In today’s rapidly evolving digital world, payments are becoming faster and more frictionless, but they must also become more accessible. As more payment experiences shift to flat-screens and tap-based devices, consumers with visual impairments can be left behind. Traditional terminals offer tactile buttons to guide PIN entry, but modern touchscreens lack these physical cues. For people who are blind or have low vision, that makes private, independent payments nearly impossible.
One user Visa spoke with put it best: “What we have started to realize is that you're leaving a whole section of people behind — people who cannot see — and for them, this is very challenging. One of the problems I run into is that every terminal is different. When there is a circle on the green button and I just need to enter a PIN, it's great. But when it’s a smooth screen, people who are fully blind, like I am, can’t do that without someone’s help.”
Recently, Visa’s Tap to Phone technology — which turns a smartphone into a point-of-sale (POS) device — has taken a major step in addressing these barriers and expanding the product capabilities of its merchant solution, ensuring that accessibility for consumers keeps pace with digitization of payments.
Visa recognized this exclusion and made it a priority to bring the voice and expertise of the blind community into the development process.
As part of our commitment, we embedded accessibility standards and real-world usability testing into every step of the Tap to Phone journey. We listened, learned and iterated the Tap to Phone merchant solution with direct feedback from blind and visually impaired users, helping design a solution that would truly work for those users.
The new accessible Tap to Phone PIN solution is another innovation that came to fruition with expert user input and includes features like tactile confirmation, audible feedback as well as intuitive and easy-to-use digital payment flow. This collaboration is helping ensure that digital payments work everywhere, for everyone — empowering people to complete payments with security, independence and dignity.
Why accessibility in payments matters
For individuals with disabilities, accessible interfaces mean much more than convenience; they are key pieces to independent living and financial autonomy. At Visa, we strive to innovate with accessibility at the forefront, empowering more people to participate fully in the digital economy.
Innovation with impact
As the demonstration shows, features like tactile confirmation, audible feedback and intuitive digital flows can transform not just the payment experience, but everyday life for millions. By consistently innovating to remove barriers, Visa aims to expand access to the digital payments ecosystem and make secure, independent transactions the norm for all.
What’s ahead
True inclusion isn’t a one-time initiative. It’s a commitment to ongoing improvement and collaboration. The future of commerce depends on payment experiences that are accessible to everyone, everywhere. As Visa continues to advance accessible design and technology, we believe investing in accessibility innovation, research and user feedback — including developing solutions for glass touchscreens such as tactile and audio feedback — can drive meaningful impact, helping more people access payments that are easy, secure and inclusive.