“Let's tackle accessibility after we've got core features out"

Not long ago, my team built a regulated healthcare marketplace for an underserved community. Accessibility wasn’t a checkbox—it was our imperative. We ran rigorous design heuristics, tested WCAG compliance, and got recognized with an accessibility award. Recent legal precedent like the Domino’s Supreme Court case [Domino’s Settlement, BOIA] proves how essential accessible design is; it’s no longer optional.

We ran rigorous design heuristics, tested WCAG compliance, and got recognized with an accessibility award. Recent legal precedent like the Domino’s Supreme Court case [Domino’s Settlement, BOIA] proves how essential accessible design is.

Accessibility drives growth and usability for everyone. Features we first built for compliance—voice-to-text, optimized color contrast, image recognition—are now standard web expectations. Making the internet accessible unlocks innovation.

If I rebuilt that marketplace today, I’d leverage:

• Automated heuristic scanning compliments of BrowserStack

• AI-based audit tools with CI/CD integration - I’d suggest Perforce’s Perfecto

• GPT-enabled code review

• Real-time reminders in Slack and clear ownership in Confluence

So what. So what, so what, so what?

A single overlooked barrier represses access for millions. Accessibility lawsuits aren’t rare—they’re precedent. For product managers, every accessibility enhancement broadens reach and delivers a better experience.

TBT: I built for accessibility before it became mainstream. Today, AI and automation put these best practices within every team’s reach. Investing here isn’t just compliance—it’s competitive advantage.