Developers want to ship great products for everyone. When deadlines hit, accessibility is often the first thing pushed aside. This is typically due to costs, scope or lack of explicit client demand. Such a perspective is ultimately shortsighted.
Prioritizing accessibility is no longer just a moral choice. It is a strategic necessity driven by shifting regulations and the reality that inclusive design expands your market. When you ignore accessibility, you ignore a massive segment of your audience. We build for the long term, and accessibility is a crucial part of that mindset.
Let’s look at how accessibility and inclusive design benefit all users, protect your business from legal risk, and strengthen your bottom line.
Inclusivity Grows Your User Base
When app stores are overflowing with nearly identical products, UX is what makes your product stand out. Accessibility isn’t about extreme cases either. More often, it supports users who want bigger text, reduced brightness or a UI that adapts to their needs instead of fighting them.
These user groups are larger than many teams expect. At least 50% of iOS users and 72% of Android users have one or more accessibility settings enabled on their devices. Nearly 30% actively use dynamic font sizing.
Features like landscape mode, dynamic type and VoiceOver come baked into the operating system. It already does lot of the heavy lifting. What remains is making sure your app still works when those features are turned on.
Accessibility also drives measurable business results. Teams that get it right see growth, not just goodwill. Tesco is a clear example. After overhauling accessibility, online sales increased by 350%, and satisfaction among users with disabilities climbed right alongside it.
On top of that, accessibility can create organic visibility. When the game Unpacking launched with audio descriptions and alternate controls, it was featured in Apple’s Access for All showcase. You don’t buy that kind of exposure. You earn it by not excluding people in the first place.
Accessibility and Regulation: What Actually Applies
Beyond UX, accessibility now sits firmly in the legal domain. Many markets now target specific product categories and typically require compliance with WCAG Level AA.
WCAG, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, is the global benchmark for digital accessibility and the primary reference for most international laws. It’s created by the W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative. It started on the web, but many laws now apply it to mobile apps too, with a few adjustments to cover the lack of mobile-only standards.
Public sector apps are the clearest case. If an app delivers information or services for government or public bodies, it almost always has to be accessible. Financial services and banking apps are also heavily regulated. This includes products that handle payments, virtual currencies or investment management.
Some countries, such as Canada and South Korea, as well as parts of the EU, require accessibility in the private sector for apps that provide essential services such as healthcare, education, or transportation.
In the US, ADA Title III applies to digital products offered by private businesses that serve the public. Retail, hospitality, food delivery, fitness and entertainment apps can fall under these rules when the app itself serves the public.
The European Accessibility Act has also changed the landscape for e-commerce. If you’re running a digital shop in the EU, accessibility is a legal requirement. E-commerce apps have officially joined the public sector in the crosshairs of mandatory compliance.
These regions represent the strictest rules and the lowest tolerance for shortcuts. However, the rules change all the time and differ across borders. Understanding where your users are and what category your app falls into is critical before launch.
Legal Penalties and Real Risk
Non-compliance is not theoretical. In the US, non-compliance with ADA Title III can lead to penalties of up to $75,000 for a first violation and $150,000 for subsequent violations.
Within the EU, non-compliance with the European Accessibility Act typically includes administrative fines ranging from €5,000 to €20,000 per violation, plus daily penalties of up to €1,000 until resolved. But this can vary dramatically per specific country within the EU. In the Netherlands, for example, fines can reach €900,000.
In Canada, corporations can face fines up to $100,000 per day for major or repeated violations, such as inaccessible apps that fail to meet WCAG 2.0/2.1 Level AA.
In most countries, enforcement begins with a user complaint. That complaint can trigger investigations or civil lawsuits, often leading to costs far beyond the original fine.
Working with WCAG in Practice
Most regulations point to the same benchmark: WCAG Level AA, typically version 2.1 or 2.2.
WCAG defines three levels of conformance: A, AA and AAA. Each level builds on the one before it. AA includes A. AAA includes all three.
In reality, most regulations target WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 at Level AA. It’s achievable, widely referenced in legislation, and sets a solid accessibility baseline.
That said, WCAG was not written with mobile-first products in mind. Applying it to touch interfaces, gestures and small screens takes judgement. Treating it as a checklist rarely leads to a good experience.
Teams that approach accessibility as part of design and engineering, rather than as a compliance task at the end, tend to get better results for users and avoid expensive rework later.
The Bottom Line
Whether you are driven by a wider market reach or the need to dodge a $100,000 fine, the path forward is the same. Accessibility is a baseline for building a digital product that doesn’t exclude people by design.
If you’re wondering where your app stands, here is how to evaluate your next move:
- Define Your Legal Perimeter: Map out where your users are and what your app does. If you’re in fintech, e-commerce, or the public sector, compliance is likely mandatory. Check your local regulations (like the EAA or ADA).
- Audit Against WCAG Level AA: Don’t guess. Measure your app against WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 at Level AA. This is the sweet spot referenced by almost all global legislation. Falling short creates both UX debt and legal exposure.
- Test with Real Accessibility Settings: Most users already rely on system features. Your job is to ensure your app doesn't break when they use it. Test how your UI holds up when VoiceOver is on or when dynamic type is scaled up.
- Move from Box-Ticking to Expertise: Remember that WCAG was built for the web. Simply following a checklist won't result in a great mobile experience. It takes judgment and engineering expertise to apply these rules to a touch interface in a way that feels natural.
Accessibility is a long-term investment in your product’s quality and reach. If you want to build something that lasts, you build it for everyone.
