Digital accessibility refers to the inclusive practice of ensuring that individuals with disabilities face no barriers in their interactions with websites and digital products. As banking services move online, ensuring their accessibility is an ethical imperative.
Accessibility in online banking involves designing apps and websites to be compatible with diverse needs, experiences, and assistive technologies. In this piece, we will provide an overview of the importance of digital accessibility in online banking and outline the best practices for achieving it.
Digital accessibility in the context of banking
Accessibility in online banking has a universal impact on many demographics. Senior citizens, people with disabilities, and even those with temporary impairments all benefit from user-friendly digital experiences. This is important for all digital interactions, but is especially critical for online banking.
Banking services that ignore digital accessibility can create multiple obstacles. For example, customers with visual impairments might be unable to check their account balances if the bank’s mobile app is not compatible with screen readers. Similarly, those recovering from a severe injury could struggle to navigate a bank's website that does not facilitate keyboard navigation.
In every case, inaccessible banking websites or apps exclude users. Given the vital role that banking plays in daily life, any form of exclusion is inexcusable. This holds true not only morally, but legally.
Legal imperative
The legal framework for digital accessibility in online banking is defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA protects against discrimination against people with disabilities in various contexts. Title III of the ADA covers public accommodations, such as banks.
Over the years, there has been legal controversy regarding a website's obligation under Title III. However, most courts have determined that websites are as obligated as brick-and-mortar establishments to comply with these regulations. In fact, in 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice published accessibility guidance stating that Title III applies to all goods and services, including those offered on the web.
As such, focusing on accessibility reduces a business's legal risks. It ensures adherence to the ADA’s regulations, decreasing the likelihood of expensive litigation and the accompanying negative publicity.
Benefits of digital accessibility in banking
Accessible online banking provides several benefits for all users. It enhances the overall customer experience, ensuring that services are smooth and intuitive for everyone.
Adopting this inclusive approach can also improve a bank's brand reputation by demonstrating a commitment to diversity and social responsibility. These are values that resonate with today's consumers and help banks stand out in a competitive landscape.
The financial incentives are just as persuasive. By prioritizing digital accessibility, banks can engage a broader market, including the roughly 16% of the global population living with disabilities — a segment often neglected. This can yield more customers and greater customer loyalty, in turn driving revenue growth.
So, how should a bank ensure its website and apps are digitally accessible?
Adhere to WCAG principles
Digital accessibility in online banking relies on adhering to the four core principles of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Banking apps and websites must be:
- Perceivable – Information should be presented in ways that all users can understand, whether through sight, hearing, or touch. For instance, a bank's customer service page should have appropriate contrast ratios between text and background, ensuring all customers can easily find contact details or read FAQs to resolve their queries.
- Operable – Users must be able to navigate and conduct banking tasks using a variety of inputs. For example, customers with mobility impairments should have the option to schedule account transfers using voice commands.
- Understandable – Pages should provide clear instructions and facilitate predictable interactions. When customers look up steps to unfreeze their accounts, the guidance must be clearly phrased for those with potential cognitive disabilities.
- Robust – Maintaining compatibility with both current and future user tools and assistive technologies is essential. A way to adhere to this principle is by integrating semantic HTML from the initial development phase. This ensures that, even as they evolve, assistive devices can reliably process vital information, such as account balances and transaction confirmations.
Balance security with accessibility
While essential for safeguarding data, online banking security measures can inadvertently create accessibility challenges. For example, complex password requirements may pose difficulties for users with cognitive impairments who may have trouble remembering intricate passwords. Furthermore, some websites may not permit users to copy and paste text into a password/authentication page.
Additionally, standard two-factor authentication (2FA) methods, often reliant on SMS or phone calls, could exclude those with hearing impairments or limited mobile access. Time-restricted sessions may also disadvantage users with motor or cognitive disabilities who need more time to navigate.
To balance security with accessibility, banks can adopt universally usable systems. Alternatives to SMS-based 2FA, such as email verification or biometric authentication (like fingerprint scanning), can cater to a broader audience. Simplifying processes, for instance, by using clear language or allowing paste functionality on login pages, assists users with cognitive challenges. For necessary CAPTCHAs, banks might use simpler, more accessible formats, such as basic math questions or image-based tasks, to accommodate users with dyslexia or visual impairments.
By focusing consistently on these elements, banks can ensure that their online banking platforms are both secure and accessible, enabling all customers to manage their finances independently and securely.
Training and education
It is essential that all bank employees, from web developers to content creators, understand not just what digital accessibility is, but why it is important.
Bank leaders can foster this understanding through comprehensive training on accessibility standards. Such education cultivates a workplace where accessibility is integral to the development process, ensuring that each update and every piece of content is inherently accessible.
Moreover, collaborating with third-party accessibility consultants, such as Fable, allows staff to receive valuable feedback and recommendations for improvement. These experts can conduct testing with users of varying abilities and offer insightful perspectives that emphasize the real-life importance of accessibility.
This commitment to education not only ensures the user-friendliness of the bank’s digital platforms but also strengthens the bank’s dedication to inclusivity.
Conclusion
Digital accessibility is essential to inclusive banking. It ensures that everyone, regardless of ability, can manage their finances independently. As online banking becomes ubiquitous, it is critical to prioritize accessibility and preserve the equality, autonomy, and dignity of all users.
Banks should adhere to established guidelines, stay current with emerging technologies, and educate their staff about the importance of such inclusion. Only with these steps can we earnestly look toward a future that is truly open and accessible.
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