Why Businesses Fail to Serve 10% (or more) of their Users

Or the Cost of Ignoring Accessibility.

Photography by Daniel Odame

Have you had the opportunity to delve into personas, archetypes, mindsets, behavioral segmentation, proto-personas, or any other methods to truly understand your customers? When was the last time you imagined Eira navigating the world from a wheelchair or considered Ravi’s experience with a walker? Have you ever wondered if any of your “conformists” or “doubters” perceive the world through the lens of color blindness?

If your work primarily revolves around products not specifically tailored for disabilities, it’s likely that your response to these scenarios is a resounding “No.” or “Yes, I remember this one time”.

In the fast-paced world of product development, where efficiency and market appeal often take precedence, we find ourselves unintentionally sidelining a substantial portion of our audience in need of ‘accessible’ design.

An Outdated and Uneducated Approach

The reality is that when crafting a business or developing a new product, the inclination is to avoid designing for what are perceived as “edge cases.” The argument is that it’s not worth investing significant efforts and resources into something that would only benefit a small fraction, perhaps 1–2%, of our target market.

However, this mindset raises a crucial question: what if, in our pursuit of mainstream appeal, we have inadvertently become culturally conditioned to ignore a substantial segment of our addressable audience?

Consider this: according to The Federal Statistical Office, in 2022, 9.4% of the German population was officially registered as severely disabled. The World Health Organisation brings this up to 15% when considering the world’s population. However, this statistic barely scratches the surface of the true diversity of challenges individuals may face with overlooked groups such as those with invisible disabilities, such as color blindness (8% of men, according to multiple different studies) or young onset dementia (affecting people from 20 to 60 year old).

The Cost of Ignoring Accessibility

There are multiple consequences of neglecting accessibility in your product strategy. A product that fails to accommodate the diverse needs of its users risks excluding a significant portion of its potential market. This is money you are leaving on the table. This oversight also hampers a brand’s reputation within numerous communities.

The era of one-size-fits-all solutions is evolving into a more nuanced understanding that prioritizes various forms of accessibility as a fundamental aspect of user experience.

Shifting Perspectives: Designing for Accessibility

It’s time for a paradigm shift in our approach to product development. Rather than regarding accessibility solutions as afterthoughts and optional add-ons at best or, at worst, burdensome “ugly features”, we should integrate them seamlessly into the initial design process. We should trust our designers to create accessible products that are both beautiful and enjoyable for everyone.

By doing so, we can bring to life those “must-be-cool-and-immediately-recognised” product our CEOs are casually asking for, while ensuring all users — with or without any form of physical or mental health impairment — can truly enjoy them.

Prioritizing accessibility in your initial design not only aligns with ethical values and unlocks a significant market share but, when well thought through, it is often not more expensive at the outset and can lead to significant cost savings in the long run.

The Road Ahead: a Call for Accessible Innovation

As we forge ahead into an era of technological advancements and rapidly evolving consumer expectations, inclusive design, and accessibility specifically, is not just a moral imperative but a business necessity.

Acknowledging and addressing the diverse needs of all users, regardless of their abilities, ensures that our products resonate with a broader audience. This commitment to accessibility not only fosters a positive brand image but also cultivates a customer base that values and supports brands that prioritize accessibility.

As company founders, product managers or innovators, it is our responsibility to champion physical and mental accessibility in all our products, digital and physical. Through thoughtful and accessible design, we can pave the way for a more inclusive future, where every user feels seen, heard, and valued.
And yes… you can tell your CEO they’ll make more money on the way.