The rise of mobile technology called for the development of clear guidelines on how particular accessibility regulations that pertain to the web can also be applied to mobile apps. The newly created situation, in consequence, increased the number of mobile app ADA lawsuits filed against financial institutions in the recent past.
In that regard, having your credit union’s mobile app designed in accordance with all accessibility standards is a must if you want to avoid legal hassles. But that’s not all. With an ADA-compliant mobile app in place, your company will benefit from reaching a wider audience and having an improved brand image.
In this article, you will find the information necessary to understand how Mobile App ADA compliance is regulated in the United States and what actions your credit union has to undertake to avoid lawsuits and improve the user experience for everyone.
What should your credit union know about Mobile Accessibility regulations in the US?
ADA compliance, which refers to the Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design, states that all electronic and information technology (like websites and mobile apps) must be accessible to people with disabilities. And, the financial sector falls in the top few industries that are targeted most often for litigation.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance has been in place since 1990 for physical branches, whereas in 2008 The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) were created to regulate the accessibility of digital content for the web. However, with the fast technological progress and the rise of mobile technology in recent years arises the need for applying each WCAG 2.0 requirement to mobile apps.
After several efforts to cover the gaps, in June of 2018, WAI published the WCAG 2.1 guidelines, which expressly address mobile accessibility.
However, in the US, WCAG 2.1 is still not required by government agencies or under Section 508. Still, it is highly recommended for your credit union to review the 2.1 criteria so that you can educate yourself on design issues specific to mobile accessibility.
Furthermore, with mobile app ADA compliance lawsuits on the rise, the more effort you make to enhance the accessibility of your mobile apps the lower are the odds for your company to become a subject of an accessibility lawsuit.
In addition, as mentioned above, more regulations won’t hurt. Just the opposite – better usability will help you go one step further from the competition, attract more users and position yourself as a financial institution that cares.
How to make your credit union mobile app ADA compliant and avoid lawsuits?
To mitigate the risk of becoming subject to mobile app ADA compliance lawsuits, your credit union has to develop an accessibility plan that is in accordance with the regulations required in the US.
To ensure that you are on the right track it is highly recommendable to hire an accessibility expert with experience in the field. With their help, you can determine which WCAG standard to pick for your website and what critical elements to focus on when designing your app. Color, visibility, focus, orientation, text equivalents, audio are just some of the parts that your designers and developers have to take into consideration for your mobile applications.
Testing is another important step in the process of developing and maintaining accessible mobile apps. Make sure to conduct tests during development and resume improving the usability through continuous user testing as you go on.
Last but not least, try to take advantage of native controls and components that have accessibility built-in and make use of platform-specific guidance such as those of Apple and Google.
The website is where you start. CUWebsite Services Can Help You Design and Develop an Inclusive Website for your financial institution.
At CUWebsite Services we have been helping credit unions stay ahead of the technology curve, and can provide you with all means necessary to develop and maintain the required accessibility standards for your website. Don’t hesitate to contact us for more information on what your credit union needs to meet the ADA requirements.
