Today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), a useful reminder that accessibility is about far more than technical compliance.
At Amiqus, we work on digital identity and compliance journeys connected to everyday life: applying for jobs, securing housing, accessing legal and public sector services.
These are often high-friction experiences. People are asked to upload documents, complete identity checks, provide financial information, and navigate unfamiliar technology, usually at moments that already carry some level of stress or pressure.
A lot of accessibility conversations focus on whether a service technically passes standards. That work matters. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) compliance is critical, but we’ve learned that many of the biggest barriers are often cognitive and emotional rather than purely technical.
Users regularly tell us things like:
- “I thought I was doing it wrong.”
- “The thought of doing it was daunting.”
Many of these users would never describe themselves as needing support.But confidence changes depending on context. Stress changes how people process information. Complex language, unclear instructions, repeated tasks, and uncertainty can quickly turn a manageable journey into an overwhelming one.
That thinking shapes how we approach accessibility at Amiqus.
Designing for real world conditions
Accessibility is not a layer we add at the end of a project. It’s built into how we research, design, and engineer our identity journeys from the start.
This includes:
- Continuous user research and usability testing
- Accessibility audits aligned to WCAG 2.2 AA with AbilityNet
- Simplifying guidance and reducing cognitive load
- Improving clarity around sensitive steps such as identity and financial checks
- Designing for users with different levels of confidence and support needs
Sometimes the changes are relatively small: clearer instructions, better expectation-setting, less clutter, more reassurance at the right moment.
The impact, though, can be significant.
One user told us:
- “I’m a 77-year-old technophobe. If I managed to do it, anyone can.”
Another said:
- “I was very anxious and reluctant to use it but once started it was straightforward.”
That feedback matters. Digital identity is increasingly the gateway to essential services. If these journeys are hard to complete, people can be excluded from opportunities and support they genuinely need.
We also know that digital services alone aren’t the full answer. Around 12% of people in the UK are digitally excluded, which means accessibility can’t stop at the interface. There will always be a need for supported and non-digital routes too.
Looking forward
As digital identity becomes more embedded into everyday life, the responsibility to design these journeys inclusively will only grow.
For us, accessibility is not just about helping people complete tasks more easily. It is about reducing unnecessary barriers, reducing repetition, and helping people access important services with greater clarity and confidence.
That means continuing to improve today’s journeys, while also thinking more broadly about how identity experiences can become less stressful and less repetitive over time.
Accessibility is never really finished. User needs evolve, technology changes, and expectations shift. The important thing is continuing to listen, test, improve, and recognise that accessibility is ultimately about helping real people navigate important moments with less stress and more confidence.
Because improving accessibility in digital identity means improving access to everyday life.
