Bob Farrell, Vice President, Solution Delivery Accessibility, Applause
Digital banking has become so integral to financial services that banks, insurers and other fintech companies are constantly striving to deliver a frictionless experience across mobile apps, websites, AI chatbots and other channels. As a result, digital accessibility has become a priority, especially for companies operating inside the EU that must comply with the new European Accessibility Act (EAA). Bob Farrell, the VP of Solution Delivery & Accessibility at Applause, looks at the measures companies are introducing to meet with compliance but also create digital experiences that are inclusive of everyone.
The EAA, which comes into effect on June 28, mandates that banking services delivered in the EU – including websites, mobile apps and even ATMs – must be accessible to people with disabilities (PWD). The EAA represents a major shift in how accessibility is being enforced across the EU, adding another regulatory layer to an already highly regulated industry. Fortunately, European banks and financial service providers have been steadily improving their digital products for some time to help ensure their products are not just accessible, but also to make sure the user experience is the best it can be.
We’ve seen this approach firsthand through many of the initiatives led by our own customers, including global financial institutions. Working to ensure accessibility and inclusion puts banks in a better position to both improve the experience for their customers and also navigate the EAA legislation once it’s been enforced and operate in different member states.
Ensuring accessibility for all
Traditional banking providers are aware of the competition they face from digital native banks that have emerged over the past decade. This market shift has necessitated the implementation of digital-first policies to deliver equivalent, if not superior digital banking services, to the new disruptors. Another factor in all of this is availability. Today, we’re experiencing a shift from a culture where customers used to regularly visit their local branches, to one where there are fewer branches on the high street. Many providers have responded to these changes by committing to digital accessibility and delivering services that ensure the participation of customers who relied on those branches, particularly in rural communities.
One of our customers, a major national bank in the EU, acknowledges that they have a ‘social commitment’ to elderly customers who live in areas where branches may have closed. We might not think of the elderly as PWD, but we must acknowledge that as we get older our eyesight and hearing are affected. Also, it is very common for mobility issues to appear, turning digital banking from a convenience to a critical necessity. It’s precisely for this reason that providers like this one have taken it upon themselves to implement screen readers and other assistive technologies to help customers, regardless of whether they’re elderly or have some form of disability. The common misconception is that digital accessibility is designed exclusively for PWD. The truth is that it exists to serve everyone – PWD, the elderly and even people who have temporary disabilities, like a broken arm or leg. The national bank in question, who prioritise services for the elderly, prioritise accessibility and optimise services for all customers. Their ethos has always been that the baseline should be that everyone can access digital banking and traditional banking services equitably.
Creating a global culture of inclusive design
So, how do you follow that example? How do you ensure universal access across all your digital channels and comply with the EAA? At a very basic level, you have to ensure you are first designing the product to address accessibility needs, and then build the products in a way that operates smoothly with all the assistive technologies in use by your consumers. When you have that foundation in place, you can create an organisational culture of inclusivity led by accessibility champions who will educate their support teams across design, development, legal and procurement about accessibility requirements.
Understanding how account holders with various disabilities experience an application or website and complete tasks with assistive technologies can alter the way designers approach product development. Inclusive design centers around creating fully accessible experiences and a seamless UX from the earliest stages of creating a product. Ensuring that screen readers, keyboard navigation and other crucial tools for PWD work properly is essential for financial service providers to stay competitive. Accessibility testing is carried out in conjunction with a whole range of functional testing across digital banking services, covering everything from bank transfers to cross-border payments – not to mention more complex testing in areas like personalisation and fraud management. All of which requires a focus on localisation to cater for different currencies and regulations, as well as languages, local customs and cultures.
This type of model can be delivered at scale using a global community of independent testers that support the testing and validation of digital products and services, right up to final release. But given the size and diversity of the EU, the key to this methodology is having access to local accessibility experts and testers. The testing team should reflect your diverse audience, in terms of age, ability, language and demographic backgrounds, while also possessing an understanding of the EAA and how it is applied in each member state to really deliver an accessible and highly usable banking experience for all your customers. Therefore, having a partner with the ability to conduct testing in-market is critically important.
Moving toward an inclusive future
Financial service providers must ensure that all transactions work properly and comply with relevant regulations and business processes. Seamless customer experiences are essential for new customer acquisition and retention, and digital quality hinges on accessibility. The real-world testing and feedback approach helps to introduce accessibility earlier in the design process to validate that all workflows and customer journeys have been optimised prior to release. It also allows providers to respond quickly to complaints or new directives to improve the end-user experience. This holistic approach also is a major cost saver, as it can significantly reduce the volume of issues found and size of engineering effort by designing inclusively up front. Even further, it can help mitigate risks under regulations like the EAA. In conclusion, heightened attention to and investment in digital accessibility is essential to delivering comprehensive digital quality to banking customers everywhere.
