Technology is changing the ways how people use the internet. The next generation of those who have started buying things through e-commerce services is now accessing online financial services. About 40% of the adults and about 70% of the millennials now use websites or apps to do banking and investments online. As the need for online services increases, we need to consider the special needs of people with disabilities. This is called accessibility, and modern-day websites need to be accessible. There are laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA that mandate the need for digital accessibility.
Ensuring accessibility of the financial and banking sites and apps may be tricky. A study shows that only 1% of the popular sites in the financial domain fully meet the general accessibility needs. In fact, as per the law, only those web pages which can be viewed before the need for login are identified as the places for public accommodation as per the Title III of ADA, which covers web accessibility. With about one in four citizens in the United States living with a major or minor disability, we can assume that a large majority of the population is underserved with accessibility or non-compliance of webspace.
Accessibility compliance of financial sites – AccessiBe
Ensuring accessibility compliance as per ADA law for financial and banking websites and the app is a daunting task, but some small steps can help you achieve some major improvements. Ensuring this will not only help people with disabilities but also can help your organization to avoid any lawsuits. Here are some tips from AccessiBe, which will help make your website ADA compliant and your web interface open to all, which is crucial for modern-day financial services.
- Make use of automated testing
Automated testing can be used effectively to evaluate the current status of your website in terms of accessibility. Accessibility testing tools can monitor the website’s key pages and find out the non-compliance on the page faster. Manual testing is more reliable; however, it may take a lot of time and require experts to run the test.
- Use simple and flexible text fonts
Usage of font, text size, and styling needed to be taken care of well in terms of ensuring accessibility. The content should be consistent and logical for the assistive devices to interpret it well. You must emphasize the major text by using italics or bold. May also break down the information into bulleted points where needed.
- User testing
Automated testing can identify the overlaying faults, whereas user testing will help with real-time testing and functionality in terms of technologies. Automated testing tools cannot identify all the violations of ADA and WCAG, whereas user testing done by an expert from a disabled community can ensure complete compliance.
AccessiBe offers expert accessibility compliance consulting for banking and financial websites. For financial services, there are a lot of security features and third-party payment integrations also on the website. So, it is important to take the assistance of a skilled and experienced accessibility partner to ensure accessibility by understanding your goals.
