We are Evenness, a leading voice in Web2/Web3 Accessible & Sustainable Design. Our mission is to unleash the potential of inclusive and sustainable innovation for everyone, transforming how people work, learn, create, and connect. We utilize AI, Blockchain, and Dynamic Data to automate time-consuming audits of web interfaces and gamified experiences, enhancing the experience for diverse audiences tailored to their health profiles, while assisting businesses in maintaining adherence to web compliance standards, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the European Accessibility Act (EAA), General Data Protection Act (GDPR), and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
In this interview, we have the pleasure of speaking with Bhuva Shakti, MS, MBA 🚀, an early investor in Evenness and a champion for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) compliance. In March 2024, Bhuva has been appointed as Co-founder, Director, and fractional Chief Product and Sustainability Officer at Evenness, joining Eve Logunova-Parker, Founder & CEO, and Ramona M. Parker, Co-founder & CISO, on the leadership team.
⭐️👉🏽 With a remarkable 25-year tenure on Wall Street, an MBA from Columbia University, and two graduate diplomas in Computer Science and Software Engineering, Bhuva has led diverse multinational teams and spearheaded the launch of numerous technology products in the investment banking, capital markets risk, and regulatory compliance sectors. In addition to her new role at Evenness, Bhuva Shakti serves as an Impact Investor at the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF), a G20 collaboration for science, technology, and innovation that empowers global economies and expands financial inclusion.
💬 Evenness: Bhuva, let’s begin with some thought-provoking facts.
There are 1.3 billion people globally, roughly 1 in 6 individuals, who perceive or navigate digital content and experiences differently due to unique physical or mental health profiles. The collective spending power of people with diverse health profiles and their families exceeds $1 trillion. Yet, they face limitations in spending their money on necessities due to inadequate designs of web apps and platforms. So, here's the question: 🚩why is accessible and sustainable design of web interfaces, tech solutions, and gamified experiences so pivotal in today's world?
❇️ Bhuva: Whether you are a startup or a large enterprise, building digital solutions tailored to various health profiles and prioritizing digital accessibility is crucial. This lack of accessibility not only hampers inclusivity but also has severe economic implications.
Unfortunately, only a mere 3% of internet solutions are built compliant with accessibility standards such as ADA, WCAG, and COPPA. With the 2023 global software market valued at USD 652.61 billion and expected to grow to USD 1.3 trillion by 2030, there is a trend of unstoppable growth. However, this growth will create a broader accessibility gap if web accessibility is not prioritized by designers, developers, and businesses building their online solutions.
Accessible and sustainable design in technical products is an essential metric within the context of ESG frameworks to ensure inclusion and availability for a wide range of users, devices, and environments. While accessibility is primarily associated with the ‘Social’ dimension of ESG, environmentally sustainable design enhances accessibility across devices and is user-friendly for people with different abilities, such as easy-to-read displays or the use of lightweight reusable materials throughout the business.
It’s important to engage communities and understand their needs, continually evaluating products to ensure they meet diverse user requirements with a commitment to social inclusion and equity.
Businesses should incorporate accessibility into corporate strategy and governance, with defined policies, dedicated oversight, and regular reporting on progress toward accessibility goals. Prioritizing sustainability, accessibility, and inclusion helps develop stronger brand loyalty among stakeholders, providing everyone with equitable access to technology.
💬 Evenness: In your new role at Evenness as Co-founder, Director, and Fractional Chief Product and Sustainability Officer, what is your overarching vision?
❇️ Bhuva: In my capacity at Evenness, my vision is to lead a comprehensive sustainability and inclusion strategy at every stage of the product life cycle, while prioritizing compliance with ESG standards as we expand our business reach.
Beginning with product design, our primary objective is to minimize our environmental footprint and enhance operational efficiency, while delivering exceptional value for our clients in the web accessibility field. Through conducting life cycle assessments, we aim to identify areas lacking inclusivity and prioritize innovative solutions to reimagine overall product design.
Within the realm of ESG, our focus is on ensuring ethical and responsible governance and establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) to track and report our company's environmental performance. My mission encompasses fostering respectful relationships with all stakeholders and fostering an inclusive culture. Mitigating risks remains a paramount concern for me across product and sustainability domains.
💬 Evenness: Sustainability in the design of solutions is directly linked to the accessibility of experiences across devices. What key performance indicators (KPIs) should businesses focus on to ensure they are building and operating sustainably, aiming to reduce digital waste and achieve net-zero emissions?
❇️ Bhuva: The net-zero KPIs should be defined based on the broader sustainability strategy of the organization as well as operational efficiency objectives. Business leaders should establish processes and frameworks to capture, measure, and iteratively improve climate goals specific to their industry/geography. Regular monitoring and transparent reporting of progress increase stakeholder trust and brand credibility.
To simplify this process, I recommend applying artificial intelligence for continuous monitoring and improvement, as well as adherence to ESG compliance standards. Additionally, artificial intelligence can support seamless tracking of storage spaces, flagging unused materials that form digital waste. It can prompt reminders to review files if they are not needed and/or automatically delete them, freeing server space while reducing levels of 'digital pollution.'
The top 3 KPIs essential for any business to get started today should include:
Carbon Footprint tracking and reduction are fundamental to achieving net-zero emissions. Both direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) should be consolidated and reported by the business as its total carbon footprint.
Energy Efficiency measures the amount of energy used per unit of output. Improving energy efficiency reduces overall energy consumption and GHG emissions, further contributing to more sustainable operations and less waste.
Stakeholder Engagement is key to driving innovation and will aid in the long-term integration of sustainability into company culture. Measuring employee involvement in environmental impact initiatives and the extent of training provided, and ensuring compliance reflect leadership’s commitment.
💬 Evenness: What recommendations would you offer to multi-scale businesses, designers, and creators operating in both Web2 and Web3 domains, aiming to craft online apps and experiences that are accessible, sustainable, and efficiently designed?
❇️ Bhuva: In today's digital landscape spanning Web2 and Web3 domains, multi-scale businesses, designers, and creators must prioritize accessibility, sustainability, and efficiency from the outset when developing online apps and experiences. To achieve this, a user-centric and human-centered approach is paramount.
Understanding the diverse needs and preferences of target audiences enables the creation of intuitive interfaces and experiences that are accessible to users of all abilities.
Compliance with accessibility standards such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the European Accessibility Act (EAA), and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) ensures that platforms are usable by everyone, fostering inclusivity, safety, and broadening user engagement.
Moreover, integrating sustainability principles into the design and development process is essential. Businesses should consider factors like energy efficiency, resource usage, and carbon footprint to minimize environmental impact.
By building lightweight applications that consume fewer resources and load quickly, companies not only contribute to a greener environment but also improve user experience across different devices and platforms. This emphasis on environmental consciousness aligns with growing societal expectations for eco-friendly practices and reflects a commitment to responsible corporate citizenship.
Continuous innovation and technology adoption play crucial roles in advancing accessibility, sustainability, and efficiency goals. Leveraging emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain enables the development of innovative solutions that enhance user accessibility and data transparency, optimize resource utilization, and streamline operations.
Integrating artificial intelligence into compliance processes not only enhances efficiency but also improves accuracy. Machine learning algorithms can analyze vast amounts of data to identify accessibility barriers and suggest optimizations, leading to more robust and inclusive web experiences. As a result, businesses can stay ahead of regulatory requirements and meet the diverse needs of their users more effectively.
By fostering a culture of continuous improvement, promoting collaboration across teams, and investing in education and training, businesses can effectively integrate these principles into their design processes. This ultimately leads to the delivery of web apps and experiences that are not only accessible and sustainable but also efficient by design.
Additionally, finding the right partner to streamline productivity is crucial. For instance, a manual audit can cost 🔶 up to $50,000 🔶 to make a website ADA-compliant, with reviews typically taking 3 to 26 weeks. This process is lengthy and inefficient.
How can you ensure future adherence as compliance standards evolve and maintain real-time monitoring of your pages when new content is added? The optimal solution is to find a partner that offers low-code/no-code solutions, powered by artificial intelligence, such as Evenness. Such partnerships can significantly reduce costs and time associated with compliance efforts while ensuring ongoing adherence to evolving standards.
💬 Evenness: Thank you, Bhuva, for sharing these valuable insights!
To all our readers who would like to dive deeper into the topic of Web Accessibility Design and Compliance, follow this link for our recent whitepaper filled with valuable insights to make your digital experiences accessible to all and free from litigation risks.
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