Access to digital services and applications is a civil and a universal human right. Therefore, no other justification should be necessary for investing time and resources into making technology usable for people with disabilities. Apart from upholding this fundamental human right, ensuring accessibility also benefits every user and can provide a range of business, marketing, and product advantages. This section will contextualize and discuss these benefits for DuckDuckGo.
“To enable persons with disabilities to live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life, States Parties shall take appropriate measures to ensure to persons with disabilities access, on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, to transportation, to information and communications, including information and communications technologies and systems, and to other facilities and services open or provided to the public, both in urban and in rural areas.” — Excerpt from Article 9 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
It's safe to assume that most web users rely heavily on search engines, with 98% of all internet users using a conventional search engine at least once a month.
Considering that 16% of the global population is estimated to be living with some kind of permanent disability, accessibility improvements can potentially benefit a large portion of search engine users.
DuckDuckGo’s share of the global search engine market is 0.71% year-to-date. While detailed statistics are unavailable due to DuckDuckGo's privacy policy, an educated guess based on an average user making 30 searches per month suggests that approximately 80 million people use the search engine daily.
Assuming 16% of these users have some kind of disability, accessibility improvements have the potential to make a significant impact on DuckDuckGo's ability to reach and serve a sizable market of 12.8 million users.
“The power of the web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.” — Sir Tim-Berners Lee, Inventor of the World Wide Web
Improving accessibility is essential for many, but the benefits extend to everyone, as disabilities can be temporary or situational.
Permanent, temporary and situational disabilities
A relevant example for DuckDuckGo, being the second most used search engine on mobile in the US, is how adequate contrast can benefit not only individuals with low vision but also those using mobile devices in bright sunlight.
Interfaces with high contrast help people with low vision as well as using them in sunlight
Similarly, keyboard accessibility assists not only those who cannot use a pointing device, but also enables power users relying on shortcuts to work more efficiently. DuckDuckGo's incorporation of many keyboard shortcuts already clearly demonstrates their commitment to keyboard usability.
Furthermore, accessibility is closely related to usability and front-end engineering best practices, so incorporating them enhances the overall quality of the product.