How to Build a Business Case for Accessibility in Digital Products
Accessibility isn’t just for people with disabilities. It’s for everyone. It’s about making your digital products easier to use, more inclusive, and ready for the future. But getting buy-in from business teams can be tough.
You may have pitched accessibility before, only to hear:
- “It doesn’t impact revenue.”
- “It’s not a legal requirement for us.”
- “Only a few people need it.”
- “It’s too expensive.”
Sound familiar? You’re not alone. And if you’re here, you probably care deeply about accessibility. You’re doing the right thing. Now, let’s get your stakeholders on board by turning good intentions into a strong business case.
Start With the Right Question
Instead of asking “Why is accessibility good?”, ask:
“Why should WE spend time and money on accessibility instead of something else?”
This is the question every leadership team is asking—so answer it clearly, with business value.
1. Reduce Risk and Stay Ahead of the Law
Accessibility laws are tightening. Think:
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Section 508 (U.S.)
- European Accessibility Act (EAA)
- Web Accessibility Directive (EU)
If your app serves public sector clients or sells software internationally, you may already be affected—even indirectly. Even private B2B companies are seeing accessibility requirements pop up in procurement documents and contracts.
Our accessibility compliance consulting helps you stay ahead, reduce legal risks, and ensure your product won’t be left behind in bidding processes.
2. Turn Accessibility into a Competitive Edge
More companies now make accessibility a must-have. For many, it’s a deal-breaker.
If your product is accessible and your competitor’s isn’t, you win the contract. It’s that simple.
Talk to your sales team. Ask:
- Are clients asking about accessibility?
- Are we losing deals because of it?
- Who’s asking—new leads or longtime clients?
Need help benchmarking your competitor’s accessibility features? We offer accessibility audits and market research to help you see where you stand.
3. Show How Real Users Benefit
Your users don’t need a disability to benefit. Think:
- 50+ year-old office workers needing bigger text
- Employees working outside needing higher contrast
- Users wearing gloves needing larger buttons
- Keyboard shortcuts that increase speed for daily power users
Use customer feedback and insight tools to find comments like “hard to click,” “can’t zoom,” or “confusing labels.” These are signals. They may not say “accessibility,” but they mean the same thing.
Just getting started? Let’s guide you. Our UX and accessibility team helps you identify the real-world impact of poor accessibility—and turn it into better design.
4. Use What You Already Have
Good news: you don’t have to start from zero. Accessibility overlaps with what you’re likely doing already to improve usability, such as:
- Clear error messages
- Proper form labels
- Page layout and navigation
- Mobile responsiveness
That overlap means your designers and developers may already be halfway there. We can review your product and guide your team through improvements that boost both user satisfaction and accessibility. Let’s talk.
Mid-Article CTA: Ready to Start Small but Smart?
Don’t wait for a lawsuit or a lost contract. Start with a quick accessibility scorecard. We’ll audit your design system or your top three user flows to find easy wins.
Request an accessibility audit quote now
Making the case for accessibility is about more than compliance—it’s about better UX, higher conversions, and stronger brand trust.
💡 Ready to future-proof your product? Let’s build something that works for everyone. #InclusiveDesign #AccessibilityMatters #UXDesign #WebAccessibility
5. Accessibility for New Products or Features
Starting fresh? Apply an accessibility-first approach from day one.
- Designers follow inclusive design patterns
- Developers use semantic HTML and proper ARIA roles
- QA tests include keyboard navigation and layout checks
By sharing responsibility across teams, you prevent costly fixes later. Fixing issues after launch is expensive. Fixing during design? Almost free.
We offer training workshops for your product, design, and engineering teams to build accessibility into every stage of development.
6. Retrofitting Existing Products
Older products need love too. But don’t try to fix everything at once. Here’s how to start:
- Audit the design system. Fix it at the source.
- Select 2–3 top user flows. Focus auditing there.
- Check for basic issues: color contrast, responsive layout, label consistency.
Use tools like Accessibility Insights to run quick checks.
Fix the big wins fast. Then scale improvements up over time. Want help segmenting audits and setting priorities that work for your budget? We can lead this for you.
7. Estimate the Cost—And the Savings
Adding accessibility during production? 5–10% of project time. Retrofitting afterward? Up to 30% more expensive. Choose wisely.
Use examples or code estimates: “Fixing label structure on 40 pages takes X hours now—but Y hours post-launch.”
We help you calculate ROI. We also help you find feature overlaps so you can build accessibility into roadmap priorities without extra cost.
8. Make It Easy to Decide
Executives are busy. Show them:
- What you want to do
- Why it matters to the business
- How much it costs
Use charts. Use a matrix. Map your choices. We can create custom decision frameworks to help you present accessibility clearly to your leadership team.
Final Thoughts: Small Moves Bring Big Value
Even if your company isn’t ready for full compliance today, that doesn’t mean you can’t start. Small wins matter. A keyboard-friendly page. A reusable accessible component. One pilot project.
You don’t need to do everything. But you do need to start.
Final Call-to-Action: Let’s Start Building an Accessible Future
Your users deserve better. Your product can be more inclusive. And your business can be stronger because of it.
We help companies make their products accessible—without the overwhelm. Let’s build something that works for everyone.
