This article shares a firsthand account from a blind screen reader user who encountered critical mobile accessibility failures during an online banking identity verification process. A routine customer service task led to account restrictions, lost access, and hours of recovery work due to unlabeled buttons and inaccessible pop-ups. The story highlights why accessible mobile banking is essential for usability, customer trust, and operational risk reduction.I recently moved several of my accounts to a new financial institution. As things typically go, it took time to get everything set up and working the way I like with the bank’s technology. Part of that process involved calling customer service to resolve a small issue with my account.
What should have been a simple request turned into a long, frustrating experience due to mobile accessibility barriers. Even worse, those barriers triggered consequences that affected my access to my own money. This post walks through what happened, with a focus on mobile, touch-based screen readers.
I was genuinely surprised to run into problems.
Over the past few months, I have used this bank’s mobile app, desktop website, and even the audio guidance on its ATM machines with very few accessibility issues. Overall, things worked well.
But as I often say, it only takes one flaw to ruin an otherwise smooth experience.
The issue began during a call with a customer service agent. She offered to verify my identity through a secure link sent to my phone. This is common now, so I agreed.
The text message opened a webpage where I could confirm my identity.
Immediately, I hit a wall.
A cookie consent pop-up covered the screen. My screen reader announced the message, but there was no clear button to dismiss it. I searched the entire page using both touch exploration and manual navigation. Nothing worked.
Meanwhile, the agent kept asking if I was ready to continue.
Reloading the page did not help. It expired the verification link entirely.
Out of desperation, I turned off my screen reader and tapped around the upper-right corner of the screen, hoping to accidentally hit a close button. Fortunately, that worked.
The pop-up disappeared.
I thought the problem was solved.
It was not.
The next page was supposed to be simple. It instructed me to press “Yes” to confirm my identity.
My screen reader announced only three elements:
“Button. Not pressed.”
“Button. Not pressed.”
“Button. Not pressed.”
No labels. No context.
I asked the agent which one was “Yes.” She said it was the first button.
With no other option, I activated it.
Within seconds, an error appeared. My identity could not be verified.
Apparently, I had selected “No.”
Most likely, the buttons were either unlabeled or announced in a different order than their visual layout. From a screen reader perspective, they were indistinguishable.
Because of that one inaccessible step, the system flagged my own account as suspicious activity.
Things escalated quickly.
My credit card was placed on hold.
My phone number was marked invalid.
I lost access to the mobile app entirely.
To fix it, I spent hours on the phone explaining what happened. Eventually, I had to visit a physical branch to prove my identity.
All of this stemmed from a single inaccessible mobile workflow.
I did nothing wrong. The technology failed.
For organizations, failures like this go far beyond inconvenience.
When mobile banking experiences are not accessible to screen reader users, routine tasks such as login or identity verification can result in account lockouts, increased support calls, and a loss of trust. These issues increase operational costs and create preventable risk.
Mobile accessibility is not only about compliance. It directly affects customer experience, retention, and service efficiency.
This type of breakdown is not rare.
Today, many customers rely primarily on mobile banking. If critical workflows are inaccessible, customers are pushed into workarounds or forced to contact support. That friction adds cost and damages trust.
For more real-world examples and practical guidance, explore UsableNet’s financial services accessibility resources, including:
Fixing issues directly in the experience, rather than relying on temporary workarounds, helps prevent disruptions like the one described here.
Moving Forward
The experience I've described isn't an isolated incident, it reflects systemic gaps in how mobile banking experiences are designed and tested. But these problems are solvable.
Digital banking teams that prioritize accessibility from the start can prevent these cascading failures entirely. That means testing with actual assistive technology users, implementing WCAG standards throughout development, and treating accessibility as a core feature rather than an afterthought.
If you're working to improve your mobile banking accessibility, here are answers to some of the most common questions we hear at UsableNet:
Mobile banking is often the primary way customers manage their accounts. If login, payments, or verification steps are not accessible, customers may lose access or require extra support.
Unlabeled buttons, inaccessible pop-ups, incorrect screen reader order, and forms that require sight are common problems.
They increase support calls, cause account lockouts, erode customer trust, and introduce compliance risks.
Test with screen readers, follow WCAG guidelines, label all controls, and address issues through ongoing remediation.
Take Action
Accessibility failures in mobile banking aren't just frustrating—they're preventable. Every unlabeled button, every inaccessible pop-up, and every broken verification flow represents a choice to exclude customers who rely on assistive technology.
Financial institutions have an opportunity to lead by making digital banking truly accessible to everyone. It starts with understanding where the gaps exist and committing to meaningful change.
Ready to improve your mobile banking accessibility? Our team can help you identify risks, remediate issues, and build accessible experiences that work for all customers. Schedule a consultation.
This is a guest post from our marketing contributor, Michael Taylor. It reflects his opinions and experiences. Read more about Michael and some other posts on his experience online here.