While most B2C companies have begun to take digital accessibility seriously, many B2B organizations are still lagging behind. Internal platforms, client portals, and SaaS tools often fail to meet even basic accessibility and usability standards.
That’s a problem: a costly one.
At Delta Systems, we help companies close the gaps in their digital products. If you think accessibility is only about checking boxes for compliance, or usability only matters for consumer apps, it’s time to think again.
Why Accessibility Matters in B2B Applications
Accessibility refers to how easily users with disabilities can navigate and interact with your application. This includes users with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive impairments. When your B2B application isn’t accessible, you’re excluding a significant segment of the workforce: users who may be decision-makers, contributors, or key stakeholders in their organizations.
Some important accessibility points often overlooked in B2B software include:
- Keyboard Navigation: Many enterprise users rely on keyboards (not mice or touchscreens) to navigate apps, especially in data entry-heavy systems.
- Screen Reader Compatibility: Non-visible content (like icons, tooltips, or error messages) must be understandable by screen readers.
- Color Contrast and Visual Indicators: If color is your only method of communicating status (e.g., red for error), you’re alienating colorblind users.
- Error Identification and Recovery: Are your forms accessible to users who can’t see a flashing red box around a required field? Does your system tell everyone how to fix the problem?
Accessibility isn’t just about meeting WCAG or Section 508 compliance. It’s about equity, user satisfaction, and reducing friction for all users, including those with temporary impairments, low-bandwidth connections, or non-traditional devices.
The Overlooked Cost of Poor Usability
Usability refers to how effectively, efficiently, and satisfactorily a user can complete tasks in your application. And let’s be honest: most enterprise software isn’t winning any awards for user experience.
Even if your app is feature-rich and technically sound, poor usability can:
- Lead to employee frustration and lower adoption rates
- Increase support tickets and training time
- Cause workflow errors and data inconsistencies
- Affect renewal and retention rates with clients
What’s often missed in B2B environments is that the people using your software are still humans. They expect intuitive navigation, logical workflows, and clear feedback. If you’re relying on a user manual or onboarding session to “teach” someone how to use the product, you’re already behind.
What You Might Be Missing: Common Pitfalls in B2B UX
We’ve audited dozens of enterprise apps, and here’s what we often see slipping through the cracks:
1. Accessibility Is Only Tacked On Late in the Process
Many teams leave accessibility checks until QA—by then, it’s too late (or too expensive) to make meaningful changes. Accessibility needs to be part of the design and development process, not just a final audit step.
2. UX Decisions Are Made by Engineers, Not End Users
Internal tools often prioritize technical logic over real-world usage. The result? Interfaces that make sense to developers—but not to the employees or clients using them every day.
3. Inconsistent Navigation and Labeling
Buttons that mean different things in different modules, unclear form labels, or missing hover states all create confusion, especially for new users.
4. No User Feedback Loop
Are you actively gathering feedback from users, especially those with accessibility needs? Without real input, assumptions about usability can become costly blind spots.
5. Mobile and Touch Interfaces Are Forgotten
Even in B2B, users expect responsiveness. Sales reps might pull up your app on a tablet. Technicians may need to enter data in the field. If your app isn’t optimized for those scenarios, you’re creating unnecessary barriers.
Accessibility and Usability Drive Business Value
Improving accessibility and usability isn’t just the “right thing to do.” It makes business sense:
- Reduced churn: Clients and employees stick with tools they understand and enjoy using.
- Lower support costs: Intuitive design reduces help desk burden.
- Faster onboarding: Better UX means less training time.
- Inclusive brand image: Companies increasingly want partners who reflect their DEI values.
In short, inclusive and usable design is a competitive advantage.
How Delta Systems Can Help
At Delta Systems, we specialize in building accessible, user-friendly custom software for B2B organizations. Whether you’re modernizing an internal portal, launching a client-facing app, or ensuring your system meets ADA and WCAG standards, our team can:
- Perform accessibility audits and identify key compliance gaps
- Redesign workflows and interfaces with user-first principles
- Integrate accessibility into your design and development pipelines
- Train your internal team on best practices for usability and inclusive design
We don’t just make software work. We make it work better for everyone.