Rethinking a design decision: the Curb Cut Effect

Today I learned (or re-learned) that small design tweaks can make a big difference for accessibility and usability. Here’s the story: On the TIL list page of my site, I initially opted for no underlines on the TIL titles. Since I usually display the entire post right there (or a read more link), clicking through isn’t strictly necessary. It was a clean look–or so I thought.

Then I came across an article discussing the Curb Cut Effect, which essentially describes how accessibility improvements intended for specific groups (like curb cuts for wheelchair users) end up benefiting everyone. This got me thinking: even if someone doesn’t need to click the TIL titles, having them underlined serves an important purpose.

Underlined links signal that they’re clickable, making navigation intuitive for folks with vision impairments, colorblindness, or even those using devices with grayscale displays. It’s also handy for casual readers who might not hover over text to figure out what’s interactive. By adding the underline, I’m not just optimizing accessibility–I’m improving the overall user experience.

Sometimes, the smallest changes add the most value. And hey, making my site a little friendlier for everyone feels like a win-win.

Do you have a design tweak that had unexpected ripple effects? I’d love to hear about it!