Don’t neglect diversity in your digital transformation

When we talk about the evolution of businesses today, it’s impossible to escape the mention of digital transformation (DX). While DX, of course, involves strategic technology adoption, there is also a cultural transformation that must take place if it is to truly succeed. Cultural transformation not only means adopting new tools and practices to aid the delivery of products and services which meet all customer demands, it also requires organizations to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace. Our daily lives don’t just take place in the physical world anymore. Having a disability doesn’t mean that everyday life simply stops. So, naturally, accessibility shouldn’t stop there either. Both for our customers and our employees.

When something as simple as a smartphone form factor can be exclusionary, it’s essential that design does its share of the heavy lifting when it comes to creating products and services that are inclusive. Design teams need to be both diverse in themselves and prioritize diversity and accessibility when designing products. We work in a global world and not being inclusive boils down to turning away 1 in 5 of your potential talent pool, as well as customers.

Expanding the understanding of diversity and accessibility in the workplace When it comes to accessibility in the workplace, businesses know they need to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for certain disabilities, such as making physical workplaces more accessible for wheelchair users. However, with technology being such an integral part of our lives, businesses now need to place additional focus on digital accessibility for a wider range of disabilities. For example, there are over 4.8 million disabled people in the UK in employment as of March this year, and some of these people will be classed within the neurodiversity category. Neurodiversity typically refers to the variation in how we process information, think, act, move and sense the world we live in and can include people with autism spectrum disorder, color blindness and dyslexia. There are many situational difficulties that neurodiverse people have to contend with. When it comes to web and mobile applications, features that help solve some of these challenges include video magnifiers, braille display and speech to text solutions, which are easy to implement and should be included as standard in the workplace.

Another factor to consider when it comes to diversity in DX is the digital gender gap. A recent study by the World Wide Web Foundation found that there is a large gap in women and girls’ digital adoption and use compared to men and boys, with men 21% more likely to be online than women globally, rising to 52% in the least developed countries. This is further enforced through the prominence of men working in tech, with an estimated 33% overall female representation in the industry, though this has been steadily improving year on year. The lack of accessibility denies full digital experiences to people with disabilities, reinforcing inequity.

Comparatively, the same issues arise with consumers of varying ages. Much like the inequity revealed by the digital gender gap, there have also been reports revealing age discrimination in the digital world. This is often driven by stereotypes that mark older generations as ‘less interested’ or ‘less capable’ in technology, meaning some workplaces may deprioritize, disregard, or even exclude older people.

A digital transformation strategy for internal processes, which prioritizes a broader range of tech-enabled reasonable adjustments and practices to encourage diversity, will not only improve employee experience. Its effects will also translate to an organization’s customer-facing products and services. Diverse teams that understand the importance of inclusive digital tools and the challenges faced by different groups, will naturally create the tools that make the lives of all users easier. If you have never experienced these kinds of issues yourself, it’s like having blinders on, making it more difficult to appreciate what others go through. A diverse team brings a wider perspective that only elevates the end products and solutions. Also, aside from the ethical benefits of including features that prioritize accessibility, there are clearly financial rewards when it comes to providing products and services for as broad a range of customers as possible.

The road to diverse product offerings through digital transformation

There are a number of different factors that a business must take into consideration when planning its digital transformation from a consumer diversity perspective. The most important is to be authentic. Today’s consumers can be highly skeptical and cynical when it comes to trusting brands, with 71% having little faith that brands will follow through on their promises. For businesses to fully progress in the digital economy, they need to show that they are committed to their inclusivity agendas and that they are actively taking steps to enable this for their customers and stakeholders. Businesses that integrate accessibility are more likely to be innovative, inclusive enterprises that reach more people. Some 79% of companies have found that inclusive software improves usability and customer experience. Organizations with inclusive cultures are twice as likely to meet or exceed financial targets.

When it comes to creating a culture that prioritizes diversity and inclusion, it’s essential to dedicate time to discovering the diverse requirements of users. Build in diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) learning sessions with design, product and developer teams, and discuss the potential challenges that might present themselves across the entire product portfolio. This will assist in developing existing and new products and services which create a positive UX for all.

Lastly, ensuring that the organization’s systems meet user’s accessibility requirements is often challenging with legacy applications. Digital transformation strategies seek to evolve infrastructure and enable a faster and more efficient delivery of products and services, but legacy systems must be slowly replaced as they are often mission critical. Simply ripping and replacing is not an option as the risks—from data loss to downtime—are far too great. To ensure all customer needs are met quickly, applications will need to be built on top of legacy infrastructure alongside upgrading these core systems, bridging the gap to a more agile situation. In this activity, diversity must again be part of the picture, with applications that depend on legacy systems audited for their accessibility and adjusted accordingly.

Accessibility drives success According to the World Health Organization, as of the end of 2021, around 15% of the world was classed as disabled, which is over 1 billion people. For decades, organizations have taken great strides to meet the needs of these groups when it comes to physical places of work and business. It is now time to replicate this in the digital world.

It’s essential to advocate for accessible technology to ensure the needs of all employees are met, and that products and services serve the needs of all customers. Not only is this best practice from an ethical perspective, it also makes sense when it comes to an organization’s continued growth.

By opening up offerings to historically underlooked or vulnerable communities and ensuring users across different regions can digitally engage in a way that makes sense to them, organizations will expand their reach and increase employee retention. Success with any DX strategy must therefore be judged by the accessibility of the technology adopted and also the products and services that are enabled by its implementation.

Organizations must embrace the challenge, drive innovation and inclusion, and change their mindset to change the world one pixel at a time!