{"id":42972,"date":"2021-11-19T10:38:40","date_gmt":"2021-11-19T15:38:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?post_type=emagazine&p=42972"},"modified":"2022-07-27T07:26:44","modified_gmt":"2022-07-27T11:26:44","slug":"accessibility-advice-leading-companies","status":"publish","type":"emagazine","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/accessibility-advice-leading-companies\/42972\/","title":{"rendered":"How tech’s brightest stars are putting accessibility first"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today, tech firms are starting to realize it\u2019s good for business if their technology is accessible to all users, whether disabled or non-disabled. But knowing that accessibility matters \u2013 and making it a core business priority in actions as well as words \u2013 are different things.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been speaking with two companies celebrated for putting accessibility first in product design \u2013 fast-growing accounting software business Xero<\/a> and accessible app and software designers Axess Lab<\/a>. I also spoke with Siteimprove \u2013 a company making software that helps businesses catch and fix website accessibility problems<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAccessibility is important because customers are at the center of everything we do,\u201d says Laila Coulton, Head of Digital Accessibility at Xero. \u201cOur culture values diversity and inclusion. We want to make a difference by championing these values within our sector and the broader community. As a large tech company, we believe it\u2019s our obligation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hampus Sethfors, Co-founder and Accessibility and User Experience Specialist at Axess Lab, thinks similarly. \u201cI see it as being on the right side of history. People with disabilities have been excluded and discriminated against. It\u2019s time humankind stepped up. Making the digital space inclusive is a huge part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sethfors believes improved accessibility for disabled people benefits all users. \u201cI\u2019ve got a baby at home and constantly find myself one-handed, lacking time and lacking sleep. Building products that work for people with impairments is a way to build awesome products for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\t\t\t

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Healthcare tech that everyone can use<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Accessible health<\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/header>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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How healthcare businesses can make their tech more accessible.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\tRead more<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n

How common are accessibility problems?<\/h2>\n

Axess Lab examined digital products like banking apps, online shopping sites and food delivery apps<\/a> to find out if disabled users can complete routine tasks. They\u2019ve found problems so widespread that, more often than not, web users with disabilities simply can\u2019t use them.<\/p>\n

Most digital products have serious accessibility issues. We\u2019ve tested many online shopping sites with assistive technology users, for instance, blind people. The user commonly can\u2019t make a purchase. It\u2019s frustrating for them, and lost business for the company.<\/p>\n

Hampus Sethfors, Co-founder and accessibility specialist, Axess Lab<\/p><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n

Sethfors thinks one of the main reasons behind this is that software engineering and web designer education rarely includes practical accessibility skills or knowledge. \u201cToo few tech professionals have accessibility training. If you\u2019re trained, accessibility is little or no extra effort. Picking colors with enough contrast doesn\u2019t take longer than picking colors that contrast poorly<\/a> \u2013 you just need to know how.\u201d<\/p>\n

Accessibility, usability or both?<\/h2>\n

Some use terms like accessibility and usability interchangeably. But are they the same thing?<\/p>\n

Coulton of Xero says, \u201cThe two are intertwined. I challenge my teams to start with usability rather than ticking off accessibility compliance criteria. The focus should always be on the user experience. Accessibility is making sure as many people as possible enjoy those usable experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sethfors points out, \u201cIf your product is only usable for some, it should be called Some User\u2019s Experience, or SUX, as Ubisoft accessibility specialist Billy Gregory tweeted<\/a>. Usability is more than accessibility, but a product can\u2019t be usable unless it\u2019s accessible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Accessibility can mesh well with security and affordability too. Take, for example, Motorica<\/a>, who work with prosthesis users to create high-tech, secure and affordable artificial limbs. Kaspersky helps Motorica make sure its prostheses are safe from cyber-intrusion.<\/p>\n