This weekend, I had an experience that was both frustrating and eye-opening—a reminder that even the biggest tech companies are still far from mastering accessibility. It all started with a classic case of being the family’s “go-to tech person.” You know, the unofficial role where you’re responsible for fixing all things tech-related.
A close family member had just bought a new iPhone. Transferring data from their old device to the new one seemed straightforward enough, thanks to Apple’s ecosystem. But switching from a Max model to a Pro brought a smaller screen, and I quickly noticed they were struggling to read the text. So, I did what any responsible techie would do: I adjusted the font size in the system settings to make everything easier to read. "Accessibility for the win," I thought.
The Unexpected Roadblock
The setup was smooth sailing until it was time to open WhatsApp. Everything seemed fine at first, but then came the welcome screen: the logo, a cheerful greeting, and, at the bottom, the button to accept the terms and conditions. And that’s where the trouble started.
No matter how much we tried to scroll or tap around the screen, the button was nowhere to be found. After a few minutes of frustration, it finally hit me: the larger font size meant the terms and conditions took up the entire screen, and the WhatsApp welcome screen wasn’t scrollable. This left the “Accept” button completely inaccessible, making it impossible to proceed with the setup.
The Accessibility Paradox
The irony of this situation didn’t escape me. A feature designed to make the device more user-friendly had instead created an insurmountable barrier. And this wasn’t just any app; it was WhatsApp, one of the most widely used applications in the world, owned by Meta, a tech giant with seemingly endless resources.
To make matters worse, this isn’t some obscure edge case. The large font size option is a standard iOS feature, meant to assist users with visual impairments. How could such a critical oversight exist in a product from one of the world’s most scrutinized tech companies?
The Real Cost of Ignoring Accessibility
This experience got me thinking about the real-world impact of these accessibility failures. As someone with technical knowledge, I was able to temporarily reduce the font size, accept the terms, and then reapply the larger font setting. But what about people who don’t know how to do this? Or those who don’t have a “tech-savvy family member” to help them out?
Accessibility is not a luxury or an optional extra. It’s a necessity. Every time an app fails to meet accessibility standards, it excludes a significant portion of users who rely on these features to navigate the digital world.
What Can We Learn From This?
Although this situation was frustrating, it served as a valuable reminder that accessibility isn’t something you can tack on at the end of development. It requires a genuine commitment from the very beginning.
- Test your apps with accessibility features enabled. Large fonts, screen readers, high-contrast modes—make sure your app works seamlessly in all conditions.
- Involve people with disabilities in your design process. Their insights are invaluable for uncovering issues you might never anticipate.
- Pay attention to the small details. Something as seemingly simple as making a screen scrollable can mean the difference between including or excluding a user.
Are You Designing With Accessibility in Mind?
Accessibility shouldn’t be an afterthought or a nice-to-have. If even the tech giants still have so much to learn, imagine how important it is for all developers and designers to take this seriously.
Because at the end of the day, technology isn’t just for those who can use it effortlessly. Technology is for everyone. Or at least, it should be.
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