What is accessible design?
An accessible design prioritizes usability and inclusivity for individuals with disabilities. It ensures that all users, regardless of their abilities, can interact with digital products effectively.
How it helps the organisation
Incorporating accessible design principles into a design system offers several valuable benefits to an organization. Here's how an accessible design in a design system can help the organization:
Inclusivity and Diversity: An accessible design ensures that your products and services are usable by a wider range of individuals, including those with disabilities. This demonstrates your commitment to inclusivity and diversity, aligning with social responsibility and ethical values.
- Expanded User Base: By catering to users with disabilities, you tap into an underserved market segment. This can lead to increased adoption and usage of your products, expanding your user base and potential revenue.
- Compliance and Risk Mitigation:Incorporating accessible design helps your organization meet legal and regulatory requirements related to accessibility standards. This reduces the risk of legal issues, fines, and negative publicity due to non-compliance.
- Positive Brand Image:An organization that prioritizes accessible design enhances its brand image as a socially conscious and user-centric entity. This can lead to positive associations, customer loyalty, and improved reputation.
- Consistency and Efficiency: A design system with accessible components ensures consistent application of accessibility standards across various products and interfaces. This streamlines design and development processes, reduces redundancies, and improves efficiency.
- Cost Savings:Addressing accessibility early in the design process can reduce the need for costly retrofits later. It also helps prevent user errors, reducing customer support inquiries and associated expenses.
- Faster Development: Accessible design components within a design system are pre-built and tested, accelerating the development process. Developers can focus on implementing components without needing to address accessibility concerns from scratch.
- Collaboration and Communication:A design system with accessible design guidelines fosters better communication and collaboration among design and development teams. Everyone works from a common set of standards, leading to smoother handoffs and reduced misinterpretations.
- Efficient Scaling:As your organization grows and introduces new products or features, an accessible design system ensures a consistent approach to accessibility across these expansions. This scalability helps maintain a high level of user experience across all touchpoints.
- Customer Loyalty:Users appreciate products that are easy to use and considerate of their needs. A positive user experience fosters customer loyalty, repeat business, and positive word-of-mouth recommendations.
- Innovation:The constraints imposed by accessible design can spur creative problem-solving and innovation. Designing with diverse user needs in mind can lead to unique and novel solutions that benefit all users.
- Employee Morale and Pride:Employees who work for an organization that values accessibility feel a sense of pride and purpose. They are more likely to be motivated and engaged in their work, contributing to a positive work environment.
By integrating accessible design into Workhall's design system, we create a foundation that is compliant, user-friendly, and contributes to the overall success and positive impact of our product.