Unplug Studio plugs in for persons with disabilities

Evelyn Seltier of the International Trade Centre talked with Mauricio Paz of Unplug Studio about how his start-up is empowering businesses in El Salvador, and globally, so they can focus on their jobs instead of worrying about data management or technological operations.

As a bonus, the web development provider is specializing in making websites and e-commerce platforms more accessible to persons with disabilities – a growing niche market with immense potential. 

How you co-founded Unplug Studio?.

My long-term friend and now managing partner of Unplug Studio, Carlos Avendaño, specializes in data analytics, while I had worked for 12 years in marketing, e-commerce and market research.

When I moved back to El Salvador after my studies and early career years in Spain, we noticed a strong tendency for qualified and educated personnel to move from rural to urban areas just to keep their jobs. They are often forced to move to support their families and communities.

We thought, “there must be a way for them to be able to work from home.” This is why we founded “Unplug” in 2018. The name “Unplug” reflects our commitment to providing a haven where customers can disconnect from the complexities of data management and technology operations.

We are creating a hub for skilled, tech-savvy individuals who can work from home in web and e-commerce development, allowing them to remain in their communities. We also occasionally fund their college education so they can contribute their knowledge to their communities.

What brought you success?

Our very first clients are still loyal to us. They were impressed by the quality of our work and said, “Wow! Your team is better than the one we usually have here.” We are very good at maintaining relationships and advising; and we believe in seeking out long-term stakeholders who trust us.

We work on websites and e-commerce platforms for companies around the world. Our team focuses on marketing, web development, data analytics, and design agencies. First we tried to offer an all-inclusive package as a marketing agency, but through the International Trade Centre and its project “Ilamatepec” we learned that being a niche provider will bring us more advantages and greater success over time. This is how we came to specialize in accessibility in web development solutions. 

Why you decided to move into this area?

What we love about accessibility, and why we decided to move into this area, is that we are helping people who need to have adequate access to the internet. 

We found that, especially in El Salvador, accessibility is rarely mentioned. We were among the first ones talking about it. You see that physical infrastructures are being adapted for persons with disabilities, but this isn’t happening yet in the digital sphere.

For instance, my wife works with people with hearing impairments. It is very difficult for them to use e-banking services, even just to complete basic operations. The same goes for visually impaired people. 

What we are offering is usability testing with real users, to optimize websites to better serve different needs. We go beyond the automatic settings that are available nowadays. This way our websites perform much better.