Domino’s Pizza app must be accessible to blind people

Accessibility is usability, no one is perfect but Domino’s dragging its feet just doesn’t make sense.

“Domino’s Pizza has been told its website and app must be made fully accessible to blind people, after losing a legal case in the US. It follows a complaint from a blind customer who said he first struggled to change toppings and then was unable to complete a pizza’s purchase using the company’s iPhone app.”

Brand’s are being forced into awareness about the Department of Justice’s American with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design. Domino’s is the latest to get a crash course in these standards, which mandate design protocol to make digital properties accessible to people with disabilities. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, almost 13% of the American (non institutionalized) population has physical or mental condition which limits movement, senses, or activities. Not only do brands that do not comply risk costly litigation (ahem, Domino’s), but they risk losing out on business from a hefty chunk of customers. It’s also worth mentioning that this is a non-issue for businesses employing a proper CMS, which can make ADA compliance required and easy.

Update: My good friend Bet at bethannon.com mentioned that choosing a more inclusive approach to design can have significant implications for the bottom-line of companies, too. The Centre for Inclusive Design in partnership with Adobe and Microsoft released research that shows products and services designed with accessibility in mind can expand customer reach fourfold. So while compliance is important, businesses should also consider the economic benefits of design that delivers for everyone.