Customer inclusiveness and website accessibility are essential to building the most up-to-date user experience (UX) frameworks.
According to marketing agency 829 Studios, inclusivity in web design is not just a trend; it is a necessity. Seventy percent of web users say they would leave a website that is not built for accessibility.
The key to successful website design, particularly for e-commerce and brand-focused businesses, hinges on maximizing user experience. In UX design, digital diversity involves creating services and experiences that address the needs and perspectives of a broad range of users.
An accessible design meets the needs of people with disabilities, explained Bob Goodman, strategy and UX director at 829 Studios. He has over two decades of experience guiding companies to achieve this goal.
Goodman advocates designing websites around accessibility, trust, and diversity. Accessibility shows commitment to ensuring that all users can navigate and interact with the site regardless of their abilities.
When users see that a brand values diversity and has made an effort to be inclusive, prospects and customers tend to appreciate the care taken to avoid excluding them. This approach can help foster a sense of belonging, respect, and trust, he noted.
“Inclusion and accessibility together are the digital equivalent of what in areas of architecture and the physical world is called universal design,” Goodman told CRM Buyer. “However, when the experience creates functional or cultural barriers, that represents a mismatch between the user and the experience that can wind up excluding them.”
Blend Inclusive Content and Imagery in Web Design
From an inclusion perspective, a site’s content and imagery can go a long way toward being inclusive, representing a broad array of images, backgrounds, and ages related to the target market.
Bob Goodman, 829 Studios
Strategy and UX Director
Goodman offered a high-profile example: the digital experience built into the global marketing promotion of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty.
The central idea is to celebrate body positivity and self-esteem by featuring women of all shapes, sizes, ages, and ethnicities. This approach moves away from the stereotypical, narrow ideas of beauty. These initiatives benefit from an inclusive voice and tone style guide and global image repository.
From an accessibility view, research shows that accessible design practices also benefit people without disabilities across various settings. For instance, closed captions that benefit people who are hard of hearing also help those watching a movie with the sound off or in a public setting where the audio is hard to hear.
Another example is the curb-cut effect. The recessed areas benefit wheelchair users, parents with baby strollers, and bike riders, he noted.
Build Better UX by Embracing Digital Diversity
Goodman shared that understanding the diverse needs of users can be challenging in UX design, as it involves working and thinking outside of people’s limited direct frame of reference. Designers must incorporate research, data, and insights into a wide array of differences, including reducing unconscious bias and stereotypes.
Three elements weave a connecting thread to build more effective customer experiences:
- Broad reach targets a diverse audience so businesses can attract and retain a wider user base.
- Ethical responsibility ensures that digital products and services are inclusive and accessible, demonstrating a commitment to social responsibility.
- Compliance with two industry standards closes the loop in providing acceptable customer experiences with the website.
Site designers should strive for at least Level AA compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). It’s an accepted benchmark for ensuring compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act’s digital accessibility requirements.
Following the POUR Principles of Accessibility is also crucial. These form the pillars of user experience — perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust — on which WCAG guidelines are based.
For instance, features are correctly labeled at the development level so that assistive technology and screen readers can guide vision-impaired users. Videos include closed captions and transcripts for deaf users, and colors meet contrast standards for those with low vision. Additionally, front-end code supports keyboard controls for users with motor disabilities.
“Upfront user research, as well as ongoing customer feedback, helps make sure that the experience is well-matched to a wide variety of user needs,” said Goodman.
For accessibility, it is crucial to run comprehensive accessibility audits and conduct initial testing early in the process. Designers must then retest as sites and experiences evolve, and they add new features.
Understanding User Barriers To Improve UX Design
Goodman urged brands to regularly engage with data that helps them imagine themselves in users’ shoes through testing and ongoing user feedback. Understanding the barriers some people face without firsthand experience is challenging.
He recommended using the System Usability Scale (SUS), a 10-item questionnaire that offers a quick, cost-effective, yet accurate way to evaluate a site’s usability.
In Goodman’s work with various companies, he conducted tests to simulate the experience of using a website with a hearing impairment or disability. The exercises made a lasting impact on his team.
“It inspired us to integrate inclusivity deeper into our processes. By staying mindful, actively seeking feedback, and being open to making adjustments, brands can ensure they are doing their best to create a digitally diverse online environment,” he revealed.
Goodman follows what he calls the “5Ds” design process, which is applied across the phases of Discovery, Definition, Design, Development, and Delivery. This method spans site experience strategy, an inclusive approach upstream, including research and user testing, and the development process downstream, including accessibility practices.
“We have also built our own design system in both Figma [a collaborative design tool] and content management systems, allowing us to use pre-made components with accessibility standards built into them,” he added.
Digital Presence Top Priority for All Businesses
Today’s technology has many proven methods for delivering inclusive and accessible experiences. End-to-end customer experience includes every touchpoint along a journey, including voice-based experiences and multi-modal conversational experiences such as chatbots and SMS support.
“The dual facets of inclusivity and accessibility are highly achievable. However, they require investment, expertise, and planning across discovery, development, and operational life cycles,” encouraged Goodman.
They are important for all businesses. For example, 829 Studios recently partnered with a health care client to help older adults navigate insurance benefits and community services that match their care needs.
Considerable research data shows that older adults are less comfortable, familiar, and proficient with gesture-based UI and swipe gestures. Making navigational gestures can also pose physical motor skill challenges. Gestures can end up excluding older users from digital tech that could benefit them.
“For this reason, we pre-tested the experience with an older audience to make sure that the design included them and allowed them to easily achieve all of the top tasks on offer. Additionally, we made sure to feature imagery that portrayed older people in a positive light, alert and enjoying themselves,” he concluded.
