My Swedish edition of the book has got some recognition since its initial release in 2014. Until now the English edition has had a bit more obscure existence even though it has sold better than I expected.

Yesterday, after some vanity-searching on Google I found out that Buffer wrote an article on The Chicago Tribune – “14 quotes that celebrate a more accessible world”.

“When speaking of disabilities, the blind and their needs are most often used as an example. It is deceivingly simplistic since accessibility is something most of the population can benefit from.”
– Marcus Österberg, Web Strategy for Everyone

Most startlingly is the names of the others they chose to quote. Among others are my personal hero in usability, Steve Krug, author of the magnificent book Don’t Make Me Think. Also, the creator of the Web is quoted, Tim Berners-Lee. To top it off we also find Stephen Hawking, a theoretical physicist perhaps most famous for his work on cosmology.

Maybe the book, Web Strategy for Everyone, contains more quote-worthy passages. Find out for yourself, it’s available in print, PDF and E-book at my publisher Intranätverk

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You who have read my book Web Strategy for Everyone notes at the end of the web design section that I, a little unexpectedly, am lumping together usability and accessibility with game-based learning, so-called gamification. It is not a coincidence. In addition to the fact that each user’s abilities are highly individual in its mix its fundamental, for all users, to show that it’s worth the effort.

Accessibility is all about empathy

It can sometimes be difficult to find support for working with accessibility even though most people agree that it is important. My most common argument is that accessibility will benefit all of us – at some point.

“What will you send an Iphone 6S with its retina display locked in landscape mode when on a medium fast cellular connection and located outdoors at noon?”
– Web Strategy for Everyone

Anyone using their mobile phones out in bright sunlight will notice that they need a lot of contrast in order to have a chance to orient themselves on a website. All of us have motor impairments sometimes, you’ll notice it when on a touch screen when the finger you’re accustomed to have a patch, or whether using someone else’s computer where the mouse is not as you expect. Such as a gaming mouse with a “high sense”, then the mouse pointer moves far too fast for an inexperienced person.

Accessibility is beneficial for all users – at some point

Also, most of us suffer from cognitive impairment once in a while, at least it must be common having a reduced function at the end of the working day. We get tired and easily distracted, in other words. But we can also be under emotional stress, as Eric Meyer explains in the podcast episode The Web Ahead – Designing for Crisis, all those interfaces not being helpful, when all he wanted was to see his daughter.

Some users of these needs all the time. To convince those being doubtful you can also invite them to a usability test. Or show them some of all videos online where you get to see how these problems affects the user experience for actual users. The web standard organization W3C has compiled a list of examples, videos for us to gain insight on accessibility.

Tips on tools and an accessibility checklist in the book

Don’t miss out on the DIY-section of the book. I suggest tools you can use to check if your website is okay accessibility-wise. Buy Web Strategy for Everyone at introductory price ≈ 25 $ + VAT from Intranatverk ›

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