Some argue that it is impossible to create an email that is both interactive and accessible. If so, then we are faced with a difficult choice: do we say to our disabled subscribers, “Sorry, this email is not for you, please skip it,” or do we say to our non-disabled subscribers, “Sorry, but all our emails will be less engaging, less fun, and less functional?” It is a difficult decision indeed.
Having disagreed with the idea of choice, we began to look for a middle ground — a solution that successfully combined accessibility and interactivity. Our goal was to create content that would be both universally accessible and enjoyable.
A quick rundown of why each email category is important
Most of us are already familiar with these categories, but let’s take a quick look at why each one is so important.
Accessibility of letters
Accessibility of letters ensures that they are easy to use for everyone, including people with disabilities. The goal is to create an inclusive experience that allows all recipients to access information, navigate, and interact without problems, regardless of their physical abilities.
Let’s talk about statistics
Of the 8 billion people in the world:
- 2.2 billion have vision problems;
- 300 million are colorblind;
- 968 million experience mobility difficulties;
- 1.6 billion have cognitive and learning disabilities, including dyslexia and photosensitive epilepsy.
I don’t want to dramatize, but that’s 5 billion people.
people have some form of disability
The chances are pretty high that some of your subscribers fall into these categories and will benefit from the emails available.
Interactivity of letters
Interactivity in emails allows recipients to take action directly in the inbox, eliminating the need for them to leave it. This includes measuring NPS scores, gamification, ratings, filling out open forms, booking appointments, and more.
Let’s talk about statistics
- embedded interactive forms and surveys can increase user response rates by 520%;
- Gamification in emails can increase ROI by 300%.
Other benefits of interactivity
- increasing engagement in emails;
- facilitating data collection;
- improved user experience;
- brand differentiation and recognition;
- increasing conversion.
These statistics and benefits show that it is impossible to stick to just one of the categories. So why is it difficult to use both at the same time?
Explaining the Tension Between Email Accessibility and Interactivity
Let’s name some of the main ones.
1. Conflict in coding
The balance between interactivity and accessibility in emails creates two fundamental conflicts in coding, particularly affecting people who use screen readers:
- Cracking the email code to make it interactive means deviating from established semantic markup standards;
- lack of JavaScript support in email clients.
2. Conflicts in design
For people with visual impairments, performing actions such as clicking on small dots or playing spot the difference with tiny elements can be very challenging unless these interactive elements are significantly magnified.
Likewise, people with color blindness cannot be expected to discern colors that highlight correct answers or to follow instructions that rely on color differentiation.
People with motor disabilities may have difficulty interacting with small elements that require precise actions, such as clicking or tapping, or with games that require quick reactions, such as whack-a-mole.
In addition, people with photosensitive epilepsy may have difficulty or be at risk when dealing with messages containing flashing lights or rapidly changing visuals.
3. Conflict in audio
While I have never encountered an email game that uses sound, some newsletters have embedded videos that provide instructions or greetings. These videos are great, and I enjoy watching them in emails; however, without subtitles, people with hearing impairments may not understand the key messages in these videos.
Workarounds and tips for each conflict
It’s obvious: if we ever have to choose between accessibility and interactivity, we should choose accessibility.
But let’s look for a way to use both.
1. Ways to resolve conflicts in coding
Before we looked into this issue, we asked Sarah Gallardo, “Is there a polite and tactful way to let people who use screen readers know that they what makes the best SEO company: Key qualities to look for can simply skip the game and go straight to the content, like discounts or new product announcements, which are often the goal of the game?”
Despite these challenges, the goal remains to find a balance where interactive content is engaging and accessible to everyone. This requires rethinking how we build email engagement from the ground up.
Expert
There are a few things you can do to improve cn numbers accessibility and make it more usable. Although it should be clarified that this is not about making interactions accessible, just making them a little less inaccessible.
Don’t hide inputs
You’ll often see checkboxes and radio inputs set to “display: none”. This hides them from view, but also means they can’t be focused or clicked on with the keyboard.
