches, and no single solution will work for everyone in every situation.

The problem with the 'default' user

A lot of the technology we use is designed around assumptions about the people using it. That they can see a screen, hear audio, use a mouse, read and process information in a particular way, or complete a task within a certain amount of time.

These assumptions often go unnoticed by the people making them. For someone who doesn't fit that imagined 'default' user, the consequences can be significant.

Consider how much of everyday life now depends on digital services. Banking, healthcare, education, employment and government services are increasingly accessed online. An inaccessible interface can prevent someone from completing an essential task, accessing information or participating independently.

Access needs change

Access needs can be permanent, temporary or situational. Someone recovering from an injury might be unable to use a mouse. A person in a noisy environment might rely on captions. Ageing can affect vision, hearing or dexterity. These experiences aren't interchangeable, but they show why designing for a narrow idea of ability leaves people out.

Accessibility isn't only relevant to people who currently identify as disabled. The term not yet disabled is sometimes used to challenge the assumption that disability is an exception to ordinary human experience, when that isn't the case. The reality is that our abilities and access needs can change throughout our lives, although not everyone experiences or understands disability in the same way.

The responsibility for addressing these barriers sits with the people and organisations creating the products and services.

In practice

Accessibility needs to be considered throughout the product development process. Decisions made during research, design, content development and engineering can all introduce barriers, sometimes without anyone realising.

For web content, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provide an internationally recognised standard for evaluating accessibility.[1]

Accessibility testing against WCAG can involve automated checks, manual evaluation, assistive technology testing and research with people with disabilities.[2] Each can reveal different problems. Getting green checkmarks on a WCAG audit doesn’t automatically mean your product or service is accessible - but it’s a good baseline.

Ideally, accessibility is considered from the beginning of a project. The easiest way to ensure accessible products is to involve people of diverse backgrounds and abilities in creating them, not just asking them to validate decisions that have already been made.

Considerations

Accessibility and usability aren't interchangeable

An interface can meet accessibility requirements and still be confusing or frustrating to use. Likewise, a product that performs well in usability testing with one group of participants may remain inaccessible to others.

Accessibility and usability overlap, but they address different questions. Both need attention.

Meeting a standard doesn't guarantee accessibility for everyone

WCAG is an important reference for digital accessibility, but conformance doesn't mean that every person, with every disability, will be able to use a product successfully.

Standards provide a shared set of requirements. Real-world accessibility also depends on context, implementation and individual needs.

Automated testing has limits

Automated tools are useful for detecting certain problems, such as missing accessible names or insufficient colour contrast.

They can't reliably determine whether an experience makes sense, whether instructions are understandable or whether someone can complete a task using their preferred assistive technology.

Manual evaluation and testing with people remain important.

Access needs aren't uniform

People with similar disabilities or access needs may use technology in different ways. Their preferences, experience, environment and available technologies all matter.

Research involving people with disabilities should reflect that diversity wherever possible, rather than treating one person's experience as representative of an entire community.

Accessibility is an ongoing responsibility

Products change. New features are introduced, content is updated and technologies evolve.

Accessibility needs to remain part of the way a product is maintained and improved. A successful audit at one point in time doesn't guarantee that the product will remain accessible.