Embracing Accessibility & Technology July 1, 2017

In the last 10 years technology has evolved and mobile devices have quickly become one of the most widely used tools by billions across the globe. It has replaced the need for a phone book, camera, maps, magazines, calculators, and more. It has even replaced the need for desktop computers.

Before we begin you may think: “Well my business and/or website doesn’t cater to clients with special needs so why should I care…?” Accessibility is more than just catering to people with special needs; it’s about opening your content to a larger demographic. By doing so it will allow your content to come up in search engines more organically and allow for speech to text devices to access your online content.

The science behind assistive technology is growing and it’s in high usage. Tools designed for those with special needs are now being utilized by everyday consumers because these tools have become extremely beneficial. An example of this is Apple’s specialized speech recognition named Siri.

Millions of Apple users between ages 18 and 24 and across the globe are utilizing Siri’s assistive speech recognition technology to navigate the web to locate addresses, phone numbers, conduct product searches, and for some just pure entertainment. Not convinced? Here are some examples.

Technology Is Powerful:

Example 1: Imagine if a portion of your online content is embedded within an image. What if there was little to no live text on your website? Speech tools will have a difficult time accessing your content. Perhaps you have a bunch of your for-sale product images in a gallery there is no descriptive text for accessibility tools in which to access. How will text to speech software possibly find the product or service you are selling?

Speech recognition software is limited to what it can penetrate on the web. Its similar to how crawlers can access your website. Without accessible content you are missing out on reaching a potential larger market in which to connect with.

Technology Is Smart

Example 2: Consider how speech recognition tools communicate easily with mobile applications. Siri has the ability to access local downloadable data from Google Maps to understand commands and provide results to the end user. When a consumer asks, “Siri where is the closest shoe store in Kamloops, BC?” You want to make sure your information is live and accessible so your business is searchable.

Accessible technology is growing and it is literally changing the way view and access information. Consider your online content today and reach out to Fresh Inc. for more information. To learn more information about accessible content – visit our article on Web Accessibility – It’s Coming B.C.