Accessibility reviews
What do we mean by accessibility?
Accessibility is the degree to which anyone can access and use a website using any web browsing technology. A fully accessible site is one that is designed to make use of the latest web technologies such as multimedia, while at the same time accommodating the needs of those who have difficulty with or are unable to use these technologies.
Our accessibility review will assess your website's current level of accessibility and will identify issues that are preventing your website from being accessible to everyone.
Benefits of this service
Advantages
- Potential increase in sales of a potential market share of £80 Billion
- Accessible pages are better for your search engine rankings as they are well formed using correct HTML tags for example:
<h1>Heading level 1 - important for screenreader navigation</h1>
- Boosting your reputation as an equal opportunities employer
- Your website will not incur legal fees as it is a legal obligation for your site to be accessible in the UK under the Disability Discrimination Act
- Usability and accessibility are closely linked so improving accessibility typically improves usability as well
- Your website will be easier to maintain as the data and presentation layer will be seperate making site wide changes easier
- Testing with real users with disabilities gives you a more accurate position of how accessible your site really is
- Cost savings on bandwidth due to "lighter" code pages
- Well coded accessible pages can increase the browsing experience on a mobile or handheld device
Disadvantages
- Requires human resource and budget
- Remedial work can be expensive once the results of a review are presented
- Skilled reviewers are difficult to find, and when their services are available, they are often expensive
- Not enough time to implement all the bugs found
The approach
We follow industry best practice and international guidelines on accessibility including the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) both version 1.0 and the newly launched version 2.0
We use experienced testers who are familiar with a range of products and systems.
The process
As most web sites are constructed using page templates we look to to test a single example of each 'unique' page on the web site to maximise your testing coverage. The 'unique' pages would include all page templates, any form pages and any content pages that contain non standard content such as image maps etc.
Whilst this approach does not review all of the pages on a site (this is only feasible with an automated tool) it does provide a significantly more detailed and thorough analysis as automated tools can only test approximately half of the required criteria.
We want to report as many issues or non compliances for you as we can within the time and cost permitted.
Technical Testing
We will perform a manual inspection of the source code using a standard browser and we will review the site with Lynx text browser.
We use lightweight tools such as the W3C Online HTML and CSS Validators, AIS Accessibility Toolbar and AIS Colour Contrast Analyser (based on WAI algorithm) as part of our technical testing.
User Testing With Assistive Technologies
To determine how accessible a web site actually is it is necessary to test it with real users. An expert review service is available but the most representative results are obtained by involving users with a range of visual, cognitive and physical impairments. The testing incorporates assistive technologies such as speech browsers, text browsers and screen magnifiers.
User testing with JAWS Screen Reader
The site's key functionality will be tested by an unsighted tester familiar with the JAWS screen reader, working in conjunction with a sighted facilitator. The tester will use the JAWS speech browser, while the facilitator compares the speech output with the on-screen content. The tester will describe their approach and reasoning throughout the task, while the facilitator will take notes and prompt the tester where more detail is required.
The deliverables
We would typically look to deliver the following to your organisation as part of the accessibility testing that we run.
Accessibility Report - that describes the purpose of the study, a description of the procedures, a summary of the findings, and perhaps most important, the significant themes that emerged within and between testing sessions.
Video highlights - edited video clips of the most informative parts of the tests.
Presentation - an oral presentation communicating the most important findings and recommendations.
Need some more information?
If you would like to learn more about how we can help you run and co-ordinate accessibility testing then please call us or email us below and we would be happy to help out where we can.
We are ready to answer your questions right now, so please contact us by telephone on +44 (0) 207 168 7526 or drop us a quick email info@spotlessinteractive.com and we will do our best to help you with any questions you might have.
