Accessibility and Inclusivity - Best Practices in Website Builder Development

Many people in the tech and design industries are familiar with accessibility and inclusivity, but fewer know about the differences between them. While the terms are similar and overlap, there are a few key distinctions that make all the difference.

Both accessibility and inclusion help create digital experiences that are usable by everyone. But while accessibility focuses on technical compliance with WCAG standards, inclusive design goes much further. Inclusion is a deeper, more socially responsible approach to making sure all users feel welcome at the table — metaphorically speaking — and can access all the content, products and services your brand offers.

In other words, inclusivity requires your company to be open and receptive to all sorts of different opinions, needs and desires of your audience. It’s a bigger picture than just complying with a set of rules, and it translates into your company culture, hiring practices, design principles and other business processes.

One of the most common ways that companies miss out on opportunities to be truly inclusive is by not incorporating accessibility and inclusion into their entire company culture, rather than simply ticking boxes for compliance purposes. This is a big mistake because when brands embrace inclusivity as part of their core values, they’re showing that they care about the people who use and interact with their product. And that matters a lot to consumers. In fact, according to Forrester’s 2021 Global Trust Imperative report, 78% of people in the US choose brands that align with their values and are open to hearing and listening to a wide range of viewpoints.

To implement an inclusive mindset into your organization, start by bringing diverse voices and perspectives into your team. Hire and train employees from a range of identities, genders, races, and religions. Enlist them to conduct research, use personas and empathy maps, write usability guidelines, outline user flows and test your designs. This will ensure that your work is informed by the unique experiences, challenges and opportunities of all kinds of people — including those with disabilities.

The most practical way to incorporate inclusivity into your work is to include accessibility in your development process. For example, use semantic markup to make it easier for assistive technologies to read your web pages. And be sure to avoid design elements that make your page harder to navigate, such as image- heavy websites that aren’t accessible to screen readers or loud animations that can overstimulate users with sensory impairments.

Of course, it’s impossible to cater to every possible need and desire of your audience in every experience you produce. However, it’s also not unreasonable to assume that you’re not doing enough for some groups of people if you’re not thinking about their needs. Inclusion is a process, not a destination, and it’s a great way to ensure that your digital experiences are as universally applicable as possible.

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