Sunday, April 19, 2015

Netflix, Marvel & Me

How One Major Player Has Embraced The Benefits Of Inclusive Technology


As a sighted person who works in the field of accessible technology, I was overjoyed to read that Netflix has added audio description to its latest original show 'Daredevil'. Throwing on the headphones and selecting the English - AD setting from the languages dropdown I was blown away by the quality of the narration and found myself lying on my sofa with my eyes closed, just enjoying the story.

This is a huge step in the history of Accessible Internet Services. Regardless of the initial underlying reasons Netflix decided to provide such a feature, whether it be legal requirements or moral change of heart, it has provided an opportunity for some very positive marketing as well as one for discussion on web inclusiveness.

Figures vary but it is estimated that around 10% of the world's population have some form of disability, ranging from visual impairments, hearing loss, cognitive disabilities or motor weaknesses. The spending power of this demographic is quite large to say the least.

Therefore, by increasing the user base of a product via accessible inclusive technology you are thereby increasing the market potential of the product, which by association has a huge impact on the bottom line. As Luke McGrath states on his website: www.wuhcag.com:

"The web is an amazing place to build projects and share your content – but if you’re not making accessible websites, you’re missing the point. Building things online opens your work up to the world – but only if you let them in."

Accessibility makes the web a better place to do business. It provides for a  more inclusive online environment, doesn't cost a lot to implement and when you learn more about it, you find that it is very very cool.

No comments:

Post a Comment