Is your brand truly inclusive? Mastercard's lesson on accessibility

[zihadhasan01827]

Today more than ever, the business world understands the importance of promoting an inclusive culture and the positive impact this has on the world and on business. Companies are increasingly looking to create inclusive products and services, so that everyone can purchase, use, understand and enjoy them.

Successful CEOs and leaders care about their branding being purpose-driven to drive performance. They may wonder how to embed that into the DNA of the company. All types of companies, no matter their size, can start by taking responsibility, prioritizing it, and working together to achieve it.

This is reflected in Mastercard’s latest payment product , Touch Card, an initiative aimed at demonstrating that inclusion is not only good for society, but also good for business.

To be effective, you have to solve real-world challenges
Recently, Mastercard announced Touch Cards , a new design that helps visually impaired people orient their bank card and quickly determine whether they are using a credit, debit or prepaid card, all thanks to one simple design element.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Meuh4O65wxNIG504I8pITTfFOhFt9v8H_4ThBaorbaGNjg4_cRW9D1-_g4PPUtlQl2K1YsxOc7YZ_647wapR-Xddq8ua12C8jJAr1XOtXZKUlyZAWVqvy0R7zg8vJPj6PaleADD1
Mastercard
According to Mastercard's website, the design relies on a system of notches — small marks carved into the side of each type of card — to help consumers identify the correct one:

Credit cards have a round notch.
Debit cards have a wide square notch.
Prepaid cards have a triangular notch.
The standard has been designed to work within dominican republic phone number list POS terminals and ATMs, ensuring the idea can be implemented at scale.

Mastercard worked with The Royal National Institute of Blind People in the UK and VISIONS/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired in the US to ensure the solution was effective.

In addition, the team ruled out the use of Braille as an option on the card surface because only one in ten blind people can read Braille.

Having the right partners and paying attention to the real needs of customers are two fundamental steps in a company's quest to incorporate inclusive values.

For companies to be able to solve real-world challenges, solutions need to be truly effective. It can be simple, it doesn't have to be complex, but it has to be effective.