Why we need app accessibility? Because smartphone users are getting old.

When our executive team at ArcTouch first started discussing app accessibility a few years ago, I viewed it through a narrow lens: It was for disabled people. 

At that time, Ben Ogilvie, now our head of accessibility, shared a striking statistic: 1-in-4 people in the U.S. have some form of disability, many of whom without an official diagnosis. A staggering number. 

Still, I couldn’t fully appreciate what this meant. I knew that building fully accessible digital experiences all the time was probably the right thing to do. But I also knew that doing so would add time and cost to projects, something our clients wouldn’t like. 

I wasn’t convinced that accessibility was always necessary. Then accessibility became personal.    

This app builder is getting older

My eyesight has slowly deteriorated over the past several years, a typical age-related change. My ability to see things in focus at a short distance diminished. I became the cliche middle-aged dad who subconsciously finds himself holding his phone further away so I can read what’s on the screen. 

Naturally, I adjusted my habits — increasing font sizes and zoom levels in my phone settings. Some of the apps and websites I frequently used handled these changed settings properly, but many became completely unusable. 

Eventually, I went to the optometrist and got some new progressive lens glasses to help with my changed vision. I returned my settings to a more typical level. For now.

Meanwhile, I also developed tendonitis, or "tennis elbow," in both arms. Everyday tasks like scrolling and tapping on a screen, mousing around a monitor, and typing on a keyboard became painful. I started using voice-to-text solutions and other accessible solutions for navigation. Sometimes, these tools worked ok. But for anyone who has ever been frustrated with Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant, you know these aren’t perfect. For applications that don’t prioritize accessibility, it only gets worse. 

Fortunately, my elbows have recovered through physical therapy. My eyesight? That’s going to continue to decline. 

These journeys led me to a few revelations: 

I, too, had a couple of disabilities. They turned out to be addressable through physical therapy and eyeglasses.  

Others aren’t so lucky. Many have permanent disabilities.

More troubling, aging will undoubtedly limit my future ability to thrive in the digital world. Especially without digital accessibility. 

An aging population of first-generation smartphone users

My age-related physical impairments left me thinking about my demographic and our relationship with technology. When Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007 — which led to the creation of ArcTouch — I was 30 years old. 

I was among the early adopters of smartphones — and since, nearly everyone in my age group has adopted smartphones. A 2021 survey showed that, in the U.S., 95% of those aged 30 to 49 reported owning a smartphone in 2021. That number includes me, though many iPhone and Android early adopters are probably now in the 50-64 demographic. That same survey showed 83% of those aged 50 to 64 owned smartphones.

source: Pew Research

ChatGPT estimates there are over a billion people today aged 42 - 57, a massive global market of aging, first-generation smartphone users who depend on these devices and their apps. 

And let’s be real for a minute: We are all slowly losing our eyesight, hearing, cognition, and physical abilities.

Digital accessibility matters to everyone. It matters for those who struggle with a range of temporary or permanent disabilities today — because they deserve to have equal access to digital products and experiences. And it matters for our future selves who will eventually fall into the first category. Myself included. 

Why I’m proud of accessibility-first development at ArcTouch

I’m a little embarrassed that I was slow to embrace our accessibility initiatives at ArcTouch. But through my own journey, I understand now. 

Our entire company has embraced the concept of accessibility-first app development — and we firmly believe the business case for accessibility is unbeatable. 

That doesn’t mean accessibility is easy. As our friend Joe Devon, founder of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, recently told us, building accessible experiences has become more difficult with the proliferation of hardware and software platforms and standards. 

Developing software that is genuinely accessible does not mean you simply pass an automated check tool. It isn’t limited to "we follow best practices," — though our team does have an app accessibility checklist that supports our tactical work on projects. To us, it means we’re culturally committed to accessibility, which is foundational to every lovable app and website we create. Our team is dedicated to designing and developing digital products with meaningful conformance to accessibility standards and delivering fully accessible inclusive experiences for everyone.  

It’s not an afterthought; it’s part of ArcTouch’s DNA. And if accessible digital products matter to you and your company, then we’d love to work together to make it so.

Let's make accessibility a cornerstone of digital innovation — today and tomorrow. For you. For me. For everyone.

About ArcTouch

Since the dawn of the App Store, ArcTouch has been creating lovable apps for companies of all sizes. Contact us to learn more about our accessible product design and development services.