When Digital Services Leave People Behind: The Responsibility to Design for Everyone
September 2026 — A company had recently redesigned its online customer portal to make it easier and faster to use. Customers could log in, update their personal details, upload documents and submit a request without speaking to an employee. During testing, the website appeared to work as expected. But when customers who used screen readers, keyboard navigation or other assistive technologies began using it, problems quickly emerged. Some could not move through the form in the right order, others could not tell which information was missing, and some could not submit their request at all.
The company had not intended to exclude anyone. The portal had been tested in ways that did not reflect how all customers used it. What seemed like a small design problem had a much bigger consequence: some people could not access the same service independently. The situation raised a broader question about digital responsibility. Is it enough for a digital service to work under standard conditions, or should organisations also consider how it works for people with different needs?
Situations like this show why digital responsibility requires more than knowing technical requirements. People working with digital technologies need to recognise potential barriers, understand who may be affected, and know how to address them. Developing these abilities requires more than learning rules and definitions. It also requires opportunities to examine realistic situations and consider what responsible action would look like.
This is the approach taken by the DIRECT project in its online Digital Responsibility modules for adult and workplace learners. The modules first introduce relevant knowledge and practices, before giving learners opportunities to examine realistic cases and address new scenarios. By connecting knowledge with practical situations, DIRECT aims to help people develop the ability to recognise digital responsibility challenges and make informed decisions in their own professional contexts.
Digital technologies are often designed to make services simpler, faster and more accessible. But achieving those goals requires people to consider how technology works for different users, not only how it performs in testing. Developing these skills can help ensure that digital progress works for the people it is intended to serve.
