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HumanFirst - Web Accessibility Intelligence

Problem Statement

Despite decades of accessibility guidelines, most websites remain hostile to users with disabilities, seniors, and those with cognitive differences. Developers lack real-time feedback about how their design choices exclude people. The "Websites Are for Humans" philosophy exists, but there's no automated way to measure and improve human-centeredness vs. metrics-optimization during development. Millions of people struggle daily with inaccessible interfaces, but building accessible sites remains an afterthought rather than a real-time development priority.

App Concept

HumanFirst is an AI-powered browser extension and API that provides real-time accessibility scoring, simulation, and actionable fixes while you design and develop websites.

  • Live accessibility scoring as you browse or develop (0-100 human-friendliness score)
  • Multi-disability simulation - See your site through 15+ different lenses (low vision, motor impairment, cognitive differences, elderly users)
  • AI fix suggestions with code snippets for immediate implementation
  • Screen reader preview - Hear what blind users experience
  • Cognitive load analyzer - Detect overwhelming layouts, choice paralysis
  • Plain language AI - Rewrites complex text at target reading levels
  • Mobile motor difficulty simulation - Shows how hard tap targets are to hit
  • Neurodivergent mode - Flags sensory overload triggers (animations, colors, density)
  • Accessibility debt tracker for development teams
  • Comparison reports - How you rank vs. competitors on human-centeredness

Core Mechanism

For developers: 1. Install browser extension or add NPM package to dev environment 2. Real-time scoring overlay appears on dev site (like Lighthouse but for humans) 3. Click any failing element to see specific issue + AI-generated fix 4. Copy code fix with one click 5. Watch score improve in real-time as you implement changes 6. Generate accessibility report for stakeholders with ROI data

For advocates/consumers: 1. Browse web normally with extension enabled 2. See accessibility scores on every site (public shaming/praising mechanism) 3. One-click "Report inaccessible site" to database 4. Track improvement over time across favorite sites 5. Share accessible alternatives to common sites 6. Build advocacy campaigns with data from network

For business stakeholders: 1. Dashboard showing accessibility debt across all company properties 2. ROI calculator - lost revenue from excluded users 3. Legal risk assessment based on WCAG compliance 4. Competitive intelligence - how accessible are competitors? 5. Before/after impact reports with user testimonials

Core Mechanism (Continued)

Viral growth loop: 1. Developer improves site accessibility using tool 2. Users with disabilities notice and leave positive feedback 3. Site displays "Built with HumanFirst" badge 4. Other developers see badge and want same validation 5. Accessibility scores become competitive metric 6. Sites with low scores face public pressure to improve

Gamification: - Accessibility leaderboards by industry/category - Achievement badges for hitting milestones - Team competitions to improve scores fastest - "Accessibility champion" certifications - Monthly spotlight on most-improved sites

Monetization Strategy

Freemium for individuals: - Free: Basic scoring, 3 simulations, community database access - Pro ($12/month): All 15 simulations, AI fixes, plain language rewriter, no limits

Team/Enterprise: - Startup ($49/month): 5 team members, unlimited sites, Slack integration - Business ($199/month): 20 members, API access, custom rules, white-label reports - Enterprise ($999+/month): Unlimited users, dedicated support, legal compliance packages, custom training

Additional revenue: - Accessibility audit services ($2,500-25,000 per site) - Certification program for developers ($299/year) - Agency partnerships (white-label tool) - 30% revenue share - Consulting for major redesigns - Expert witness services for ADA lawsuits

Viral Growth Angle

Public accountability: Browser extension shows accessibility scores on every site you visit - creates social pressure. "How does your site score?" becomes a benchmark question.

Legal fear + hope: Partner with disability rights organizations. When major ADA lawsuits hit (ongoing), position as prevention tool. "Don't be the next Netflix/Domino's."

Developer community: Open-source the scoring algorithm. Create GitHub action that blocks deploys with scores below threshold. Becomes industry standard.

Influencer partnerships: Work with accessibility advocates like Haben Girma to evangelize. Their communities become early adopters and vocal supporters.

Media moments: Publish quarterly "most/least accessible" reports by industry. Companies compete for positive recognition.

Existing Projects

Similar solutions: - axe DevTools (Deque) - Browser extension for accessibility testing. Focuses on WCAG compliance checklist rather than holistic human-centered design. No AI fixes or simulation features. Enterprise pricing ($1000s). - WAVE (WebAIM) - Free browser extension showing accessibility errors. Basic visual indicators only, no simulations or intelligent suggestions. No real-time development integration. - Lighthouse (Google) - Includes accessibility audit in performance tool. Generic scores without specific human experience simulation. Developer-focused only. - Stark - Figma/Sketch plugin for designers. Limited to design phase, doesn't work on live sites. No code-level integration or AI suggestions. - Silktide - Enterprise accessibility monitoring platform. Expensive ($10K+/year), complex setup, not real-time during development.

Key differentiator: HumanFirst combines real-time scoring during development, multi-disability simulation, AI-powered fix generation, and public-facing scoring in one tool - making accessibility improvement fast, intuitive, and socially visible rather than a compliance checkbox.

Evaluation Criteria

  • Emotional Trigger: 8/10 - Strong among those who care about inclusion, elderly parents, or have disabilities; moderate for typical developers until they understand impact
  • Idea Quality: 8/10 - Addresses real pain point with novel AI approach and public accountability mechanism
  • Need Category: Safety & Security Needs (protection, predictability, ability to access essential services)
  • Market Size: Large - 20M+ web developers worldwide, plus 1B+ people with disabilities, plus all businesses with websites
  • Build Complexity: 7/10 - Requires AI model training, browser extension development, accessibility expertise, simulation engines
  • Time to MVP: 3 months - Core: browser extension with basic scoring, 5 key simulations, simple fix suggestions
  • Key Differentiator: Only tool combining real-time dev feedback, multi-disability simulation, AI fixes, and public-facing scores with social pressure mechanism
  • Inspiration Source: "Websites Are for Humans" HN article + widespread accessibility failures despite existing guidelines