Removing Digital Barriers for Accessibility

We live in a digital age. But not everybody finds that easy. A recent paper by the Bank of Canada explores some of the challenges that digital systems create ¹. Its conclusions are important for anybody working on digital interfaces and systems, not just those focused on digital payments.

Those at ease with the digital world find it hard to relate to or understand those who don’t. One of the approaches of the authors was, therefore, to focus on fostering empathy for and identifying the needs of users who exhibit behaviours that indicate they encounter accessibility or usability barriers in digital systems.

The paper examined the experience and needs of two types of users: those who rely on others to perform tasks and those who avoid interacting with technology.