Skip to product menu
close
  • Sales
    Press Space or Enter to display list of options
EXPLORE ALL PRODUCTS

Sales

 
CRM

Comprehensive CRM platform for customer-facing teams.

CRM
 
Bigin

Simple CRM for small businesses moving from spreadsheets.

Bigin
 
Forms

Build online forms for every business need.

Forms
 
SalesIQ

Live chat app to engage and convert website visitors.

SalesIQ
 
Bookings

Appointment scheduling app for consultations with customers.

Bookings
 
Sign

Digital signature app for businesses.

Sign
 
RouteIQ

Comprehensive sales map visualization and optimal route planning solution.

RouteIQ
 
Thrive

Complete loyalty and affiliate management platform.

Thrive
 
Voice

Cloud Contact Center Software for businesses.

Voice
 
Suites
CRM Plus

Unified platform to deliver top-notch customer experience.

CRM Plus

Marketing

 
Social

All-in-one social media management software.

Social
 
Campaigns

Create, send, and track targeted email campaigns that drive sales.

Campaigns
 
Forms

Build online forms for every business need.

Forms
 
Survey

Design surveys to reach and interact with your audience.

Survey
 
Sites

Online website builder with extensive customisation options.

Sites
 
PageSense

Website conversion optimization and personalisation platform.

PageSense
 
Backstage

End-to-end event management software.

Backstage
 
Webinar

Webinar platform for webcasting online webinars.

Webinar
 
Marketing Automation

All-in-one marketing automation software.

Marketing Automation
 
LandingPage

Smart landing page builder to increase conversion rates

LandingPage
 
Publish

Manage all your local business listings on a single platform.

Publish
 
SalesIQ

Live chat app to engage and convert website visitors.

SalesIQ
 
Sign

Digital signature app for businesses.

Sign
 
Thrive

Complete loyalty and affiliate management platform.

Thrive
 
Voice

Cloud Contact Center Software for businesses.

Voice
 
NEW
LeadChain

Sync, manage, and convert leads across channels seamlessly.

LeadChain
 
NEW
CommunitySpaces

Online community platform for individuals and businesses to grow their network and brand.

CommunitySpaces
 
Suites
Marketing Plus

Unified marketing platform for marketing teams.

Marketing Plus

Commerce and POS

 
Commerce

eCommerce platform to manage and market your online store.

Commerce

Service

 
Desk

Helpdesk software to deliver great customer support.

Desk
 
Assist

Remote support and unattended remote access software.

Assist
 
Lens

Interactive remote assistance software with augmented reality.

Lens
 
FSM

End-to-end field service management platform for service businesses.

FSM
 
SalesIQ

Live chat app to engage and convert website visitors.

SalesIQ
 
Voice

Cloud Contact Center Software for businesses.

Voice
 
Solo

The all-in-one toolkit for solopreneurs.

Solo
 
Bookings

Appointment scheduling app for consultations with customers.

Bookings
 
Suites
Service Plus

Unified platform for customer service and support teams.

Service Plus

Finance

 
Books

Powerful accounting platform for growing businesses.

Books
 
FREE
Invoice

100% Free invoicing solution.

Invoice
 
Expense

Effortless expense reporting platform.

Expense
 
Inventory

Powerful stock management and inventory control software.

Inventory
 
Billing

End-to-end billing solution for your business.

Billing
 
Checkout

Collect payments online with custom branded pages.

Checkout
 
NEW
Payroll

Payroll software with automated tax payments and filing.

Payroll
 
Solo

The all-in-one toolkit for solopreneurs.

Solo
 
Practice

Practice management software for accounting firms.

Practice
 
Sign

Digital signature app for businesses.

Sign
 
Commerce

eCommerce platform to manage and market your online store.

Commerce
 
Suites
Finance Plus

All-in-one suite to manage your operations and finances.

Finance Plus

Email and Collaboration

 
Mail

Secure email service for teams of all sizes.

Mail
 
Meeting

Online meeting software for all your video conferencing & webinar needs.

Meeting
 
Writer

Word processor for focused writing and discussions.

Writer
 
Sheet

Spreadsheet software for collaborative teams.

Sheet
 
Show

Create, edit, and share slides with a sleek presentation app.

Show
 
Notebook

Beautiful home for all your notes.

Notebook
 
Cliq

Stay in touch with teams no matter where you are.

Cliq
 
Connect

Employee experience platform to communicate, engage, and build positive employee relations.

Connect
 
Bookings

Appointment scheduling app for consultations with customers.

Bookings
 
TeamInbox

Shared inboxes for teams.

TeamInbox
 
WorkDrive

Online file management for teams.

WorkDrive
 
Sign

Digital signature app for businesses.

Sign
 
Office Suite

Powerful collaborative work platform for teams.

Office Suite
 
Office Integrator

Built in document editors for web apps.

Office Integrator
 
ZeptoMail

Secure and reliable transactional email sending service.

ZeptoMail
 
Calendar

Online business calendar to manage events and schedule appointments.

Calendar
 
Learn

Knowledge and learning management platform.

Learn
 
Voice

Cloud Contact Center Software for businesses.

Voice
 
ToDo

Collaborative task management for individuals and teams.

ToDo
 
Tables

Work management tool to connect people, processes, and information.

Tables
 
FREE
PDF Editor

Collaborative online PDF editing tool.

PDF Editor
 
Suites
Workplace

Application suite built to improve team productivity and collaboration.

Workplace

Human Resources

 
People

Organize, automate, and simplify your HR processes.

People
 
Recruit

Intuitive recruiting platform built to provide hiring solutions.

Recruit
 
Expense

Effortless expense reporting platform.

Expense
 
Workerly

Manage temporary staffing with an employee scheduling solution.

Workerly
 
NEW
Payroll

Payroll software with automated tax payments and filing.

Payroll
 
Shifts

Employee scheduling and time tracking app.

Shifts
 
Sign

Digital signature app for businesses.

Sign
 
Suites
People Plus

Comprehensive HR platform for seamless employee experiences.

People Plus

Security and IT Management

 
Creator

Build custom apps to simplify business processes.

Creator
 
Directory

Workforce identity and access management solution for cloud businesses.

Directory
 
FREE
OneAuth

Secure multi-factor authenticator (MFA) for all your online accounts.

OneAuth
 
Vault

Online password manager for teams.

Vault
 
Catalyst

Pro-code platform to build and deploy your apps.

Catalyst
 
Toolkit

Complete resource for any admin-related lookup queries.

Toolkit
 
Lens

Interactive remote assistance software with augmented reality.

Lens
 
Assist

Remote support and unattended remote access software.

Assist
 
QEngine

Test automation software to build, manage, execute, and report testcases.

QEngine
 
NEW
RPA

Automate manual, tedious, and repetitive tasks easily.

RPA

BI and Analytics

 
Analytics

Modern self-service BI and analytics platform.

Analytics
 
Embedded BI

Embedded analytics and white label BI solutions, tailored for your needs.

Embedded BI
 
DataPrep

AI-powered data preparation service for your data-driven organization.

DataPrep
 
NEW
IoT

Harnessing IoT analytics for real-time operational intelligence.

IoT

Project Management

 
Projects

Manage, track, and collaborate on projects with teams.

Projects
 
Sprints

Planning and tracking tool for scrum teams.

Sprints
 
BugTracker

Automatic bug tracking software for managing bugs.

BugTracker
 
Solo

The all-in-one toolkit for solopreneurs.

Solo

Developer Platforms

 
Creator

Build custom apps to simplify business processes.

Creator
 
Flow

Automate business workflows by creating smart integrations.

Flow
 
Catalyst

Pro-code platform to build and deploy your apps.

Catalyst
 
Office Integrator

Built in document editors for web apps.

Office Integrator
 
ZeptoMail

Secure and reliable transactional email sending service.

ZeptoMail
 
QEngine

Test automation software to build, manage, execute, and report testcases.

QEngine
 
Tables

Work management tool to connect people, processes, and information.

Tables
 
NEW
RPA

Automate manual, tedious, and repetitive tasks easily.

RPA
 
NEW
Apptics

Application analytics for all apps.

Apptics
 
Embedded BI

Embedded analytics and white label BI solutions, tailored for your needs.

Embedded BI
 
NEW
IoT

Build, deploy, and scale IoT solutions for connected businesses.

IoT
 
DataPrep

AI-powered data preparation service for your data-driven organization.

DataPrep

IoT

 
NEW
IoT

Low-code IoT platform and solutions for connected businesses.

IoT

Search Result

 
CRM Plus

Unified platform to deliver top-notch customer experience.

Try now
CRM Plus
 
Service Plus

Unified platform for customer service and support teams.

Try now
Service Plus
 
Finance Plus

All-in-one suite to manage your operations and finances.

Try now
Finance Plus
 
People Plus

Comprehensive HR platform for seamless employee experiences.

Try now
People Plus
 
Workplace

Application suite built to improve team productivity and collaboration.

Try now
Workplace
 
Marketing Plus

Unified marketing platform for marketing teams.

Try now
Marketing Plus
 
All-in-one suite

Zoho One

The Operating System for Business

Run your entire business on Zoho with our unified cloud software, designed to help you break down silos between departments and increase organizational efficiency.

TRY ZOHO ONE
Zoho One
Zoho Marketplace

With over 2000 ready-to-use extensions across 40+ categories, connect your favorite business tools with the Zoho products you already use.

EXPLORE MARKETPLACE
Marketplace
Skip to main content
Zoho Academy

Implementing Accessible UX for Your Business Site

  • 4 Mins Read
  • Posted on September 29, 2021
  • Last Updated on October 26, 2024
  • By Emily

For most of us, surfing the web is relatively easy; there aren’t a lot of barriers, save a good internet connection, to keep us from reading or using a website. But for the 15% of the global population living with a disability, the experience is often filled with obstacles. How is a visitor expected to navigate a website if they can’t use a mouse, listen to a video, or read text and graphics? Many companies don’t take this into consideration, resulting in missed revenue opportunities and costly legal penalties.

Why inclusive design is now a must

More than 60 million adult Americans live with a permanent disability, not to mention all of those who are temporarily disabled due to illness or injury. Wheelchairs and seeing eye dogs may be the first thing we think about when we think about disability, but these extreme cases are a small part of the total. The majority of disabled people have less visible (or even invisible) illnesses that may not be apparent at a glance. And since you can’t see their disabilities, you probably aren’t designing for them. This risks leaving a lot of people behind.

But forefronting inclusive design doesn’t just serve people with disabilities. It improves the experience of all users. You may not realize it, but you’re probably already benefiting from modifications originally designed with accessibility in mind. Curb cuts, created to help people with wheelchairs, come in handy for someone pushing a stroller, riding a bike, or rolling their luggage. Closed captions intended for the hard of hearing also help people who don’t speak the language, have audio processing issues, or need additional clarity.

So if you aren’t already taking accessibility into consideration, you should be. You’re missing out on more than 1 billion potential customers. In the US alone, people with assistive technology devices have purchasing power in excess of $350 billion.

Give your websites a longer lifespan

Outside of the financial (and ethical) imperative to create accessible content, websites built adhering to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) typically have a longer shelf life than those that don’t.

Think about Flash: it once dominated online video and multimedia content. Then, in 2007, the iPhone was released without supporting Flash. After that, the move to HTML5 started in earnest, further accelerated by YouTube’s decision to drop it in 2015. The security risks, lack of mobile compatibility, and the ready availability of replacement options for Flash sealed the deal. Adobe announced the product’s sunset in 2017, and discontinued it in 2020. If your websites were still running Flash in 2020, they had to be completely revamped.

But by using elements of Responsive Web Design (RWD), you can make your site both more accessible and longer-lasting, while also compatible with any device. Since the vast majority of search happens on mobile, it’s vital that your site look good on any sized screen. RWD elements, like grid-based layouts, allow users to resize tables and charts to fit screens sized from 4″ to 42″, while progressive enhancement and/or disclosure (respectively) benefits users with assistive technology or cognitive impairment.

Make your websites easier to maintain

When designers put inclusion first, the result is a more intuitive UI and UX, both of which lead to more conversions. Standard information hierarchies call for more intuitive navigational structures that bring visual order into alignment with reading order. When there are different websites for different devices, they must all be maintained. It’s far cheaper and easier to maintain one code base, and it’s far, far simpler to update in the future.

Google’s algorithm favors responsive websites, ranking them higher in search results. RWD also ensures there is no duplicate content and that redirects aren’t a result of device non-compatibility. The clarity of design that RWD requires can be amplified by smaller changes, too. This includes things like adding tags and metadata to UI elements, using alt-text for images, using descriptive language in hyperlinks, structuring pages to be navigable by cursor or keyboard, and not relying on color to convey meaning. These little choices can have big impacts.

The costs of ignoring accessibility

Inclusive design isn’t just ethically and financially sound. It can also save companies a significant amount in call center costs. An incoming support call can cost anywhere from $5 to $25, but providing an online self-service help center drops the cost of support tickets to a few cents.

Besides improving the bottom line (and making the world a more equitable place), inclusive design can save you from significant legal penalties and fines. For example, 2020 saw a 23% YOY increase in digitally-related ADA cases. A full 20% of those cases were lawsuits against companies that had been sued at least once in the previous two years. In Canada, a 2013 law imposes fines of anywhere from $100,000 to $250,000 per day for failure to adhere to WCAG.

Finally, building inclusive websites and experiences can be incredibly beneficial for brands. Millennials, the largest demographic in the US, want to buy from companies that align with their values. Building inclusive, accessible digital (and physical) spaces will grow your customer pool as well as your brand capital. The goodwill you’ll accrue is likely only to be outpaced by the new revenue you’ll generate.

Related Topics