Risk Free Assessment
A couple of weeks ago, I visited some friends in Brooklyn and it was amazing to see how that part of the City had changed! We spent a lot of time enjoying the parks along the Brooklyn Pier and we had so much fun taking a Ferry on the East River! It’s hard to imagine how this part of the City has transformed, and become a hot spot, since I left fifteen years ago!
When I lived in New York, I was working for the New York City Deferred Compensation Plan, which was essentially the retirement program for City employees. This job took me to all 5 Burroughs and I got to visit Police Stations, Fire Houses, and Sanitation Yards all over New York City! My favorite was going to Fire Houses because the Fire Fighters would often feed me and occasionally let me catch a ride in a Fire Engine (which was so cool!) But for the most part, I navigated the City through its extensive subway system, swiping my Metro Card, numerous times a day.
However, during my recent trip, I noticed that the coolest transformation project wasn’t the addition of Jay Z’s Brooklyn One Hotel (which was baller!), but rather the ability to use Apple Pay on my phone to get on the subway! This might not seem important for everyone, but as someone who can’t see, navigating various ticket machines can be difficult, because they often aren’t that accessible. So, to be able to use my phone, and not have to figure out a machine to get a ticket, was game changing!
This frictionless experience is just another recent use case that I’ve had with Apple Pay. I’ve recently observed that because of Apple Pay, I have been shopping more online with my phone. Previously, I primarily shopped exclusively on Amazon because the experience was accessible and easy. The pain point that I often felt was around filling out forms and having to remember my credit card information (I can’t just look at my card like many others!) However, with Apple Pay, those pain points were removed, and that opened a whole new world of shopping! Yet, there are still many businesses that don’t use Apple Pay and aren’t thinking about what a frictionless experience looks like for a customer with a disability.
Brands that prioritize frictionless, accessible experiences show they care about all their customers. This fosters trust, loyalty, and positive word-of-mouth. And like I often say, “Proximity builds empathy”, and when businesses invest in understanding diverse needs, they create stronger, lasting connections with all their customers, including those of us with disabilities !
So, as we get ready to celebrate the holidays, and the online shopping that comes along with this time of year, I encourage you all to think about how you can create frictionless experiences within your own organizations, and how you can embrace accessibility going into 2025. Because if you do that, there isn’t a better gift I could ask for this year!
By removing obstacles and designing for inclusivity, businesses can turn accessibility into a competitive advantage—one that not only enhances the customer experience but also underscores their commitment to equity and innovation.