Achieving long-term goals often hinges on the cumulative impact of small habits and regular routines. Much like the snowball effect, where a small snowball grows larger as it rolls downhill, integrating accessibility into the software development lifecycle requires consistent effort and dedication.
Accessibility isn't something you can tack on at the end of the project. You need to adopt a proactive approach that embeds accessibility practices into every stage of development.
So how do you build the snowball?
Start with awareness and education. Your team must understand the importance of accessibility and grasp the impact inaccessible design can have on users with disabilities.
Then start incorporating accessibility into the design, development, and testing phases of the software development lifecycle. Your designers can prioritise inclusive design principles, your developers can write accessible code following semantic HTML and ARIA standards, and testers can perform comprehensive accessibility audits.
But above all, consistency is key. If what you're after is building momentum and creating a culture where accessibility is not an afterthought, you need to be consistent. A snowball is hard to get started and it seems like it'll take forever until it reaches the right size. The best you can do is to find ways to easily get it going and then make sure every roll down the hill gets easier and easier.
The key is to set small habits and regular routines where you consider and incorporate accessibility every day. This creates a steady growth and slowly turns into a snowball where one consistent behaviour builds on and contributes to the next.
Why build a snowball at all?
Inclusive products will reach a wider audience, and it also cultivates a culture of empathy and innovation within your organisation.