One of the big challenges in business has always been around ensuring your audience is easily able to access whatever content or product you’re putting out there, but there have always been some roadblocks along the way that make things more difficult. Technology has caused a huge change in this space however, as pushes in tech have led to a huge focus on accessibility that means this content is easier to find, and easier to access than ever before.
Apps and Push – Perhaps the biggest and most noticeable change for many had been with the introduction of what we now know as mobile apps and the push notifications that came with them – gone are the phonebooks filled with contacts or the need to visit different web pages for access to certain bits and pieces, simply jump on to the app and you’re already there. This was able to dramatically change many industries – ordering food or a taxi for example was no longer the case of calling up and going through the chatting factor, it’s simply pressing a few buttons and you’re away – easy for everybody. Similarly, push notifications that are associated with apps mean you require little follow up – you’ll get a notification once your order dispatches, once it arrives, if it’s late – there’s no continuous need for additional contact, since you already have it.
(Image from buffer.com)
Social Media – Social media has taken accessibility to the next step too, for personal messaging and the apps dedicated to doing so, to video and image sharing, we’re more connected than ever before with little to gate the entry to social media either – a few details and an email account, and you’re away. Much in the way apps and push notifications helped many businesses, social media did the same as customers were now able to get in touch much easier and feel a more personal connection too, bridging a gap that had always existed.
Our entertainment – Other big forms of entertainment that have also moved to our modern technology have also found a huge benefit from the accessibility too – gaming serves as a perfect example, punters who’d like to bet on a game would have to go to the offline physical location to place a bet or jump through different hoops online, now many can simply jump on an easily accessible platform here despite initiatives such as Gamstop aimed at making this more difficult, and play as they otherwise would – removing steps and time, the process is faster and easier than ever before.
Devices like our smartphones are only the first step toward really improving our day-to-day accessibility too, other tech has already been hinted at such as the Google Glasses a few years ago that would bring a more streamlined approach to this, and year on year things get just that much easier, we may see some big leap forward in the next few years to even remove the need for a physical device with us at all times, but it’s certainly looking exciting.
