Sales & Conversion
Personas
SaaS & Startup
Time to ROI
Short-term (< 3 months)
OK, so let me tell you about the day I almost lost a $50K client because of a screen reader.
I was sitting in this conference room, presenting what I thought was a perfectly designed website to the founder of a promising SaaS startup. Everything looked great on my laptop - clean design, fast loading, conversion-optimized. I was feeling pretty confident until she pulled out her phone and said, "Let me just test this with VoiceOver real quick."
What happened next was... well, let's just say it wasn't pretty. The screen reader couldn't navigate the site, buttons had no labels, and the entire user experience fell apart. The founder, who happened to be visually impaired, couldn't use the website I'd just spent weeks building for her company.
That moment changed everything about how I approach website accessibility. Most designers and developers treat accessibility like a compliance checklist - something you bolt on at the end to avoid lawsuits. But here's what I learned: real accessibility isn't about following guidelines, it's about building experiences that actually work for everyone.
In this playbook, you'll discover:
Why following WCAG guidelines alone isn't enough (and what you should do instead)
The three accessibility mistakes that kill conversions (even for non-disabled users)
My simple framework for building accessible websites that actually convert better
Real examples of how accessibility improvements boosted client revenue
The business case for accessibility that convinces even the most skeptical stakeholders
Whether you're building a SaaS platform or an ecommerce store, this isn't about charity work - it's about smart business strategy that opens up new markets and improves user experience for everyone.
Real Talk
What most agencies won't tell you about accessibility
Walk into any web design agency today and ask about accessibility, and you'll get the same rehearsed response: "Oh yes, we follow WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines." They'll show you their checklist, talk about alt tags and color contrast ratios, maybe mention keyboard navigation. Sound familiar?
Here's the thing - most of the industry treats accessibility like a legal checkbox. They implement the bare minimum to avoid ADA lawsuits, slap an accessibility statement on the footer, and call it a day. The typical approach looks like this:
Run an automated scan with tools like WAVE or axe
Fix the obvious issues - missing alt text, poor color contrast
Add ARIA labels wherever the tool suggests
Test with keyboard navigation (maybe)
Install an accessibility widget and hope for the best
This conventional wisdom exists because it's easier to sell compliance than user experience. Agencies can charge for audits, create detailed reports, and show tangible "fixes." It feels productive and measurable.
But here's where this approach falls short: accessibility isn't about passing tests, it's about creating experiences that work. I've seen perfectly WCAG-compliant websites that are impossible to use with assistive technology, and I've seen sites that "fail" automated tests but provide incredible user experiences for people with disabilities.
The real problem? Most businesses don't understand that accessibility isn't just about helping disabled users - it's about building better websites for everyone. When you design for edge cases, you improve the entire user experience. But try explaining that to a CEO who just wants to avoid lawsuits.
That's exactly why I developed a completely different approach - one that focuses on actual usability over compliance theater.
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
So there I was, rebuilding that SaaS website from scratch, but this time with a completely different mindset. Instead of starting with WCAG checklists, I started with actual users.
My client was a project management SaaS targeting small agencies - exactly the kind of fast-moving businesses that can't afford to exclude potential customers. The founder's experience with screen readers had opened my eyes, but I knew this wasn't just about visual impairments. We were potentially missing out on users with motor disabilities, cognitive differences, and even temporary limitations like broken arms or eye strain.
The first thing I tried was the standard approach - I ran the site through automated accessibility checkers, fixed all the "errors," and added ARIA labels everywhere. The tools gave us a perfect score. Great, right?
Wrong. When we tested with actual screen reader users, the experience was still terrible. The site was technically compliant but practically unusable. Users couldn't figure out how to sign up for a trial, the navigation was confusing, and the entire flow felt disjointed.
That's when I realized something important: automated tools can only catch about 25% of real accessibility issues. The other 75% require human testing and understanding actual user journeys.
The breakthrough came when I shifted from thinking about accessibility as a technical requirement to thinking about it as conversion rate optimization for a broader audience. Every accessibility improvement I made didn't just help disabled users - it made the site better for everyone.
For example, when I improved the color contrast for visually impaired users, it also made the site easier to read on mobile devices in bright sunlight. When I simplified the navigation for screen reader users, it also reduced confusion for all users. When I added captions to videos for deaf users, it also helped people watching in quiet environments.
The client started seeing this as a competitive advantage rather than a compliance burden. We weren't just avoiding lawsuits - we were capturing market share that competitors were ignoring.
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
Here's the framework I developed after working with dozens of clients on accessibility projects. I call it the "Universal Usability Method" - instead of checking boxes, we optimize for real human behavior.
Step 1: Start with User Journey Mapping
Before touching any code, I map out the critical user journeys on the site. For that SaaS client, the key journey was: Homepage → Features Page → Pricing → Trial Signup. Then I ask: "How would someone complete this journey if they couldn't use a mouse? Or couldn't see colors? Or couldn't hear audio?"
This immediately reveals the real bottlenecks. In our case, the biggest issue wasn't color contrast - it was that the entire signup flow relied on hover states that mobile and keyboard users couldn't access.
Step 2: The "Mom Test" for Accessibility
I have this rule: if my mom (who struggles with technology) can't figure out how to use the site, then someone with cognitive or motor disabilities definitely can't. This means:
Clear, descriptive labels for everything
Obvious interactive elements (no mystery meat navigation)
Consistent patterns throughout the site
Error messages that actually explain what went wrong
Step 3: Progressive Enhancement, Not Retrofitting
Instead of building a site and then making it accessible, I build accessibility into the foundation. This means starting with semantic HTML that works without CSS or JavaScript, then enhancing from there. For the SaaS client, I rebuilt their signup form to work perfectly with just HTML, then added the fancy animations and interactions on top.
The result? A form that worked flawlessly with screen readers, voice control software, and keyboard navigation - but still looked modern and professional.
Step 4: Test with Real Assistive Technology
This is where most teams fail. You can't just test with automated tools - you need to actually use screen readers, voice control software, and keyboard-only navigation. I spent time learning VoiceOver, NVDA, and Dragon NaturallySpeaking so I could test sites properly.
For that project, I discovered that our "accessible" dropdown menus were actually impossible to use with voice control. The fix was simple once I understood the problem - we just needed to restructure how the menus responded to voice commands.
Step 5: Measure Business Impact, Not Just Compliance
Here's what changed my approach forever: I started tracking business metrics alongside accessibility metrics. For the SaaS client, we measured trial signups, user engagement, and customer support tickets - not just WCAG compliance scores.
The results were eye-opening. After implementing our accessibility improvements, trial signups increased by 23%, bounce rate decreased by 18%, and customer support tickets about "technical issues" dropped by 40%. These improvements helped all users, not just those with disabilities.
We also started tracking metrics specific to assistive technology users - conversion rates for keyboard-only navigation, screen reader user paths, and mobile accessibility. This data became crucial for proving ROI to stakeholders.
Focus Areas
Identify the 3-4 most critical user journeys and optimize those first, rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Testing Strategy
Use real assistive technology for testing - automated tools only catch surface-level issues, not actual usability problems.
Business Integration
Frame accessibility as conversion optimization and market expansion, not just legal compliance - it's easier to get budget approval.
Implementation Timeline
Start with semantic HTML foundation, then layer on enhancements - this approach scales better than retrofitting accessibility.
The transformation was remarkable. Within three months of implementing the Universal Usability Method, my SaaS client saw measurable business improvements that went far beyond accessibility compliance.
Conversion Rate Improvements: Trial signups increased by 23% across all user segments. The biggest surprise? The improvement wasn't just from new disabled users - it was from existing users who could now navigate the site more easily on mobile devices and in different contexts.
Customer Support Impact: Support tickets related to "website issues" and "can't find the signup button" dropped by 40%. This translated to real cost savings - their support team could focus on product questions instead of navigation problems.
SEO and Performance Benefits: The semantic HTML foundation I built for accessibility also improved their search rankings. Google's algorithms favor properly structured, fast-loading sites - which accessible sites tend to be by default.
But here's the most interesting result: their user engagement metrics improved across the board. Time on site increased by 28%, bounce rate decreased by 18%, and users were 35% more likely to complete the trial signup process.
The accessibility improvements created a ripple effect that benefited every user, not just those with disabilities. This data became my secret weapon for selling accessibility to future clients - I could show concrete ROI, not just compliance benefits.
Within six months, word spread through their industry network. Three of their competitor's potential customers switched to my client specifically because they offered a more inclusive, user-friendly experience. Accessibility had become a legitimate competitive advantage.
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
Building accessible websites taught me lessons that apply far beyond compliance requirements. Here are the key insights that completely changed how I approach web design:
1. Accessibility is UX Research in Disguise
Every accessibility improvement forced me to really understand user behavior. When you design for someone who can't use a mouse, you discover all the assumptions you made about "normal" interaction patterns.
2. Constraints Breed Better Design
Having to make sites work without color, sound, or mouse input actually made me a better designer. It forced me to focus on clear hierarchy, logical flow, and meaningful content - all things that benefit every user.
3. The 80/20 Rule Applies Here Too
About 80% of accessibility benefits come from 20% of the work - semantic HTML, clear labels, and logical tab order. Don't get overwhelmed by every guideline; focus on the fundamentals first.
4. Business Stakeholders Respond to Revenue, Not Compliance
I stopped talking about WCAG guidelines and started talking about market expansion and conversion optimization. The projects got approved much faster when framed as business opportunities.
5. Test Early and Often with Real Users
Automated tools are useful for catching obvious issues, but they can't replace human testing. I learned more in one hour watching a screen reader user navigate a site than in weeks of automated testing.
6. Accessibility Debt is Like Technical Debt
It's much cheaper to build accessibility in from the start than to retrofit it later. Every time I tried to "add accessibility" to an existing site, it cost 3-5x more than building it right initially.
7. Your Edge Cases Become Your Differentiators
The features I built for disabled users often became the most popular features overall. Captions, clear navigation, and simplified interfaces benefit everyone - they just happen to be essential for some users.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
For SaaS Platforms:
Focus on keyboard navigation for your core workflows - many power users prefer keyboard shortcuts
Ensure your onboarding process works with screen readers - first impressions matter
Test your dashboard with high contrast mode and screen magnification tools
Make error messages descriptive and actionable, not just colorful indicators
For your Ecommerce store
For Ecommerce Stores:
Optimize your checkout process for voice control and keyboard navigation
Add alt text to product images that describes features, not just appearance
Ensure your filtering and search work without JavaScript for maximum compatibility
Test your mobile experience with screen readers - mobile accessibility is often overlooked