To help foster a more inclusive web, we created the Etisalat Wider Web extension, a browser extension to help people on the spectrum navigate websites. The extension, a first-of-its-kind, allows for a global redesign of the web experience by reshaping and simplifying how information is presented on the websites.

An extension available on all major browsers, that realigns webpages to be more autistic friendly.

Through our research, we determined that there were 6 main pain points for neurodivergent people browsing the web

- Advertisements
- The amount of information on the screen
- The clash of colors
- The variations and difficulty in reading font types,
- The visually disruptive nature of some images
- Loud videos with auto play

The open-source extension works on any language and is configurable to allow users to pick their preference in color, page width and font size, and is available for all the major browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Edge & Safari.

We then tested our extension with different people on the spectrum to gauge their reactions and make improvements. Their sentiments were heartwarming and encouraging, pushing us to launch on world autism day.

During the launch, the extension was officially endorsed by the government receiving the approval of the autistic population in the UAE. The extension is currently going through its early adoption phase having been widely shared within the psychology community, already being downloaded in 32 countries, and increasing unique site visits to our Etisalat website 20% during the week after launch.

As for the campaign, after less a month of launch, it had reached 1,989,651,742 impressions, getting featured on TV channels, radio stations and newspaper including BBC, CNN, Khaleeji Times, Virgin Radio & others. This created not only a connection with our brand, but also for the cause that is rarely highlighted in the Middle East.

Etisalat - The Wider Web

CREDITS

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