Building Accessibility into Your Product from Day One
In my years as a product owner, I've learned that true innovation isn't just about cutting-edge features or sleek designs—it's about creating products that everyone can use and enjoy. This is where accessibility comes in, and I've come to believe that it should be a fundamental consideration from day one of product development.
The Email That Changed Everything
I'll admit, accessibility wasn't always at the forefront of my mind when starting new projects. Like many in the industry, I once viewed it as a 'nice-to-have' feature, something to be tacked on later if time and budget allowed. A project I worked on early in my career changed that perspective entirely.
We had just launched a new digital service that we were incredibly proud of. The interface was sleek, the features were innovative, and initial user feedback was positive. Then we received an email from a user with visual impairments who found our product completely unusable. It was a wake-up call that made me realize we weren't serving all our users equally.
Accessibility: Not an Afterthought, But a Foundation
From that point on, I made a commitment to "shift left" on accessibility—to consider it from the very beginning of the development process rather than as an afterthought. This approach has not only made our products more inclusive but has often led to innovations that benefit all users.
For instance, when we rebuilt our onboarding process with accessibility in mind, we ended up with a cleaner, more intuitive flow that all users appreciated. Features like clear heading structures and descriptive button labels, initially implemented for screen reader compatibility, ended up improving navigation for everyone.
Beyond Ethics: The Strategic Advantage of Inclusivity
Beyond the ethical imperative, I've found that there's a strong business case for accessibility. By making our products accessible, we're not just doing the right thing—we're expanding our potential user base and often meeting legal requirements in the process.
In one project, our commitment to accessibility opened up opportunities in the public sector, where strict accessibility guidelines are often a prerequisite for contracts. What started as an effort to be more inclusive ended up significantly expanding our market reach.
From Day One: Practical Steps to Accessible Development
So, how do we actually implement accessibility from day one? Here are some strategies I've found effective:
Educate the Team: Make sure everyone, from designers to developers, understands the importance of accessibility and basic principles.
Include Accessibility in User Stories: Make it a habit to consider accessibility implications for each feature during planning.
Choose Accessible Tools: Select development frameworks and tools that support accessibility features out of the box.
Test Early and Often: Incorporate accessibility testing into your regular QA process, including automated tools and manual testing with assistive technologies.
Seek Diverse Input: Engage with users who have different abilities throughout your development process.
Accessibility: A Catalyst for Innovation
Building accessibility into your product from day one doesn't mean you'll get everything perfect immediately. It's an ongoing process of learning, testing, and refining. But by making it a priority from the start, you create a foundation for a more inclusive and ultimately more successful product.
In my experience, teams that embrace accessibility as a core principle often find themselves building better products overall. They think more deeply about user interactions, write cleaner code, and create more intuitive interfaces.
As we continue to push the boundaries of digital innovation, let's ensure we're creating a future that's accessible to everyone. After all, the best products aren't just used—they're used by everyone.