Hi everyone,
I am forwarding a copy of the formal feedback I sent today regarding the critical accessibility barriers I encountered in the new HDFC Bank iOS application. A note on the shared content: I have edited the forwarded text to conceal all personally identifiable information (PII) to protect my privacy. However, the core content remains exactly as it was sent to the bank. For transparency, please note that this email was formally sent to my Customer Relationship Manager, the bank's General Support ID, and their Digital Grievance Redressal ID. I am sharing this with the community because we must continue to call out the "disability tax" of time and effort that these institutions expect us to pay. It is not our job to be their unpaid testers. Hi everyone, I am forwarding a copy of the formal feedback I sent today regarding the critical accessibility barriers I encountered in the new HDFC Bank iOS application. A note on the shared content: I have edited the forwarded text to conceal all personally identifiable information (PII) to protect my privacy. However, the core content remains exactly as it was sent to the bank. For transparency, please note that this email was formally sent to my Customer Relationship Manager, the bank's General Support ID, and their Digital Grievance Redressal ID. I am sharing this with the community because we must continue to call out the "disability tax" of time and effort that these institutions expect us to pay. It is not our job to be their unpaid testers. SENT MAIL BELOW SIGNATURE Sincerely, Mujtaba Merchant Bangalore | INDIA Mail: [email protected] Website: <https://www.mister-kayne.com/> The Somebody, Nobody, Anybody & Everybody Blog! Sent from Outlook R for Windows 10 Subject: URGENT: Accessibility Failures in HDFC Bank iOS App (Ver 26.2) - Formal Feedback & Grievance Importance: High Dear Prabhakaran and HDFC Digital Team, I am writing to share my initial experience and feedback regarding the all-new HDFC Bank application (iOS version 26.2) using VoiceOver. While the bank promotes this as a "seamless" digital experience, my attempt to register today revealed significant barriers that violate basic digital accessibility standards. As a customer who relies on assistive technology, I am reporting the following critical failures: Technical Accessibility Issues: 1. Unlabeled/Mislabeled Action Buttons: During the registration process, the primary navigation button to proceed to the next screen does not announce as "Continue" or "Next." Instead, VoiceOver announces it as "Test" or "Text." This is a fundamental labeling error that creates immediate friction for a visually impaired user. 2. Ambiguous Selection Indicators: In sections where a choice must be made between two options, the application lacks standard, clear radio buttons. The current method of indicating a "selected" state is non-standard and highly difficult to interpret via a screen reader. 3. Checkbox Verbosity & Confusion: While the Terms and Conditions checkbox does eventually announce its state (checked/unchecked), the focus order and preceding metadata are cluttered, leading to significant cognitive load and confusion before the actual state is communicated. I have limited my testing to the registration flow. Given that the bank has rolled out this update without ensuring compliance with WCAG 2.1 (Level AA) or RBI's Digital Accessibility guidelines, it is clear that internal audits have failed. Please note: As a customer, it is not my responsibility to act as an unpaid Accessibility Tester for HDFC Bank's digital assets. Reporting these failures requires time, effort, and specialized knowledge. HDFC Bank needs to prioritize inclusive design for both iOS and Android users. Specifically, I urge you to: . Immediate Fix: Resolve the labeling and selection-indicator bugs mentioned above. . Audit: Hire an external professional organization specializing in accessibility audits to review your entire digital ecosystem. . Compensation: Since I have performed a professional-grade diagnostic on your registration flow, I request a credit of $500 to my account as a consulting fee for the feedback provided thus far, or as a gesture of goodwill for the "disability tax" of time spent navigating an inaccessible system. I am yet to explore the transaction features, where I anticipate further challenges. I look forward to your response regarding how the bank intends to rectify these systemic barriers. P.S. I was able to register on the application successfully, but with a lot of frustration involved -- Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "AccessIndia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/a/accessindia.org.in/d/msgid/accessindia/016201dc8ee2%24fe0f4940%24fa2ddbc0%24%40gmail.com.
