Why you should think about accessibility?

There are many reasons why you should think about accessibility.

First of all - to make your webpage/product available for everyone. There are many people who use the computer in a different way than the majority of us. People with vision, motion, cognitive and other disabilities very often use special supportive tools to read and navigate through web pages. Examples are screen readers, voice browsers, special keyboards, touchpoints, etc. But also so simple tools like zooming in the browser are also connected with accessibility - they help e.g. older people with some vision deficiencies.

The second group of users with additional needs are people who have temporary problems and have to a11y support just for a few weeks. An example can be a person with a broken arm. They don't buy special equipment but may struggle with using the typical computer mouse and keyboard. Similar problems will have a person after cataract surgery - being blind for a few days.

Another reason can be improving experiences for all your users - also people without disabilities. The clear, well-structured, and well-organized webpage is easier to understand for everyone and provides better effects (e.g. more users who buy in your shop). A good example can be here e.g. providing subtitles for the movies. It helps not only people who can't hear but also those who listen to a recording in their second language, are in a loud place without earphones or are just tired.

The next reason is the law. More and more countries are introducing special acts to require full accessibility of web pages in the public sector. When your web page doesn't meet the criteria you cannot sell your product e.g. to schools or you may expect fines. Not the best situation.

Last but not the least - accessible pages are better positioned in Google. And let's be honest - it's a super important factor to reach your audience!

I hope, you know now why accessibility is so important. Having that in the mind, let's learn how to improve a11y in your products.