The Business Case for Accessible Web Design
At Tag2, accessibility is considered to be a fundamental aspect of Web site design and generally adds only a small margin to the overall cost when building from scratch. Not building in accessibility from the off can lead to an expensive and often painful re-build later on.
Increased Market Share and Audience Reach
An accessible Web site helps expand markets to people with disabilities as well as people using older browsers, none standard browsers, new technologies such as mobile phoes and PDAs and different platforms.
Well over 10 per cent of the population of the UK have some form of disability. That means at least one in four of your customers either has a disability, or is close to someone who has (source: Employers Forum on Disability). People with disabilities have friends and relatives who have the potential to become a network for positive (or negative) ”word of mouth” advertising.
In only a few years the increasing elderly community has the potential to comprise 40 per cent of the overall population. This audience with accessibility needs will constitute a major community with significant spending power and influence. (Source: Employers Forum on Disability).
Improved Usability
A good level of accessibility can significantly enhance the usability of a Web site by:
- Providing clear & consistent navigation.
- Providing understandable and clear content.
The easier someone finds the experience of visiting a Web site, the more likely they are to become both a customer and an advocate. It will also improve the efficiency of the time people spend on a site and their ability to complete tasks such as purchasing products.
Greater Compatibility and Future Proofing
Following standards & accessibility guidelines allows sites to “degrade gracefully” as they will remain readable and accessible as browsers and web standards change. Another major benefit is increased compatibility across different browsers, platforms and devices.
Facts and Figures
Below are some facts and figures regarding disabilities correct at the time of publishing:
- 59 million - The population of the United Kingdom (source: ONS).
- 8.5 million - People with some form of disability in the UK (source: ONS).
- 2 million - The number of people with sight problems (source: RNIB).
- £40-50 billion - The combined estimated spending power of disabled people (source: Employers Forum on Disability).