Inclusive design is diversity in action. Brands that prioritise inclusive design actively represent and empower people of all backgrounds and abilities by creating content that is accessible to every member of our community. Through inclusive design, your brand will resonate with a wider audience, drive meaningful impact for a more inclusive society and create better designs for all.
What is inclusive design?
When we talk about inclusive design in marketing, we are describing methodologies that make materials accessible to all people. At its core, inclusive design addresses the needs of users, regardless of their age, ability, culture, economic situation or education.
Enabling inclusive access to websites, digital tools and social media, as well as traditional print and physical media, allows customers to engage seamlessly with your brand. After all, how can you run a successful campaign if your audience can’t access your content?
Unfortunately, marketing isn’t inherently inclusive. Common practices such as persona-based targeting inadvertently exclude certain groups. Implementing inclusive design from an aesthetic perspective also requires a careful balance between accessibility and visual appeal. However, overcoming these challenges can lead to unique solutions that cater to diverse user needs. Many tools that we now take for granted, such as voice-to-text, read-aloud functions, captions and transcripts, originated from solutions designed to make technology more accessible for people with disabilities.
Why should brands prioritise inclusive design?
The importance of accessibility cannot be understated in marketing, where the goal is to reach and engage with as many people as possible. By ensuring content is accessible, businesses improve customer experience, enhance brand reputation and can tap into a significant market.
Digital inclusion should be given the same importance as other project objectives from the outset. When we design accessible materials as part of our process and integrate it into the workflow, it is also more cost-effective than fixing problems later..
Designing for Everyone
For people with disabilities, digital accessibility can significantly improve lives by fostering independence, enhancing productivity and offering access to different products and services. Inclusive design has also led to the development of features that contribute to a positive user experience for a broader audience. While captions were developed to assist deaf people, they are also a useful tool for language learners as they help to improve pronunciation and aid comprehension.
Greater Accessibility, Greater Reach
An estimated 1.3 billion people experience significant disability, representing 1 in 6 people or 16% of the world’s population. Accessible campaigns ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to engage with your brand. Businesses that prioritise accessibility can tap into this underserved market, potentially increasing their customer base and revenue.
Building a Better Brand Reputation
Companies that promote inclusive and accessible digital content demonstrate a commitment to social responsibility and a community where everyone has access to information. This enhances the reputation of brands and differentiates them from competitors.
The Legal Imperative of Accessible Design
Businesses must comply with local regulations for digital and web accessibility or face legal action and fines. The number of digital accessibility lawsuits in the United States has almost doubled since 2018 (UsableNet, 2023). In the U.S., the American Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design sets the benchmark for digital accessibility. From 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) will establish and enforce accessibility standards across member states to provide a consistent level of accessibility.
Practical Guidelines for Accessibility in Digital Marketing
Accessible design in marketing focuses on ensuring interfaces and technology can be used by people with disabilities. This is important for people with visual, auditory, physical or cognitive disabilities.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) outline best practices to help designers, developers and creators make digital experiences that are accessible to all people. WCAG technical standards have been adopted by many different countries, including Australia, Italy, Japan, India, Ireland, Norway, the UK and the US. According to these guidelines, content that is presented digitally should be: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable and Robust.
Information and functionality must be presented in a way that can be perceived by one of the senses.
- Ensure text readability by using reasonably large font sizes, a clean typeface, sufficient colour contrast and strong visual hierarchy. Controls for users to increase font size will cater to an ageing audience and people who have visual impairments. For example, the app and website of Australian newspaper The Age allows users to easily change the font size of articles.
- Captions make audio content accessible to people who are hearing impaired. TikTok has proven popular with the deaf community because of its automatic closed captioning. The inclusion of captions can also improve SEO and increase viewer engagement. The detailed captions in Season 4 of sci-fi series Stranger Things were commended for capturing the unique atmosphere of the show by using an expressive vocabulary and highly descriptive sound effects.
- Alt text is crucial for making images, logos and infographics accessible for people who are using screen readers and is critical for SEO. Best practices for writing alt text include using concise language to describe the image, considering context and avoiding redundant phrasing.
- Sign language interpreters expand reach, improve customer experience and strengthen a brand’s image during live broadcasts. While it is common to see them during news programs or public service announcements, concerts and sporting events would also benefit from sign language interpreters. The iconic halftime show by Rihanna at Super Bowl 2023 was memorably signed by ASL interpreter Justina Miles, her performance showcasing the emotional power of sign language and the importance of inclusivity and accessibility during major events.
- Representation is important in inclusive design. Visuals, illustrations and photographs that represent the full spectrum of humanity align with diverse customers. By telling inclusive stories and featuring models with diverse ages, cultural backgrounds and abilities, brands create an authentic and welcoming experience for all users. Two decades ago, the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty defied industry norms by featuring real women in its ads instead of models. As AI-generated images continue to perpetuate unrealistic standards of beauty today (90% of content is predicted to be AI-generated by 2025), the brand has promised to never use AI to create and distort images of women.
Content is considered operable if all users can navigate the site and interact with each component.
- Websites must be fully functional and navigable with only a keyboard, which is important for people with motor disabilities or visual impairments.
- Users need to be given enough time to read content if there are automatic features.
Users must be able to understand the content and how to navigate the interface.
- While marketing may bend the rules of linguistics in the pursuit of creativity, clear language is fundamental. Avoid complex terminology and long paragraphs. A carefully chosen word can be a powerful tool, but a poorly selected one may be a stumbling block.
- Make hashtags accessible by using PascalCase, which capitalises the first letter of each word to improve readability. Generic “Click here” and “Download now” links may be convenient, but they are inaccessible to screen reader users. Instead, use descriptive links that indicate the destination of the link. For example, instead of “Click here to watch,” use “Watch how to make a pavlova.”
- Audio-only content such as podcasts can be made more accessible by including a transcript. In 2011, the This American Life podcast transcribed its entire audio archive for a better user experience. This increased the number of unique visitors to its website by 4.18% and increased inbound traffic from organic search by 6.68%.
- Building a team with people with different cultural backgrounds, ages, gender identities and abilities will help your brand design solutions for a broader range of uses. Designs and interfaces should always be tested by a diverse focus group for real world feedback to ensure you’re offering an inclusive experience for all users.
When designing for digital accessibility, websites must be compatible with assistive technologies to be considered robust.
- Assistive technologies such as screen readers enable people who are visually impaired to access websites. The use of semantic HTML tags and ARIA labels ensures they can navigate and interact with the content.
- To help developers create websites for people who are colour blind, accessible tools such as the Colorblindly extension simulates colour blindness so they can test the accessibility of their designs.
How inclusive is your brand?
Accessible and inclusive design in marketing is about showing respect for all individuals, regardless of their abilities. Loqui Media specialises in creating personalised media solutions for targeted audiences. Contact us today to discuss how to elevate your brand with inclusive design that can reach and resonate with the masses.
