With human rights equality being today’s top value, the word “accessible” may well stand for up-to-date, future-proof, civilized. Developed communities have long began emphasizing that it’s essential to make public accommodations convenient for everyone, no matter their abilities. And yep, the same concerns our digital presence.
A quick check. Suppose, you’ve had a chance to come across some lines on the WCAG and ADA compliant web design? At a guess, you did. The thing is, accessible web development is huge today. It becomes a sort of a business courtesy rule that’s here to stay, we should admit. So, good for you, we mean it. Cause now we’re going to have some fun on reasoning out why dealing with web accessibility services. Note, we help save you quite a buck up here. Have the guts to read the whole thing, it’s worth it.
1. Private Entities Are Also at Risk of WCAG-Related Litigations
Now let us see. You go “Accessible website design has nothing to do with me. Why fixing what’s not even broken?” Maybe you got the point. Still, though there is no definitive prescription for any business whatsoever, courts can widely reference the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, aka WCAG 2.1 AA.
Any day companies can get stuck with claims around the WCAG. By frequency, such cases smash other high-profile corporation battles, hands down. Why so? Our best guess is — no one’s looking to sue you to a total crash. It’s just that most businesses are kind of sitting ducks, always around to be hit with little effort. Meaning, you better watch out.
Img credit: National Post
Bad news if you won’t take it seriously. Once there’s a lawsuit on accessible website design compliance, chances are you’re toast, and that’s going to hurt. Still think it’s all nonsense? Around the world, lawyers spawn thousands of claims, and they do it with style. Whatever the industry or enterprise scale — from Target and Amazon to a small retailer next door — no one can escape from justice when it comes to ADA web design violations. Read on, let’s sort it all out.
2. Lawsuits for Inaccessible Web Design May Cost a Fortune
Know a thing or two about Target, the US retail giant? We bet you do. Ever heard that back then in 2006 the company was sued by a blind student for inaccessible website design? Not that ADA compliant website development was an established practice at that time, you know. Yet, after a two-year litigation, Target was to pay the National Federation of the Blind $6 million to settle the lawsuit. A teeny-tiny spending, not even worth making such a fuss about. Alright, slayed.
Now that the so-called accessible web development guardian printer is well-oiled enough to issue loads of claims, you may settle things with ADA compliant website design violations for some $5K. Reasonable, eh? Oh wait, that’s the starting point. You may still be the lucky one who’s to shell out up to $1M, as experts note. For the record, this doesn’t mean you’ll nail it all down once and for all.
Even if you end up resolving the case, you’re still obliged to ensure accessible website design, ASAP. And again, find the nerve to make continuous updates, tune-ups, and reskins to support WCAG compliance all the way through. Boring-boring. Apocalypse please.
3. Ignorance of ADA Web Development Principles Is No Excuse
Knock-knock. Who’s there? No, this isn’t Joker’s line from the recent movie. There’s a smiling plaintiff, and he’s about to throw at you a brand-new lawsuit for disobeying accessible web development standards. No sense to pretend you’re out to turn him away. “How dare you”, you’d probably quote Greta Tunberg. Hold tight. Whatever excuse you come up with, it will surely be labeled pathetic or inappropriate.
Say, you’ve failed to handle ADA compliant website development routines yet, because:
- a. You just got a couple of major business things to tie up first;
- b. You’re on it, last-minute patches are underway;
- c. Rushing off to find a trusted accessible web design company;
- d. Come again? Never heard this ADA compliant website development thing;
- e. You name it.
Toodles! Bad luck. Anyways, you’re sued. Curtains down, lights off.
4. Automated Tools for Accessible Web Design Audit Won’t Help Much
Okay, you got it, poker face won’t do any good. You googled for an easy way out, and — here you go — found a perfectly acceptable solution. Nice and affordable, just on fire — an automated scan. No need for ADA website compliance consultants, aren’t they a monumental heck of a waste?
Yet, once you test the waters with online digital accessibility services, you quickly discover that they aren’t about getting things done. They just give a snapshot of your website’s inconsistencies, with no attempt to fix them. Thanks cap, as if we didn’t know there must be something wrong.
Sure enough, the automated tools are good at setting the scene for further accessible web development activities. But they are no universal pill, unless you got an in-house ADA compliant website design team to recover the reported discrepancies in no time. Sigh.
5. Fair Play Builds Trust. In the End, It’s You Who Wins
Let us put it like this. Once ADA compliant website development becomes worldwide practice — from the US and Canada all the way to Europe and Asia — it can be considered more of a law than a vague prescription, if you will. Almost certainly, for quite some time you’ll make it to play the “catch me if you can” game. Still, you don’t get away with inaccessible web design for good. Unless you run like Usain Bolt.
Today’s global competition dictates: you’re either on track to be unapologetically legal, or you’re gone. Back to work, then. So, what it takes to ensure ADA compliant website design? Loosely speaking, first off mind your text — that will do nicely for a quick start. Sounds Trumpish, right? That’s not just a figure of speech though.
Given that to conform to the WCAG 2.1 AA, you are to meet 45 accessible web development criteria, the scope of work looks undoubtedly intense. Whatever. To escape immediate fate and show that you respect legal borders, a go-to lifehack is to ensure alt text for all of your website content and a ‘skip to main content’ link on your homepage. Pretty doable, isn’t it?
This is in no way a precision weapon. Yet, it makes lawyers think they’d file you on a better occasion. Safe and sound, you’ll keep un unwrecked reputation and win over some time for an end-to-end ADA compliant software development.
6. Accessible Website Design Improves SEO & Navigation
Now that you’re on your way to get ADA compliant website development going, you most certainly feel a sort of distressing suspense. You know, “the devil is in the detail” kind of thing. Instead, you can breath deep, as it’s not that much of a headache after all.
Therefore, here comes the part where we disentangle the mess behind the WCAG. Well, what’s in it for you in opting for ADA compliant web design? First and foremost, by getting your content structured with accessibility and logical reasoning in mind, you boost SEO immensely. Times as much as you used to have.
Made it to wrestle with closed captions for videos? Alt image attributes and well-thought linking challenge accepted? Nice job! Enjoy better user retention. Add to this a handful of hot bonuses your site gains via accessible web development by default:
- A convenient UI with quick onboarding elements;
- A responsive layout and neat graphics;
- Easy controls, seamless data input and navigation.
Now look at you. Well done! Under a series of accessible web design touches, user experience is getting just insane. Wave goodbye to the nasty bounce rate.
7. ADA Web Design Ensures Streamlined Client Base Growth
So long as people of all abilities can access your site nice and easy, it gives a good traffic rise on its own. What else is out there in plain view that helps you thrive on accessible website design? Also joining the list is a perfect interplay of quickly scannable headings (screen readers, remember?), simple input forms, and overall light-weight interface, which translates into blazing-fast page speed.
God bless accessible web development initiative, could a site run ever better? The claim is debatable. What if we’d show our extra care about users via a personalized 24/7 support? Sure enough, altogether this ADA compliant website design updates will add to client satisfaction, and, off the record, can result in an explosive customer and revenue growth.
8. Accessible Web Development Is a Key to Multi-Browser Support
Right off the bat, what is especially awesome about ADA compliant website design? By far the strongest advantage for people with disabilities is multi-browser support. If that works for you, we assume that here accessible website design starts sounding like a plan for a reason.
What you think are the chances that the elderly or disabled persons update their legacy software? Or, say, juggle browsers and platforms in the blink of an eye? Who said “next to zero”? Ace, you mister Federer. We believe the suggestion is true. Given that it’s the case, karma police will reward you for multi-browser compatibility, manyfold.
Again, ADA compliant website development isn’t all about forcing on you design features that either steal from UX or turn the UI into a Museum of National Ugliness. In a nutshell, it’s a win-win approach for you to gain wide audience trust.
9. Clean Code and Easy Maintenance Are the ADA Web Design Pillars
To err is human. Forget it. Lame its name. It’s okay until we are to fight all the tweaks and pains stemming from careless job, all for nothing. In this respect, you’ll appreciate yet another major upgrade for your site as accessible web development activities unfold. Meaning a clean and bug-free code, pleasure to deploy and maintain.
Yeah, we can pretty imagine how many times you facepalm on getting an app that cries going ashtray. ADA web development implies checking up every code bit — no “fake it till you make it” approach accepted. No spaghetti code, no bug floods upon functionality updates. No continuous refactoring, all-the-way fixing and patching drama.
Owing to accessible web design principles, you’ll get your software consistently tested. Manual and automated checks, screen readers — whatever’s needed to shake the bad maintenance headache. High five, then! Tons of man-hours saved.
10. An Expert Accessible Web Development Team Can Handle It All
Yeah, now we talk business. Here comes the very confusing moment when we boast being pretty good experts in ADA compliant web design and development, right. And guess what? That must be true after all. Don’t want your WCAG violations become yet another story for headlines? Ask our help, we’ll nail it all down. Unless it has to do with global warming or supermassive black holes. Though, this isn’t a dealbreaker either.
In a word, everything in between dissolving dark matter and spaceship engineering is no rocket science for us — we got your back. Yep, we’re perfectly human and informal when it comes to unraveling tricky things. It helps break the misunderstanding barrier. On getting to grips with your ADA web development projects, we’re uncompromisingly reasonable and serious. Okay, we still smile sometimes.
Hang On. A Hot Tip
Beware web accessibility consultants that promise to polish your site with all that WCAG splendor in a flash. You know, like dabbling with it a couple of days, and — voila — you look beyond that ADA compliant website development thing and get worried not ever again. Pure bluff. Same as swearing that on eating a burger you become American right away.
It doesn’t work like that in most cases. Meaning, it depends. As Socrates used to say, no haste upon web accessibility consulting — take your time guys, be tender (kidding again). Now, high time for a mic drop — off we go. PixelPlex WCAG Wizards Central stops talking and hugs you goodbye. You better hurry up to tell us about your tech challenge in the form below, and let’s call it a day.
