Designing experiences
for everyone

Creating products for all is at the heart of great design, and considering accessibility for users with disabilities results in better experiences for everyone.

Our team of UX pros and technical experts have a deep understanding of modern accessibility requirements and standards.

Best-in-class tools, up to date techniques and close collaboration between UX design and front-end engineering mean we conform to best practice guidelines with ease.

Accessibility means great design

We view accessibility as a set of design constraints, just the same as a budget, timeline or brand style guide. Boundaries like this help us to make the right thing for the people who’ll use it, and keeping to them makes our work better, not worse.

User centricity means considering every user, not just people with the same needs as us.

Accessibility vs usability

It’s understandable that there’s sometimes confusion around the difference between an accessible product and a usable one. There is significant overlap between usability and accessibility, and not always a clear distinction between them.

The following definitions are informed by w3.org and usablenet.com

• Accessibility is concerned with discriminatory aspects related to providing an equivalent experience for people with disabilities.

If a tool is accessible, it means that people with disabilities can equally perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with it. It also means that they can contribute equally without barriers.

• Usability refers to making a product that is satisfying, efficient and effective. It’s about quality of experience.

As a specialist UX design agency, we understand that the best digital tools are those which follow accessibility best practice as part of making them delightfully usable by all.

What counts as a disability?

It’s easy to immediately think of visual or motor disabilities when we think about accessibility, but it’s important to give equal weight to multiple, co-existing conditions and to permanent, temporary or situational disabilities.

• Having one arm is permanent.
• Having a broken arm is temporary.
• Holding a baby in one arm is situational

…but all of the above mean the user only has one hand available.

There are many, many possibilities that could affect how someone uses a digital product.

Why prioritise accessibility?

There are moral, financial and legal obligations for organisations to design inclusive experiences.

In the USA they’re at significant legal risk if they fail to meet requirements covered by The Americans with Disabilities Act (‘ADA’).

In the UK Public sector bodies have specific legal obligations to ensure their digital products adhere to the ‘POUR’ principles of being:

• perceivable
• operable
• understandable
• robust

Private organisations can (and have) fall foul of the Equality Act by failing to ‘provide a service’ to users with disabilities.

In the EU The Web Accessibility directive does a similar job.

A better digitally accessible experience equates to more revenue, happier customers, reduced legal risk and improved brand perception. Not only this, but it’s really the right thing to do.

Our own site

We work hard to practice what we preach, and make this site as accessible as can be, as well as the digital products we work on for clients.

Our stats and tools used:

• 100% WCAG 2.1 ‘A’ level (with 82%+ ‘AA’ level)
• 100% Lighthouse (the other one! 😉) audit
• Routine use of leading digital accessibility toolkit axe
• Screenreader testing with Orca

Accessibility audit

Do you need some help ensuring your organisation meets appropriate accessibility standards?

Perhaps you’re unsure about the level of accessibility you should be aiming at, or have specific areas of concern?

Our expert team are on your side, ready to evaluate your digital products, identify risk and show you the right path forward.

We can test a specific user flow or an entire suite of platforms, suggesting improvements based on your needs and the standard you aim to accomplish – including helping you to define that level.