Creating User Delight Through UX

European Accessibility Act (EAA): Why WCAG AA Isn’t Enough (https://lnkd.in/eHXE3YFK), a guide on why meeting WCAG standards alone doesn’t mean that digital products are compliant with EAA, and what EAA covers beyond the usual suspects. Put together by fine folks at Stark. WCAG guidelines focus on web content accessibility — color contrast, headings, navigation order, focus states, etc. It’s necessary, but not sufficient. The EAA adds requirements that go beyond the UI layer: 1. Interoperability with assistive technology 2. Third-party vendors, tools, services 3. Accessible support and cancellation flows 4. Conformance statements and technical docs 5. End-to-end usability (e.g. across devices, platforms) 6. Full-service accessibility (before, during, after) 7. Information delivery at every stage of use (e.g. emails). Frankly, it’s very difficult to imagine that an end-to-end accessible experience that covers the points above would emerge with a few accessibility-focused sprints running a few times a year. Yet in many organizations, accessibility initiatives are one-off efforts. As the time comes, there is a big effort to make digital products and services compliant, document these efforts and leave it be — until the next round of compliance work. Accessibility is treated as necessary work that must be done every now and again, rather than an ongoing investment and opportunity to reach wider audience. I love the point that organizations need to operationalize accessibility like they govern privacy and security. It requires people who enable and establish accessibility efforts, track their success and inform product development. It’s easier to achieve when it’s an ongoing effort, and when it involves a diverse group of users in research, design and testing. Accessibility never happens by accident. There must be a deliberate effort to make products and services more accessible. It doesn’t have to be challenging if it’s considered early. No digital product is neutral. Accessibility is a deliberate decision, and a commitment. Not only does it help everyone; it also shows what a company believes in and values. And once you do have a commitment, it will be so much easier to retain accessibility, rather than adding it last minute as a crutch — because that’s where it’s way too late to do it right, and way too expensive to make it well. And yet again, a kind word of support to everyone speaking for and supporting accessibility work, often with a lot of resistance, with very little budget and with a lot of care and persistence — to help people who often need help the most, and add benefits for everybody else. 👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾 Useful resources: The New European Accessibility Act (EAA), And What It Means For You https://lnkd.in/eH-5Q3Mr #ux #WebAccessibility

Drop the white. Your clean background is creating visual friction. We tend to equate pure white with professionalism. But for a massive part of your ecosystem, that stark background is not professional. It is a strobe light. I have posted about this before. The feedback from UX researchers, designers, and accessibility advocates helped expand this landscape significantly. The clinical reality is that high contrast drains executive function. You force users to burn cognitive fuel just to stabilize the image, leaving less fuel to actually understand the content. Here is an updated guide to cultivating visually accessible digital environments. 1/ The Strobe Light (Stark White) → The Code: #FFFFFF → The Issue: For the 14% of the population with Scotopic Sensitivity, high contrast black text on pure white causes text to vibrate. It acts as an optical strobe light, washing out the letters. → The Environment: Pair this stark hex code with harsh fluorescent office lighting, and you actively trigger visual migraines and severe optical drag. 2/ The Deep Shade (Pure Black) → The Code: #000000 → The Issue: Dark Mode is not a universal cure. For the 33% of people with astigmatism, pure black backgrounds cause halation. The text becomes fuzzy, bleeds into the dark, and forces the eyes to overwork just to focus. 3/ The Soft Sun (Optimal Contrast) → The Standard: The British Dyslexia Association explicitly recommends avoiding bright white. You want soft, not stark. → The Metric: Accessibility experts note that an ideal luminance contrast ratio sits between 7 to 1 and 15 to 1. Going over 15 to 1 becomes difficult to tolerate. 4/ The Solarized Upgrade → The Codes: Background FDF6E3 with Text 657B83. → The Science: Lowers contrast gain. It mimics reading on a sunny afternoon rather than staring into a flashlight. 5/ The Sepia Upgrade → The Code: Background F4ECD8. → The Science: Provides a cozy warmth that reduces blue light exposure and relaxes the ciliary muscles in the eye. 6/ The Cream Upgrade → The Codes: Background FFFFE5 or FAFAFA. → The Science: Replaces the harsh #FFFFFF and #000000 with a gentle off white. Reduces glare while preserving a familiar paper feel. This is a standard recommendation for dyslexic readers. 7/ Expanding the Ecosystem → The Goal: Normalize customization. The goal is never to force everyone into a sepia box. → The Practice: Build websites that respect custom user style sheets. Ensure your contrast choices do not break screen reader compatibility. Empower user agency so individuals can adjust the lighting for their own specific neurobiology. White space is important. But it does not have to be white. Check your recent slide deck or website. Are you planting visual friction, or are you cultivating flow?

Your brilliant content might be invisible to 1 in 4 people. Here's why: accessibility barriers are blocking your message from reaching its full audience. 8 ways to create content that works for everyone: Write tight, not long Skip the essay format. Get to your point quickly. Your readers will thank you. Emoji overload = audio chaos Screen readers turn your 🔥💯✨ into "fire hundred points symbol sparkles." Not fun to listen to. Colors that actually work Red text on green backgrounds? Invisible to 8% of men. Check your contrast before posting. Stick to standard formatting Fancy fonts and excessive styling create barriers. LinkedIn's default formatting exists for a reason. Videos need both sound AND text Captions help the hearing impaired. Clear audio helps those with visual challenges. Include both. Shorter posts win Aim for under 1,000 characters when possible. Easier to read, easier to process, easier to share. Hashtags done right Write #AccessibilityMatters not #accessibilitymatters. Capital letters help screen readers separate words. Describe your images Add alt text to every photo. "Team meeting" beats no description every time. The best part? These changes make your content better for everyone, not just those who need accessibility features. Ready to expand your reach? Start with one tip today. What accessibility tip will you try first? Share in the comments. #InclusiveDesign #DigitalAccessibility #AccessibleContent #InclusiveMarketing #WebAccessibility

Today our GOV.UK Design System team at the Government Digital Service have released important guidance to help service teams meet the new Web Content Accessibility Guidelines ("WCAG") 2.2. Unlike most industries, in government we don't get to choose our users: we build services for everyone in society, and often they need to use them at a time when they are most vulnerable and in need of support. We have a fundamental responsibility to remove any barriers we can to people accessing services on the web. "Thousands of government services will require WCAG 2.2 updates in 2024, so we've updated our design system to anticipate the needs of service teams across the UK public sector. The GOV.UK Design System provides teams with accessible code and important guidance for designing consistent, usable, and accessible services in the GOV.UK ecosystem." You can read more here, and please spread the word: you wouldn't design digital products without thinking about cyber security or availability. Accessibility should be baked into every product backlog and prioritised by everyone. https://lnkd.in/e9gCKjiQ (thanks to David Cox Calvin Lau Claire Ashworth and many others for their tireless work on this 🙏 )

1 in 6 people globally live with a disability. Add family members and caregivers, and the influence grows dramatically. This is one of the largest underserved consumer markets. Ask yourself: → Can someone use your website without a mouse? → Are your videos captioned? → Are your PDFs readable by screen readers? → Is your checkout usable without precise clicking? These details affect who can engage with your brand. The UK Click-Away Pound research found that 71% of consumers with disabilities leave websites that are hard to use. Inclusive campaigns deliver results too (study by Unstereotype Alliance, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, Unilever): → 62% likelihood of being a consumer’s first choice → 3.5% higher short-term sales and 16% higher long-term sales → 15% higher consumer loyalty Simple changes like adding keyboard navigation, captioning videos, making PDFs readable, and structuring your copy make things easier for everyone. Customers spend more time, make purchases more easily, and return more often. Run a basic accessibility check on your website. Review your video library for captions. Test your checkout with only a keyboard. Look at your PDFs through a screen reader. If you find gaps, fix them. If you’re not sure where to start, bring in expertise. Accessible marketing is good business. Companies that get this earn loyalty and stand out in the market. How easy is it for someone with a disability to buy from you? #AccessibleMarketing #DigitalAccessibility #CustomerExperience #DisabilityInclusion #DisabilityAwareness

The U.S. Department of Justice has found Oklahoma's Mobile ID app in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The app, which lets residents carry a digital version of their driver's license, has a critical accessibility flaw. https://lnkd.in/eeteRDyJ The issue? The app requires users to scan their face by following dots on the screen—a task impossible for blind users to complete. This oversight effectively blocks visually impaired residents from accessing this increasingly important digital service. Key takeaways: * Oklahoma's Mobile ID app is the only official mobile-based ID verification system in the state * The facial scanning system relies purely on visual cues, with no audio alternatives * The DOJ is requiring the state to make the app compliant with WCAG 2.1 A and AA standards This case highlights a crucial lesson: accessibility testing with actual users with disabilities during development could have prevented this issue entirely. As we move toward digital IDs, ensuring universal access isn't just good practice—it's a legal requirement. #Accessibility #DigitalInclusion #ADA #TechForAll #a11y #DigitalTransformation

One billion people experience disabilities.  As merchants, we talk about serving customers yet design systems that restrict many from even shopping.  This not only hampers sales but fails basic ethical standards. Common obstacles that lock out users:   - Tiny/low contrast text that visual disabilities cannot decipher - Pages without alt text descriptions excluding the visually impaired  - Keyboard limitations hampering those without touch capability The solutions exist through inclusive e-commerce design.  Optimizing for accessibility is proven to increase conversion rates while expanding market reach. Standards like WCAG outline the building blocks:  - Add explanatory alt text for images - Structure logical page layouts   - Ensure color contrast  - Allow keyboard navigation This should be table stakes, not a "nice-to-have."  Equity in commerce will become the next competitive frontier.

If you deal with digital accessibility in some way, you’ve probably seen this before. One audit looks at everything. Another samples “a few key pages”. A third claims conformance, but it’s not entirely clear how that conclusion was reached. The result is inconsistent outcomes, hard-to-compare reports, and confusion for teams who genuinely want to improve accessibility. This is exactly the reason WCAG-EM (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines – Evaluation Methodology) exists. And even better, it's being updated as we speak. So what is WCAG-EM, in plain terms? WCAG-EM is not a checklist on what to test and how, nor is it another version of WCAG. It’s a method for assessing accessibility in a structured, transparent and repeatable way. It answers a simple but important question: how do we assess accessibility properly, not just 'what do we check'? Why a methodology like this matters? Accessibility assessments not only require expertise, they also require structure. For me, WCAG-EM provides three key things. First, consistency. Different auditors, teams or suppliers should be able to follow the same approach, make similar decisions, and produce outcomes that are actually comparable. Without a shared method, accessibility becomes subjective very quickly. Second, clarity. WCAG-EM makes scope explicit. What's in, what's out, what was sampled, and why. You can tell exactly what's been looked at, and what's still outstanding. That clarity helps teams understand the findings, helps stakeholders trust the conclusions, and helps organisations explain and defend their decisions. And number three, efficiency. Often misunderstood, but you do not need to review every single page, screen or view of a product. WCAG-EM provides a structured way to explore a product, identify representative samples, and assess those samples in depth. Done well, this significantly reduces unnecessary effort, focuses attention on real risk, and makes accessibility work scalable. We're not cutting corners, but working intelligently. WCAG-EM was due an update to modern times and some simplification. The methodology now clearly applies to digital products more broadly, not just traditional websites. That includes apps, documents, kiosks and other platforms. Some general clean-up was done, making the method easier to apply consistently, and frankly readable! Accessibility work is increasingly cross-platform, large-scale, and spread across multiple teams and suppliers. In that context, how we assess matters just as much as what we find. WCAG-EM provides a shared base to work off, for quality, repeatability, timesavings, etc. It’s not the most visible part of accessibility work, but it’s a pretty fundamental one. WCAG-EM gives expertise a clear and consistent structure. Big thanks to Hidde de Vries, Jeroen Hulscher and Steven Faulkner for picking up the gauntlet on updating this one to the modern age!

Did you know that following WCAG to the letter still might not create a truly accessible experience? I see this all the time. A team runs their automated scans, fixes every violation, and checks "accessibility" off their project list. But then a real user with a disability tries to complete a task on their site and hits barriers that no compliance tool flagged. Here's what I've learned about the difference between compliance and true accessibility: Compliance asks: "Does this pass the test?" True accessibility asks: "Can everyone actually use this?" That might mean: • A form that's technically compliant but confusing to navigate with a screen reader. • A video player that meets contrast requirements but is impossible to control with voice commands. • A checkout process that passes automated scans but takes someone with cognitive disabilities 20 minutes to complete. Don't get me wrong - WCAG compliance matters. It's your foundation. But it's not your finish line. The gap between "technically accessible" and "actually usable" is where the real work happens. That's where you test with people who actually use assistive technology. That's where you ask hard questions about user experience, not just code compliance. True accessibility isn't about avoiding lawsuits (though that's important too). It's about respecting the civil right of equal access to information and services. It's about ensuring that anyone, regardless of ability, can interact with your digital spaces with dignity. Every barrier we remove opens a door. Every improvement you make could be the change that makes it possible for someone to apply for a job, access medical care, or get the help they need. WCAG is your starting point, not your finish line. True accessibility is about people, not just rules. #Accessibility #Inclusion

Keeping in view the compliance of directions of Supreme Court in Pragya Prasun/Amar Jain and Ors. vs Union of India, to make the process of digital KYC accessible to persons with disabilities, especially facial / eye disfigurements due to acid attacks and visual impairments, today Reserve Bank of India issued a circular to all regulated entity to comply with the direction of Apex Court. The summery of direction of Apex Court are as follow:   1) Audit by certified professional: REs must mandatorily undergo periodical accessibility audit by certified accessibility professionals and involve persons with blindness in user acceptance testing phase while designing any app or website or any new feature being launched. 2) Alternative modes for verifying liveness: REs to adopt & incorporate alternative modes for verifying the “liveness” or capturing a “live photograph” of the customers, as per MD on KYC, 2016, for the purpose of conducting Digital KYC / e-KYC beyond the traditional “blinking of eyes”. 3) Use of video-based KYC process or the “V-CIP”: REs to adopt video-based KYC process or the “V-CIP” for customer onboarding as per MD on KYC, 2016, wherein blinking of the eyes is not a mandatory requirement. 4) Modification in KYC Form: KYC Form need to capture disability type and percentage of the customer appropriately, so as provide them accessible services. 5) Capturing of Thum impression: REs to accept image of thumb impression during Digital KYC process. 6) OTP Based e-KYC: Res to enhance the implementation of the ‘OTP based e-KYC authentication’ (face-to-face) to customers. 7) Take care for visually/hearing impaired users :Option for sign language interpretation, closed captions, and audio descriptions need to be provided. Further, alternative formats including Braille, easy-to-read formats, voice-enabled services to be provided. 8) BIS Certified device: REs should use devices or websites / applications / software in compliance of accessibility standards for ICT Products and Services as notified by Bureau of Indian Standards. 9) Using of CKYCR: REs to use Central KYC Registry for KYC purposes. 10) Grievance redressal: Establish a dedicated grievance redressal mechanism for persons with disabilities to report accessibility issues. 11) Manual review of rejected cases: Review of all rejected KYC in cases where accessibility-related challenges prevent successful verification by human. 12) Dedicated helpline: Helplines for persons with disabilities, offering step-by-step assistance in completing the KYC process through voice or video support. 13) Awareness/training/notices:  REs to make awareness/notices regarding alternative methods of conducting Digital KYC / e-KYC including disability awareness and training modules as part of e-learning modules for officials/staff for better sensitization. A copy of the circular/direction issued along with complete order of Supreme Court is attached herewith for information of all.