Accessibility in healthcare: The future of inclusive digital experiences
A patient in rural Alaska tries to access a virtual appointment, but poor internet quality makes video calls impossible. A non-native English speaker struggles to understand complex medical jargon in their test results. A person with limited mobility finds it difficult to navigate a healthcare app designed for able-bodied users.
These aren’t rare cases—they are everyday realities for millions of patients. While digital transformation has made healthcare more available, it hasn’t always made it more usable.
Healthcare accessibility must go beyond compliance and technical accessibility. It must account for availability, usability, and adaptability, ensuring all patients—regardless of ability, location, or digital literacy—can effectively access and manage their healthcare.
The accessibility gap
Despite significant advancements over the years, barriers remain in digital healthcare:
- Digital illiteracy: Many patients struggle with complex interfaces, making even basic healthcare management overwhelming.
- Rural connectivity: Poor or inconsistent internet access limits virtual care options.
- Disability gaps: Accessibility efforts often focus on WCAG compliance rather than functional usability.
- Cultural & linguistic barriers: Many platforms lack real-time translation or culturally relevant healthcare guidance.
To bridge these gaps, the industry must shift from reactive fixes to proactive, personalized, and adaptive solutions that go beyond checking compliance boxes. The future of healthcare accessibility lies in AI-driven, human-centered innovation.
Leveling up remote care access
The rise of telemedicine and digital healthcare platforms has broken down barriers for many patients—but simply offering video consultations isn’t enough. Digital healthcare products have the potential to bridge gaps in usability and connectivity, ensuring that more people can access and benefit from virtual care solutions.
Fewer trips, better outcomes
Instead of going into an office for tests and monitoring, devices, AI, and data engineering provide at-home analyses. While this is a win for remote users too, what’s incredible is that it increases testing frequency.
For example, with Kali Health’s remote monitoring technology, women can monitor their baby’s heartbeat daily, collecting more data and reducing surprise complications.
LEO satellite internet (e.g., Starlink)
Satellite constellations provide global broadband coverage to remote and underserved areas, eliminating reliance on unreliable local internet infrastructure. Telehealth clinics in rural Africa and Asia are already piloting Starlink for high-speed connectivity where traditional ISPs fail.
Low-bandwidth telehealth solutions
AI-powered telehealth platforms like Babylon Health and Teladoc use real-time video compression and adaptive streaming to ensure virtual consultations work even in low-connectivity environments.
By integrating connectivity and AI solutions, healthcare brands can ensure virtual care is both available and functional for everyone, regardless of geography or internet quality.
Leveling up health literacy
Accessibility isn’t static—it must evolve to meet the diverse needs of each user. By leveraging generative AI and real-time adaptation, healthcare platforms can dynamically adjust to users’ abilities, literacy levels, and cognitive preferences.
Conversational AI for simplified medical explanations
Natural language processing (NLP) can simplify medical information in real time, rewriting complex jargon into easier-to-understand language. AI-driven voice assistants can adjust tone, pacing, and word choice to match a user’s speaking style or accommodate speech impairments.
For example, Clair AI allows users to ask complex clinical questions and receive instant, ultra-accurate, and digestible explanations.
AR & interactive health apps
AR-powered applications provide step-by-step visual guides for medical tasks like insulin injections, wound care, or medication usage. Google Lens for Health, for instance, enables users to analyze skin conditions using their smartphone camera.
Multilingual support & translation
NLP-powered translation tools allow real-time language conversion, ensuring non-English speakers can communicate effectively with their doctors. One development in NLPs is DeepL’s healthcare translation technology, which has deployed accurate, context-aware translations of medical terminology.
By integrating DeepL into healthcare apps, product owners can improve multilingual communication between patients and providers, reducing the risk of miscommunication and improving the quality of care for non-native speakers in real-time.
Leveling up chronic condition management
Patients with chronic conditions face ongoing challenges in managing their healthcare, from tracking medications to scheduling follow-ups. AI-powered tools can improve accessibility by reducing friction and offering tailored support.
Speech-to-text & text-to-speech
Enabling voice commands and converting complex medical documents into digestible, easy-to-understand summaries improves accessibility for patients with visual impairments or reading difficulties. For example, Seeing AI can describe photos, identify products, and read printed instructions.
Biometric authentication for seamless access
Facial recognition or fingerprint authentication is already accelerating the replacement of traditional logins, ensuring password-free access for individuals with memory impairments or motor disabilities.
Anticipatory design
Soon, AI-driven UX optimizations will be able to predict and adapt to a patient’s needs. By anticipating a patient’s behavior, these systems can simplify navigation and make the healthcare experience more seamless for neurodiverse users. While this hyper-personalized version of anticipatory UI is still a ways away, product design is already becoming less about making users “navigate” through clicks and menus and more about fluid, dynamic conversation.
By integrating AI-powered tools into digital healthcare platforms, brands can ensure patients with chronic conditions receive continuous, personalized, and barrier-free support.
From barriers to breakthroughs
The next era of healthcare accessibility isn’t just about meeting technical standards—it’s about creating patient-centered experiences that remove barriers and empower people to take control of their health.
By leveraging AI, adaptive UX, and hyper-personalization, healthcare brands can move from compliance-driven design to true innovation in digital accessibility.
One such example is ‘Signs,’ a recently launched AI-powered web tool developed by Hello Monday/DEPT® in collaboration with NVIDIA and the American Society for Deaf Children. Designed to bridge communication gaps between Deaf and hearing communities, Signs helps users learn American Sign Language (ASL) but also contributes to a growing dataset of ASL video content to expand accessibility and understanding.
This AI-powered platform provides an interactive learning experience where users receive real-time feedback from a 3D avatar. By making ASL more accessible to a broader audience, Signs highlights how AI-driven solutions can revolutionize digital healthcare accessibility—fostering meaningful connections and breaking down communication barriers.
At DEPT®, we specialize in designing and developing digital healthcare solutions that go beyond compliance, using cutting-edge AI and emerging technology to create seamless, accessible experiences for all. Let’s build the future of inclusive healthcare together.
