AccessAble

A life-changing digital experience for those in need

AccessAble were looking for a refreshed brand, app and site – one that harnessed modern technology to offer a more engaging, welcoming experience that can empower and inspire their growing community of disabled users.

We were humbled to be given the opportunity to extend the reach and appeal of this life-changing service. At our very heart, we are a user-centred design agency, with UX and UI a core offering of Kyan’s since our foundation. As the web has grown to what it is today, the need for universal accessbility has never been more crucial. We worked with AccessAble to take their platform to the next level starting at the most important part; the user.

What is AccessAble?

AccessAble takes the chance out of going out. The service provides detailed information to those with accessibility requirements.

Trained surveyors check out every single featured place in person, and the information that they collect has been decided by the community. The findings are then added to the ever-growing AccessAble service, which can be used through their website or via AccessAble’s iOS and Android apps.

Testing doesn't have to be testing

We engaged with local Guildford charity, Sight for Surrey, who facilitated the first of our research sessions. For us, this was essential information gathering that allowed us to identify the key frustrations that visually impaired users frequently faced when interacting with content. With some users having other disabilities aside from visual impairment, this research was invaluable to understanding the key challenges we needed to respond to within the design phase.

We also conducted regular reviews with disabled users, some of whom were existing users of the previous AccessAble site (known then as DisabledGo), to ensure that early designs were validated by the people that would ultimately be using the new platform. This feedback fed into the finalisation of the new AccessAble products.

Brand versus design

There was a delicate balance to be found between a strong and vibrant brand and a design that is 100% tailored towards those with disabilities. We’re no strangers to accessibility design, and digital branding is part of our DNA, so it didn’t take long for these two disciplines to come together and make a brand that worked on both levels and was faithful to the overall AccessAble brand goals.

When considering design trends, it was just as important to decide what to exclude as well as include. A key approach to accessibility is to keep a layout simple and easy to use, but for it to also achieve a level of design merit. AccessAble needed to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the sites that users have become accustomed to using, but particular features can actually complicate the user journey and make navigation harder for those with disabilities, so balance was key.

Going the extra mile

We wanted the AccessAble experience to be absolutely bulletproof at every part of the user journey. So we left no stone unturned, and no user forgotten. Our approach put a great amount of attention to detail where most forget to. This included:

Full compatibility with screen-reader technology
Integration with ReciteMe, a fully customisable in-browser experience
Easy Read integration, offering simplified content views of each Access Guide

A warm welcome

The app has received very positive reviews, with users commenting on its ease of use, level of detail, use of photography, and powerful search.

The app is available on both Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store. We didn’t cut corners with the Android release either, which is sadly commonplace when developing apps for both platforms.

Key results:

The site is receiving 150,000 visits per month - over 50% growth
Access guides across the site now load over 10x quicker
We've seen the bounce rate drop substantially from 52% to just 12%
To date, the app has seen close to 3,500 downloads
60+ app reviews with a 4.3 out of 5 score average
A surge in partnerships, inluding M&S, Boots, NHS and a number of Universities throughout the UK

Wirehive 100 - Digital Experience of the Year 2019 Winner

"I've been using this app for a couple of weeks now and I cannot believe how much it has helped me throughout these days. When I tried to go out I never knew what I could find there but this app has made it so much easier for me."

“The app is very easy to use and navigate, with a logical search facility to help users find what they’re looking for. It is a must have app for the disabled community, helping improve the quality of everyday lives.”

“This will eliminate the need for ‘rookie runs’ when planning outings, to allow for more fun and spontaneity.”

“The website is great. I love that you can select and filter your results. As my mum has limited hearing and vision it’s great to be able to find places quickly and easily that I know she will like and not feel anxious at.”

“AccessAble is exactly what disabled people have been looking for. Far too often access information is limited, non existent and wrong. This saves so much time, effort and stress.”