Accessibility – Vital UX Factor

Accessibility is practiced to make Product or App/Website more usable for a wider range of people.

Accessibility is not Usability. They are two very different things. Usability refers to how easily a user can interact however accessibility focuses much upon how many different types of users can make use. Usability can be a subset of Accessibility as a user should be able to access the product first and then comes how easily he can play around – which is of course Usability.

Accessibility focuses on 3 primary segments –

Differently-abled people –

According to W.H.O, 246 million people are visually impaired (not blind) and 466 million people suffer from hearing loss. Experiences should be designed keeping these people in mind.

People from multiple devices –

According to Smart Insights, 80% of internet users own a smartphone. Users can’t carry desktops everywhere, they need a mobile-oriented design. It includes more focus on mobile apps and RWD or Adaptive Design.

GeoLocations and Beliefs –

Different people have different faiths. People from different regions have their own choice of language and preferences. It also needs to be considered, to create more accessibility rich experience for the people.

Accessibility is a vital asset for rich user experience. One should leverage it to target more people.