Throughout a product’s life cycle, it is not uncommon to emphasize accessibility in the initial development and design stages. While accessibility is essential to these pre-launch phases, it’s also important to what happens after the product is ready to hit the market. This is known as the deployment stage.
This piece will provide an overview of deployment and how accessibility is relevant to this stage of a product’s lifecycle.
What is deployment?
Deployment is the third “D” in a 3D framework for a product’s life cycle. The other two stages are design and development.
An official launch of a service, product, app, or platform is known as deployment. In other words, this is when the users can interact with the product.
Another way to think about it, deployment marks the end of the product’s incubation period and the advent of its life on the market.
However, one shouldn’t assume that deployment merely involves launching the product. While that is important, the deployment stage deals with the product’s sustained success post-launch.
Many technical elements go into product deployment. Examples include
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Environment setup- The process of configuring software and hardware necessary to ensure the product functions in its intended environment
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Security and access control- Ensure the product and its relevant data aren’t at risk of unauthorized use or theft.
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Monitoring and maintenance- The ongoing process of observing the product's functionality even after it is in the hands of the consumer.
Deploying a product also has plenty of non-technical processes to consider. These include:
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User Experience- Assessing the quality with which the consumer interacts with the product upon its release. Often this is performed through the use of effective customer support.
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Customer support- Trained staff helps customers with any issues or questions regarding the product.
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Legal Compliance- The product must adhere to any applicable legal standards. This could include patent laws, copyright laws, safety regulations, and even accessibility laws such as the ADA.
Accessibility in deployment
Accessibility needs to remain a priority, even at this final stage of a product development life cycle. During this stage, accessibility efforts made during the design and development stages are finally evaluated.
Most accessibility assessments have been in-house (or with contracted third-party testers.) The deployment stage is when a company can get real-world feedback as to how accessible (or inaccessible) their product is. The real-world reaction is incredibly consequential to the sustained success of the product and maybe even the company itself.
Also of consequence is the company’s ability to ensure the sustained accessibility of the product. While a product needs to be accessible at the time of launch, it's equally important for a product to adapt to the ever-evolving understanding and standards of accessibility.
Common accessibility issues
Several accessibility problems can arise during the deployment stage. Most common among them are overlooked mistakes.
There are many things to bear in mind during a product development lifecycle. Such accessibility issues, such as appropriate color contrasts on a page, may slip through the cracks.
If a team has shrugged off accessibility concerns by the time a product reaches the deployment stage, those mistakes may go unnoticed since deployment has its accessibility concerns. This can, in turn, cause some real problems down the line.
Furthermore, having reached the deployment stage, it takes a lot of work to go back and correct accessibility-related mistakes. For digitally-based products, it’s much easier to do than physical products, which would necessitate a recall. All the same, it’s still a hassle and can delay the progression of new projects.
Another potential issue is improper accessibility training of post-launch staff. Consider, for instance, if a customer has issues accessing a product’s audio description feature. Customer service representatives without accessibility training cannot assist customers effectively.
Many of these problems arise from treating accessibility as just a box to tick off rather than a company’s ongoing mission.
Accessible deployment pre-launch
Accessible deployment in the moments leading up to a product launch involves triple-checking the product. It is the last chance to see if any accessibility features have been neglected or forgotten.
For instance, is coding a product’s design compatible with a screen reader?
The pre-launch deployment also involves adequately training deployment staff in accessibility. This is essential so all customer supporters can be as knowledgeable as possible during the post-launch period.
Accessible deployment post-launch
As previously stated, the other important deployment element is product quality in the post-launch period. In terms of accessibility, this involves effective monitoring, support, and updates.
Relevant deployment staff should monitor the accessibility features of a product even once it is in the consumer’s possession. Analyzing user feedback about those features can help achieve this.
It’s important to remember that while the product may have been approved through expert testing, that may not reflect the common user experience. Adequately trained staff should be able to guide users through any potential accessibility issues.
Throughout the product's lifetime in the market, its parent company should always be mindful of the ever-evolving standards of accessibility. By monitoring these developments, they will be more prepared should an update to the product need to be implemented.
Conclusion
Accessibility is about following through rather than just reaching the finish line. Accessibility needs to be treated seriously even after the product is in the wild.
Those sustainable considerations are the bedrock of effective and accessible deployment. It’s about asking the question, “How can we keep our products accessible?”
Keep checking our blog to learn more about effectively implementing accessible deployment strategies.
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