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When you are planning your business’s website, obviously you want it to be as professional, attractive, and easy to navigate as possible. And that can give you and your web designer a lot to think about. But one thing you want to make sure doesn’t slip through the cracks in the planning process is making sure your site is accessible to those who are living with different abilities, including hearing impairment. Keep in mind that many more people experience hearing impairment than you may realize, and you want to make sure that their experience on your site is as complete as anyone else’s. Here are some of the ways you can make your company site more inclusive overall.

The importance of inclusivity in web design.

Once you start to think about the concept of inclusivity, it should be clear why it is so important both for you as a business owner and for your potential clients. No matter who your target audience is, they are going to come from different backgrounds, and have a diverse range of needs and concerns. It’s essential that you create messaging with this fact in mind. Failure to do so will mean that underrepresented groups continue to be shunted to the margins. And on your end, you will lose the opportunity for making valuable connections.

Inclusive design and the hearing-impaired.

When it comes to serving those who experience hearing impairment, inclusivity needs to be present on several different levels. In the first place, make sure all relevant content on your site is as easily accessible to those with hearing impairments as to anyone else. This means that any video or audio content should also be accompanied by subtitles or transcripts. Additionally, make sure your customers have communication or customer service options that are geared towards those with hearing impairment. This might include online chat services, contact forms, and email communication options.

Accessibility tips for ecommerce sales sites.

If you are running an ecommerce site, you don’t want to lose customers because your site is too difficult to use. Here are some considerations to keep in mind when ensuring that your ecommerce store is both inclusive and accessible: make sure all product descriptions are accompanied by clearly written text. If your products are accompanied by instructional videos, provide transcripts or, better yet, have videos made using ASL (American Sign Language). If you need help making your ecommerce site more accessible, consider hiring a Shopify freelance developer who will also be able to assist you with tracking analytics and managing customer orders. The typical Shopify developer salary will be between $15 and $30 per hour.

Other ways to make your business site more inclusive.

As well as designing your site with the needs of the hearing impaired in mind, also consider what you can do to accommodate other customers with different disabilities. Two primary ability issues to keep in mind when creating a site include visual impairment and motor control concerns. Your site should aim for larger text and clearly delineated colors and contrasts, as well as audio options for the visually impaired. Also, be sure to allow for ease of access of buttons and form fields, so those who may have difficulty handling a computer mouse will not experience trouble with your site. And don’t forget to keep your content and processes as simple as possible, so those with cognitive impairments won’t have difficulties on your site.

Having an inclusive and accessible site is important for a variety of reasons. A major part of inclusivity involves making your site easy to use for those with impairments. If you need tech support for your business site, consider the services at Nicasio Design for all your web design needs.