Since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy has become more digitized, with more products and services being offered virtually and online. Yet at the same time, there’s a growing awareness that more of those products and services could be made more accessible to blind and low-vision customers, who often have a difficult time navigating through online services. Therefore, McKinsey collaborated with accessibility consultancy Tilting the Lens to conduct qualitative user research in Germany, Italy, and the US to understand the specific digital behaviors and experiences of those who are blind or have low vision.
We wrote this article to share the digital experiences and feedback of our research participants to help organizations understand the unintended effects of traditional product design on trust and buying decisions.
We also included some content to provide some principles that organizations can adopt to improve the customer experience for everyone. For instance, McKinsey Global Publishing editor Eliza Cooper demonstrates in a video how screen readers work. For greater accessibility, the top of the article also gives readers—and listeners—the option to listen to the entire article using SoundCloud.
Individuals we spoke with highlighted some helpful technological advances in recent years that have aided their digital experiences, including accessibility improvements that some companies have made to their websites and digital content. Nevertheless, they often found digital content and services to be inaccessible.
This is a growing issue for both customers and businesses, as the demand for accessible products and services is growing due to an aging population. Research also shows that consumer companies with inaccessible websites and digital strategies stand to lose an estimated $6.9 billion annually as frustrated disabled consumers take their business to competitors. Meanwhile, more regions and jurisdictions are implementing accessibility mandates, so it’s important that online services become more accessible for everyone.
As one research participant puts it: “If it is meant to be used by us, it should be influenced by us.”
Since our article was published in May 2023, it has received praise from prominent journalists and influencers in the accessibility and marketing communities, including former CIO UK editor-in-chief Mark Chillingworth and on LinkedIn, accessibility influencers including Gladys Maila of Ericsson and accessibility advocate Dr. Theresa Smith-Ruig .
