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Can personalisation improve web accessibility?
Learn how inclusive web design and personalisation combine to improve digital accessibility, meet WCAG requirements & accessibility laws, and build user trust.
Learn how inclusive web design and personalisation combine to improve digital accessibility, meet WCAG requirements & accessibility laws, and build user trust.
Poor accessibility is detrimental to every user. Inclusive web design should be the foundation of every digital experience.
Accessibility cannot be an afterthought.
A WebAIM study found that 94.8% of the top one million websites still fail WCAG 2 standards.
That means millions of sites remain inaccessible to people with disabilities and those relying on assistive technologies.
Disability is now widely recognised as a spectrum. People with physical, sensory, cognitive, and behavioural impairments may not identify as disabled but still face barriers online when usability and accessibility are overlooked.
Businesses need to embed accessibility into their frameworks and designs, while also taking advantage of the opportunities personalisation presents.
Could personalisation help improve accessibility and make digital experiences more inclusive?
Web accessibility is the process of creating websites and applications that work for all users, including people with disabilities.
It is about creating intuitive, inclusive user experiences while meeting the technical standards set out in the W3C’s accessibility guidelines.
Accessibility is about more than compliance. It ensures disabled users can buy products, access services, and engage with content without barriers.
For businesses, the benefits are clear.
Failing to design for accessibility does not just exclude people.
It alienates customers, weakens engagement, and creates legal and reputational risks.
Website personalisation tailors digital experiences to individual users.
Businesses can serve product recommendations, dynamic content, and targeted offers when they collect and analyse data such as browsing behaviour, demographics, and purchase history.
Personalisation makes customers feel valued, increases engagement, and strengthens customer lifetime value (CLV).
When applied to accessibility, it has the potential to help users adjust websites to their needs, creating a more inclusive experience.
Personalisation and accessibility are not automatically aligned.
Accessibility and usability are usually embedded in the design and development stages, while personalisation goes further by adapting content to individuals.
The opportunity is significant. Personalisation can help users:
This could take the form of an Accessibility Mode or personal profiles that save preferences across visits.
These tools show a genuine commitment to inclusivity and can transform the user experience.
But personalisation should complement, not replace, accessibility standards.
Adhering to WCAG 2.2, testing with assistive technologies, and applying universal design principles remain essential.
Personalisation, when designed inclusively, can deliver several real-world benefits.
But making personalisation inclusive is not straightforward.
Designers and businesses face challenges such as:
Inclusive web design is about building digital products that are usable by everyone from the outset.
It goes beyond compliance to embed user diversity into research, design, and development.
Relying on personalisation alone risks shifting responsibility away from the core product.
If the baseline site is not inclusive, users may struggle before they even reach personalisation settings.
Personalisation should enhance inclusivity, not compensate for its absence.
To go deeper, read our blog on inclusive web design.
Karwai Pun, an interaction designer at GOV.UK, created posters with practical accessibility tips for designing with diverse users in mind.
They highlight the nuances of designing for users with dyslexia, low vision, autism, and more.
AI is already shaping accessibility by enabling real-time adaptation.
Some examples of AI enhancing accessibility include:
Recent developments show this trend accelerating. As we mentioned earlier, Google added new accessibility features in Android 15, including personalised captions. Whilst Microsoft launched Copilot for Accessibility with AI-powered captioning and inclusive writing support.
There is no single solution for every disability.
Personalisation will not cover every nuance, but it can significantly improve inclusivity when layered on top of accessible foundations.
To achieve this balance, businesses should focus on steps such as:
The future of accessibility is not about choosing between inclusivity and personalisation. It is about recognising how the two complement each other.
With WCAG 2.2, the European Accessibility Act (EAA), and ADA enforcement tightening, accessibility is both a legal requirement and a commercial opportunity.
Accessible sites expand audience reach, improve loyalty, and reduce abandonment.
The message is simple. Start with inclusive design principles such as clear navigation, flexible layouts, and assistive tech compatibility. Then layer personalisation on top to give users choice and control.
This approach not only ensures compliance but also demonstrates respect, builds trust, and sets brands apart in a competitive digital world.
You can create digital experiences that are not just compliant, but genuinely welcoming to all when you embed inclusive web design and offer personalisation as an enhancement.
The biggest barriers remain outdated websites, poor testing with assistive technologies, and low awareness of the latest WCAG 2.2 standards.
Personalisation allows users to adjust settings such as font size, colour contrast, or navigation style, creating a more tailored and inclusive online experience.
No. Personalisation is an enhancement, not a substitute. Websites still need to comply with WCAG guidelines and be tested with real users and assistive tech.
Examples include “Accessibility Mode” toggles, persistent user profiles for saved settings, and customisable subtitles or captions for video content.
Businesses should use consent-based design, anonymised analytics, and transparent policies so that accessibility preferences don’t compromise user privacy.
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