From a child to an elderly person, everyone’s using some kind of app or website almost daily. The world is getting more and more digitized with every passing day. It is reasonable to think that soon everything will be done over the internet.
This digitalization brings up the topic of accessibility. There are billions of people with some sort of disability like visual or auditory impairments. Their impairments cause problems for them while trying to access normal digital content.
Hence, there is a need for accessibility maintenance for everyone. This article aims to explore the importance of accessibility testing services for modern websites and apps.
What is Accessibility?
Accessibility refers to the ability of the website to be easily operable by every user. In other words, if a website or application is accessible, it means that that website and all the digital content present over there can be accessed by anyone despite their abilities.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines have been written down as a standard for every website and application. These guidelines state the specific accessibility requirements. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are protected by law.
What are Accessibility Testing Services?
These are the dedicated companies working to test the accessibility level of the websites and applications. These accessibility testing solutions have the tools and offers to check whether websites and apps are complying with the level of accessibility stated by the WCAG Guidelines or not. One can contact these companies and get their digital content checked. If there's any fault found, one can get it fixed.
Importance of Accessibility Testing Services
Following are some of the main reasons why these solutions are crucial for modern websites and apps:
- Legal Requirements
As discussed above, ensuring accessibility of one’s website and applications is mandated by law. Accessibility testing companies offer valuable tools to check the accessibility level of a website. By getting the website and apps checked by accessibility testing solutions, one can fulfill such legal requirements if not fulfilled already.
- Avoiding Lawsuits
Since having accessible digital content for all is a legal requirement, class action lawsuits can be filed against apps and sites not complying with the guidelines. Hence, in a way, accessibility testing providers help avoid lawsuits and save money. Another important reason why businesses and corporations must be making use of these services.
- Enlarging Target Audience
There are over 2.2 billion people with some kind of visual impairment. This is a huge number for just one main type of disability. Making your digital content accessible to everyone including this 2.2 billion people is sure to enlarge the market reach. Accessibility testing services help in this enlargement of the target audience. Hence, it can be said that these services help profit the business as it enlarges the target population.
- Fostering an Inclusive Environment
Accessibility testing solutions give us a picture of the accessibility issues regarding the digital content present on our website and applications. As discussed before, there is a significant number of people who might not be able to access this content because of their disability. Denying them access to our website and application goes against our ethical duty. Making our website and apps accessible with the help of accessibility testing makes an inclusive environment for all.
- Ethical Duty
Apart from the legal requirements, it also stands to be our ethical duty to ensure the accessibility of our modern websites and applications. As a part of society, we must do our duty of including everyone and doing the right thing. And the right thing for a developer is to make the design accessible to all. Accessibility testing solutions make this happen. These keep a check on the development process and in a way, help in making a better society for all.
Contact us at www.acadecraft.com/contact-us/ to learn more about our Accessibility Testing Services.
- Making a name for yourself
After understanding the legal and ethical duties, accessibility testing help in the establishment of a brand too. These services help maintain the quality of content as one keeps checking their website or applications and making changes to adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Especially in an overcrowded market, being known as the better and more accessible application and website will help attract and retain the customer base.
- Making User Experience Better
It is understood that accessibility testing solutions help the disabled and the business. More than them, accessibility testing solutions help make the user interface simpler and the overall user experience better. The process and changes involved in making the websites and apps accessible are very fundamental changes to the UI of the system. These changes like proper color contrast, adding alt text for media, etc also enhance the usage experience of an average person.
Ending note
Hence, it can be said that accessibility testing services hold high value in today’s digital world. There are ethical, legal, and design requirements that are met with the help of accessibility testing solutions. There's no doubt that these accessibility testing solutions play a crucial role in the designing of modern user interfaces. Most of the modern applications and websites are being designed while keeping in mind the accessibility goals right from the start.
