New Wales-based consultancy Y Cewri has launched as latest government figures show that one in four people in the UK are living with a disability, highlighting the growing need for organisations to create products, services and digital experiences that work for everyone.
Founded by digital transformation, accessibility and user-centred design specialist Joanna Goodwin, Y Cewri helps organisations make better decisions about the products, services and technologies they create, procure and operate.
The launch comes at a time when businesses and public services face increasing pressure to digitise, adopt artificial intelligence, improve customer experience, meet accessibility obligations and reduce environmental impacts, often while managing tighter budgets and growing expectations.
Y Cewri believes that too many organisations begin with a preferred solution rather than a clear understanding of the problem they are trying to solve.
“Technology should be an answer to a problem, not the starting point for one,” said Joanna Goodwin.
“We have become very good at building things quickly, but not always good enough at asking whether we should build them at all.
“Whether it’s a new platform, an AI tool, a service redesign or a procurement decision, organisations need stronger evidence, a better understanding of people’s needs and a clearer view of long-term impacts before committing significant time, money and resources.”
The company specialises in user-centred design, accessibility, inclusive design, digital sustainability, service improvement and bilingual and multilingual design. Through consultancy, coaching and training, it helps organisations understand user needs, reduce waste, strengthen governance and make more informed investment decisions.
The need for that approach has never been greater. Government figures show that 16.7 million people in the UK are now disabled, representing 25% of the population. At the same time, disabled people and their households account for an estimated £274 billion in annual spending power, often referred to as the “Purple Pound”.
Despite this, accessibility barriers remain widespread. Government Digital Service monitoring identified accessibility issues across nearly all of the 1,203 public sector websites and 21 mobile applications it reviewed between 2022 and 2024, uncovering almost 30,000 separate accessibility issues.
According to Goodwin, that demonstrates why accessibility should be treated as a business, customer experience and service quality issue, rather than simply a compliance exercise.
“If your customer cannot use your product or service, they are not an edge case. They are a customer you have designed out,” she said.
“Accessibility is fundamentally about people. It affects whether someone can buy a product, access information, complete a transaction, apply for support or participate independently in society.”
Y Cewri takes its name from the Welsh word for “giants” and reflects a belief that organisations achieve better outcomes by building on evidence, expertise and collective knowledge rather than simply pursuing the latest technology trend.
The business draws heavily on Goodwin’s extensive experience across local government, UK central government and national public service transformation programmes in Wales. Over a career spanning more than two decades, she has built and led multidisciplinary digital, design and delivery teams, worked with local authorities, health boards, Welsh Government and national organisations, and helped strengthen user-centred design capability across Wales. Most recently, she led User-Centred Design and Delivery at the Centre for Digital Public Services.
Goodwin is currently undertaking a PhD in Computer Science focused on cognitive accessibility in digital public services. She is also a Fellow of the Future Government Institute and a member of the Government Digital Sustainability Alliance’s Social Impacts and Embedding Sustainability working groups.
The company’s commitment to accessibility is reflected in its forthcoming Access for All: From Policy to Reality conference in Newport on 30th September, bringing together accessibility specialists, academics, designers and elite para-athletes to explore practical solutions.
“The most valuable question isn’t ‘What can we build?’ It’s ‘What problem are we trying to solve, and what is the most responsible way to solve it?'” Goodwin added. “The purpose of Y Cewri isn’t to help organisations create more. It’s to help them create better, more inclusive and more sustainable solutions that deliver real value for people and organisations alike.”