VSDesign

Accessibility in UX: A Bridge, Not a Barrier

Aug 10, 2025

10 min read

Design experiences everyone can access and enjoy.

Discover real-world UX strategies that turn accessibility into growth.

Imagine stepping into a gallery at the Whitney Museum, where artist Christine Sun Kim's powerful piece, All Day All Night, greets you—a dark, ink-filled pie chart illustrating “deaf rage” toward museums that neglect deaf programming. Christine, a deaf artist herself, channels this frustration into sharp visual commentary, emphasizing how often marginalized voices remain unheard or unseen, even in spaces designed for public engagement.

Image Courtesy: Christine Sun Kim, Degrees of My Deaf Rage in the Art World (2018)

Just like art, UX design is fundamentally about interaction and communication. Good UX design means creating pathways for everyone to engage comfortably, smoothly, and meaningfully. Think of UX designers as architects of empathy, building intuitive experiences that welcome and empower every user—especially those who might otherwise feel overlooked.

But why does this matter to you as a business?

As technology and artificial intelligence evolve, they're reshaping not only how we interact with products but how we engage with society itself. Achieving a harmonious relationship between humans, technology, and organizations is no longer just a convenience—it’s essential for success. According to Brangier and Adele (2013), a truly symbiotic relationship between humans and technology occurs when "the activity carried out takes precedence over technological constraints." This means users effortlessly incorporate technology into their lives, fostering trust and long-term relationships. However, this doesn't happen by chance; it requires thoughtful design, learning, and adaptation.

Similarly, algorithms designed thoughtfully can shape inclusive social structures. As highlighted by recent research (Oxford Academic, 2023), designing algorithms is a subtle but powerful way to influence social interactions, affirming the idea that “the tools we make, make us.” By embracing accessible UX design, you’re essentially choosing to broaden your product’s potential audience, creating inclusive, intuitive interactions that cater to diverse needs. Accessibility isn't just ethical; it’s strategic, amplifying customer engagement and trust.

Accessibility in UX Design: Real-world Impacts That Drive Growth

Typography with Purpose: A Font for Everyone

Have you ever considered how something as simple as typography impacts your customers? Fonts designed specifically for users with dyslexia, such as Lexend and OpenDyslexic, prove accessibility goes beyond simple functionality. It drives tangible outcomes. After switching to dyslexia-friendly fonts, users experienced a remarkable 14% increase in reading speed and a 16% decrease in reading errors, significantly improving comprehension and satisfaction. Dyslexia Scotland’s recent campaigns vividly demonstrate how choosing the right font creates better engagement for everyone.

Image Courtesy: OpenDyslexic Font

Color Isn't the Only Language: Trello’s Inclusive UX

For roughly 8% of men worldwide who experience color blindness, distinguishing color-coded information is often impossible. Trello solved this by launching its “Colorblind Mode”, integrating textures and patterns alongside color labels. This clever UX tweak reduced user misinterpretation of task labels by around 30%, enhancing team efficiency and significantly improving overall user experience.

Image Courtesy: Before & After: Trello’s Colorblind Mode

High Contrast, High Rewards: Bing’s Visual Adjustment

Did you know a minor visual tweak can lead to massive business benefits? Microsoft's Bing enhanced text visibility by increasing the contrast between text and background, meeting WCAG accessibility standards. The result was an astonishing increase in user engagement, bringing in approximately $10 million more in annual revenue. Accessibility, here, clearly aligns seamlessly with profitability.

Image Courtesy: Low Contrast Example: Text “Vibration” Effect

Accessibility isn’t just nice-to-have—it’s the law.

Regulations around accessible design have gained significant traction globally. In the U.S., laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and guidelines like WCAG 2.0 ensure digital products cater to diverse user needs, resulting in improved experiences and reducing legal risks. Europe and Canada have followed suit with their own stringent guidelines, like the European Accessibility Act (EAA), pushing designers to prioritize accessibility right from the start. Ignoring these can be costly—just ask companies like Domino's, which faced lawsuits for neglecting accessible UX principles on their websites.

How does accessible UX design actually happen?

Designing with accessibility in mind begins from the moment a project starts. Here’s what this looks like practically:

Research and Empathy: Understand your users’ diverse abilities and challenges. Apple, a leader in inclusive design, conducts extensive user research, producing innovations like VoiceOver and AssistiveTouch, proving accessibility features can also be innovative selling points.
Planning and Prototyping: Wireframes and prototypes are built keeping inclusive interactions front and center. Airbnb successfully integrates UX considerations like clearly displayed distances and accessibility features, making information transparent and usable, helping users make informed decisions effortlessly.
Testing and Feedback: Regularly gathering user feedback from diverse groups ensures the final product meets actual user needs. Tools like accessibility checklists from WCAG ensure designs meet compliance standards, protecting your company from costly litigation and reputational damage.

Overcoming misconceptions: Accessible doesn’t mean unattractive.

A common concern businesses have is that accessibility might compromise aesthetics that either simplifying designs excessively or cluttering them unnecessarily. Yet, the reality couldn’t be further from the truth. Take Dyslexia Scotland’s recent campaign, for example, where thoughtfully designed typography not only improved readability for dyslexic users but also resulted in a stylish and engaging visual aesthetic. Likewise, the idea of gender-neutral design highlights that inclusive UX doesn’t limit creativity. It expands it, challenging designers to create products that appeal to broader, more diverse audiences.

Looking toward an accessible future

What does the future of UX accessibility look like? Exciting initiatives, like Apple’s continued investment in adaptive user interfaces, demonstrate that the accessible design of tomorrow is interactive, immersive, and visually captivating. It proves inclusive UX design is not restrictive but liberating, sparking creativity that resonates universally.

Ultimately, design is facilitation, not merely creation.

UX design isn’t just about crafting visually pleasing interfaces—it’s about facilitating genuine, meaningful interactions. It's about bridging gaps, removing barriers, and ensuring every interaction feels natural and empowering, no matter the user's abilities or needs.

Ready to make accessibility a cornerstone of your UX strategy?

If you're ready to unlock growth, build loyalty, and lead with empathy, consider investing in accessible UX design.

At VSDesign, we craft UX experiences that bridge accessibility with innovation, creating meaningful connections for all your users. Ready to elevate your design? Let’s talk!