3 reasons why accessibility is crucial in mobile app development

In any online environment, accessibility is something that needs to be at the forefront of any specification. An often overlooked part of design and development, accessibility enables users of all abilities to use your app. Making your mobile app accessible can take additional time and resources, which is why it is often left by the wayside. Nevertheless, leaving accessibility until last is a mistake. Here’s why.

You’re alienating a significant portion of your user base

Around one in five people in the UK have a disability of some sort. Within this statistic, there are a wide range of differing needs that any good development team needs to consider such as colour blindness, limited dexterity or hearing loss. Especially on the small screen of a mobile phone, you could be making it impossible for your users to interact with your app.

You’re saving time on future development

Accessibility is something that you should be building in from day one. We consider it to be as important as functionality; don’t release an app without it. If you don’t consider accessibility as part of the first stages of your development, there’s the inevitable consequence that it’s going to be needed at a later date. This can affect your deliverables later, creating a domino effect.

It can improve user experience all round

Some of the things we would consider a golden rule within mobile design are also an accessible design feature. Large buttons, distinct colours, readable text and clear content are all things we’d hope for in any design. Making these items not only design-led, but accessibility focused, helps everybody throughout the process.

Adding accessibility into your mobile app is something that can be included easily if you’re working in tandem with the operating system that you’re using. By ensuring that your app is able to increase or decrease text size, customise colours, or work with voice control, you’re already making a huge difference to the experience of a differently abled user. Work with, not against, functionality that is there to help. If you’re interested in the most important tenets of accessible design, take a look at our previous blog here. We’re here to help.