Her Background
Bella is looking for a new dentist in her area that can help improve her smile. She has struggled with her confidence for years and has finally decided to take the plunge and look into straightening them. With being in her late 20s, she would prefer it to be something less visible than the classic train tracks.
Her Actions
She is browsing online and finds a dentist that is local to her. From the images and language used on the site, she can see that the team looks friendly and welcoming which immediately puts her at ease. She can see straight away on the homepage that they specialise in invisible braces.
Although they have information regarding invisible braces, it is in the form of a video. Bella suffers with a severe auditory impairment, meaning she cannot hear unless it is at a high decibel. The video includes the practitioner discussing benefits, facts and information regarding pricing and timings for each method they provide for teeth straightening. Unfortunately, subtitles have not been added to the video, so she cannot receive the information.
She is frustrated and feels extremely excluded, so leaves the site without enquiring.
The Outcome
Without the research from users such as Bella that covers a range of abilities, it would be easy to miss these important factors when building a website. However, around 5% of the world’s population suffers from disabling hearing loss and it is important to think about best practices for all users.
Bella chose an alternative dentist that had a clear video with subtitles that she could trust would be more inclusive, and not feel like her needs were being dismissed.
The Resolution
By adding subtitles that also highlight the words as the speaker says them, this would make the video easier to follow and easier to digest the information. Although videos are a great tool for getting important information across quickly on a website, it is vital to ensure that it is accessible for all users on all devices.
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