I recently helped an elderly family member relocate across the country and witnessed firsthand how today's digital-first world can create barriers for those less familiar with modern technology. While attempting to lease an apartment, we encountered a mandatory identity verification platform that required scanning a driver's license and completing a facial recognition check using a smartphone.
Now consider a lessee who had only recently acquired a smartphone, had never taken a selfie, and had no familiarity with digital-only processes. Needless to say, we had to abandon that property as we were told they were “unable to circumvent the ID verification process”. The experience highlighted how rigid digital-first processes can inadvertently exclude prospective customers.
Experiences like this raise an important question: in our rush to digitize everything, have we unintentionally excluded some of the very people we aim to serve? From QR-code restaurant menus to online-only government services, organizations continue to replace traditional customer interactions with digital alternatives. However, according to Pew Research Center, nearly 25% of Americans 65+ years old do not own a smartphone, creating a significant barrier as more services move to mobile-first platforms. As organizations increasingly deploy AI-powered chatbots, automated workflows, and self-service platforms, the risk of creating new barriers can grow when human support options disappear. Take, for example, the reduction of physical social security offices, shifting to online and AI-assisted systems. The Social Security Administration’s push to conduct business online assumed that everyone could easily use digital platforms. But that’s simply not true for many of the most vulnerable low-income, disabled and aging people who have or are applying for SSI and SSDI benefits.
Digital exclusion extends beyond aging populations. Non-native English speakers, individuals with disabilities, and those living in underserved communities can also face barriers when digital experiences are not intentionally designed for accessibility and inclusion. Ultimately, beyond social responsibilities, organizations that fail to account for digitally underserved populations risk losing customers, creating friction in the customer journey, increasing support costs, and damaging their brand reputation.
So, how do we solve this technology gap? Organizations do not need to choose between innovation and accessibility. In most cases, a thoughtful design strategy can achieve both.
Multichannel / Hybrid Strategies: By combining digital services with offline, low-tech or in-person alternatives, you can successfully bridge accessibility gaps. This can include allowing customers to complete transactions online, by phone, or in-person. There should be a human escalation path to cover potential digital tool failure as well. Critical services may even require a paper-based option.
Inclusive Design Principles: In moving beyond “average” user assumptions, intentionally involving vulnerable or marginalized groups in design, testing, and feedback loops ensures all users are considered in the customer journey. It’s important to measure success rates, not just completion rates within this process.
Affordability & Meaningful Access: Beyond connectivity, true inclusion considers affordability, subsidized devices, and public access to technology resources. Organizations should assume varying levels of access to devices, connectivity and digital proficiency when designing customer experiences.
Digital Literacy & Intermediaries: A next-level strategy for a successful multi-channel, hybrid model is in providing skills training, multilingual interfaces, and voice-to-text features. This approach will ensure all digitally underserved populations have a similar, successful experience.
The goal should not be digital-only experiences, but digital-first experiences with accessible alternatives. When organizations eliminate every non-digital pathway, efficiency gains often come at the expense of inclusion. Technology should remove barriers, not create them. The most successful organizations won’t be those that digitize everything; they’ll be the ones that thoughtfully design experiences that work for everyone.
The challenge is no longer whether we can digitize a process; it's whether we can do so without excluding the people who need access most. Accessibility should not be viewed as a compliance requirement; it should be viewed as a customer experience strategy. As organizations continue investing in AI, automation, and self-service technologies, digital inclusion may become one of the defining measures of a successful customer experience.
"Digital divide is the issue. Digital equity is the goal. Digital inclusion is the work." -National Digital Inclusion Alliance
