Good things come in threes.
At AccessPoint we believe that accessibility is not only compatible with a quality user experience, but also complementary. Not only this, but accessible designs with a thoughtful UX also help produce a more sustainable experience for your business and your clients, here’s why:
UX and accessibility
Lets start with a topic we’ve already covered in previous articles; the overlap between good UX design and accessible design. To put this simply, building a more accessible experience also means implementing principles of universal design that improve usability for all of your users. A streamlined and clear user pathway helps to accomplish both of these goals simultaneously, as users are connected immediately with the information most useful to their visit. A rational and logical information architecture and display of content helps you build an experience that no only improves the user experience, but also directly helps disabled users engage with your organisation. A great “real world” analogy is that of curb ramps, which are initially installed for wheelchair users, but greatly appreciated by those using bicycles, prams, and shopping carts.
Accessibility and sustainability
How does a more accessible digital experience help create a more sustainable website? For those seeking to build a more environmentally sustainable digital experience, the key metric is that of time. The longer and harder it is for a user to find what they need, the more energy and resources are needlessly wasted. Accessible websites directly contribute to a reduced time on task for disabled users, with significant savings of both time and energy as a result. Other details of accessible design can reduce your website’s carbon footprint: A high-contrast colour palette, for instance, can allow users to read information without raising their screen brightness, improving the sustainability of your platform.
Sustainability and UX
Designing a great user experience means thinking over a long time horizon. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that this dovetails perfectly with a sustainable approach to production and consumption. A well designed website will require less frequent maintenance work, and will streamline user flows to reduce unnecessary time spent loitering on your platform. Through the early rationalisation of information architecture, clever UX can also minimise the amount of time needed to build a perfect web solution, hence bringing down the financial and environmental cost of producing your website.
When it comes to building quality, sustainable and accessible user experiences, we can have our cake and eat it too. By embracing the synergy between these different design approaches, we can find win-win solutions that provide value to every stakeholder.