“Accessibility allows us to tap into everyone’s potential.” -Debra Ruh

I really appreciate the above quote – It truly sums up the vitality of accessibility and its profound impact in the most concise way possible.

However, given the wide-reaching importance of providing accessible experiences to the 1 in 4 Americans who have a diagnosed disability, I believe it’s worth digging into the details of how beneficial it can be in specific areas, like access portals that customers use regularly.

In this blog, we’ll explore why accessible access portals are so important and then discuss how you can assess your own portal’s accessibility level. This way, you’ll know where to start optimizing it so you and your customers can start enjoying the benefits.

But to start, let’s establish what an access portal is.

Why Access Portal Accessibility Matters

What is an Access Portal?

Access portals aim to provide equal digital access and empower all users to interact with online platforms effectively and independently. They’re also typically locked behind a username and password, and offer a personalized user experience, so one user’s view and experience will differ from another’s.

To be accessible, an access portal and all its content must comply with accessibility standards, the most common ones being WCAG 2.2, ADA, and Section 508.

These types of content include:

• Websites
• Mobile apps
• Social media posts
• Electronic documents like PDFs

So, it’s important that your organization examines all the above within your portal portfolio to ensure they meet compliance standards.

Why Accessible Content Portals Can’t Wait

Improved Access to Information and Services

An accessible portal removes barriers that prevent users from having a smooth experience and accessing the content and services they need. As a result, it allows everyone to participate and have a stellar user experience.

Enhanced User Experience

When you have a great user experience, you’re far more likely to stick around, plain and simple. In fact, 71% of people will leave a site if it doesn’t have a good user experience and if they cannot access what they need to.

Increased Customer Base Potential

Having a portal that’s accessible to everyone also increases your customer base. As we briefly mentioned earlier, 1 in 4 Americans have a diagnosed disability, and doing the math, that means if you can provide an accessible experience for these people, that’s 25% more people that can engage with you.

Improved Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Visibility

When you get more engagement on your website due to it being accessible, that also means you will see better retention of visitors, which is extremely beneficial for SEO. In other words, it’ll make it more likely that search engines like Google will show your website in relevant searches more often, and higher on the list.

Streamlined User Journey

Accessible portals also streamline the user journey, offering simpler layouts with relevant texts that are easier to navigate. And when a portal is accessible, all links and forms are guaranteed to work properly, which also helps users have an easier, smoother experience.

Improved Brand Reputation

When people have incredible, easy experiences with your portal, they’re going to think even higher of your organization. So, it’s no surprise that organizations that make a commitment to having an accessible portal available will improve their brand recognition in the process.

It can also help you be an employer that candidates want to work for. Especially among younger generations, candidates are increasingly stating that they’ll only work with companies that meet these accessibility requirements because inclusivity is a value that’s important to them. These same individuals who prioritize these values will be more likely to become loyal customers for the same reason, so that’s yet another win.

Prioritize People: Enhancing User Experiences Through Accessible Portals

How to Assess Your Access Portal’s Accessibility

Fortunately, there are lots of tools available to help us test whether your portal meets accessibility requirements. Each one consists of an extension that can be easily plugged into your browser to determine your accessibility score. Some of the most popular options include:

• WAVE (Chrome/Firefox)
• Axe (Chrome/Firefox)
• Siteimprove (Chrome/Firefox)
• Lighthouse (Chrome)
• Microsoft’s Accessibility Insights (Chrome/Edge)

Our favorite tool is Lighthouse, which exclusively works for Chrome. Here are some steps you’d take if you were using Lighthouse – to see each step in action, check out a demo here.

1. Go to your website.
2. In your upper right corner, click on the 3-dot button next to your avatar and select “More Tools” and then “Developer Tools.
3. You’ll see a “Generate a Lighthouse Report” window pop up, where you’ll be able to select various options to inform your report. When we look at a website here at Naviant, we select “Navigation” as our Mode, “Desktop” as our Device, and select all available boxes under the Categories option.
4. Click “Analyze Page.”
5. Now, you’ll see a new window pop up with scores for your website’s performance, accessibility, best practices, and SEO.

Considerations to Improve Your Access Portal’s Accessibility

If the accessibility test above gives you high scores in all categories, congratulations!

But if you have room for improvement and you’d like some pointers on how to design or refine the design of your portal, we’ve got you. Here are some considerations worth exploring:

• What’s the scope of your portal? Here, determine who you’re targeting and what you’re trying to achieve with your portal. These priority targets and goals will be what your portal will focus on, keeping it as simple and functional as possible rather than cluttered and tough to navigate.
• What’s most important to your users? Talk to your users – what do they need to access most often? You’ll tailor your portal to these needs so they can be met easily.
• What self-service features are required? As you talk to your users, ask what self-service features are required for them to feel like they want to come to your portal.
• What forms should be included? Additionally, ask your users what forms they rely on most frequently. You’ll want to prioritize these forms in your design, too.
• What are the expected outcomes? Knowing exactly where you want to go will help guide the decisions you make as you plan. Common outcomes include improved employee engagement, better vendor information, better student engagement, extending customer support, reducing the number of calls in your call center, and improving customer satisfaction.

Prioritize People Now

As we’ve seen, there are so many reasons to embrace accessibility. If you have any questions on how to improve your access portal’s accessibility, drop a question or comment in the chat below. We’d be happy to help you.