5. 5
What does accessibility mean?
“The design of products,
devices, services, or
environments for people with
disabilities.”
Source: W3C
6. 6
Why is accessibility important?
• Nearly one in five people of working age
(1 million, or 19%) in Scotland are disabled
• By pension age almost 50% of us will be
disabled
• Current projections for 2037 suggest the
number of people in Scotland aged 65+ will
increase by 59%
Source: gov.scot and gov.uk
7. 7
Why do accessibility testing?
• Uncovers issues that audits or automated
testing won’t
• Provides a better understanding of how
people will actually use the website
• Identifies broader usability issues
19. 19
Some other findings
• Online confidence and experience a bigger
factor than impairments
• Problem solving is required to complete
some journeys
• A reminder to not make assumptions around
literacy
• Need to further explore cognitive aspects
through user testing
• Accessibility is part of the bigger picture of
Digital Participation
Hello, my name is Sam Tilston
I’m a user researcher at Scottish Government, where I work in the Digital Directorate (in the User Research and Engagement team)
My role is to help ensure that end users and citizens are part of the process when the government designs digital services (so mainly websites)
I’m here to talk about how we help make information accessible
The case study that I’m going to talk about is the some of the work we’ve been involved with on the mygov.scot website.
I’m not sure if anyone here has heard about it?
It’s aim is to provide access to public services in Scotland
You can see a variety of information available to members of the public
It’s proposition is to be a single platform for Scottish Government information and services online
Lots of different services and information across government, but the aim is to provide access in one place without needing to know the provider
This is beneficial for end users
Also:
Up to date, credible information
Plain language
Consistent experience no matter who you are
Based on user needs
Mygov.scot follows something called the ‘Digital First Service Standard’
It’s a list of criteria that the site follows and number 1 on the list is to be user centred, which is where my team comes in
We conduct research with members of the public to inform the development of the site and test/validate aspects that have been created
We do primarily usability testing, but also accessibility testing
Inclusive design address a broad range of issues in making technology available to and usable by all people whatever their abilities, age, economic situation, education, geographic location, language, etc.
Accessibility focuses on people with disabilities
1 in 5 people in Scotland of working age are disabled - http://www.gov.scot/Topics/People/Equality/disability
By pension age almost 50% of us will be disabled
Use of assistive technology (AT) increases with age with 52% of of AT devices used by those 65+
We live in an aging population
It’s about ensuring that the website can be used by anyone regardless of their situation
Observing real people interact with the site will provide richer insight around how people will actually use the site
It’s not that the audits and automated testing aren’t important – we need both
It’s better for everyone who wants to use the site
We carried out sessions with a mix of people across Scotland (range of gender and ages)
5 with visual impairment, 3 physical impairment, 2 cognitive impairment
Carried out representative tasks on the site to review overall accessibility and some specific areas e.g. video content
Wide mix of people
Different devices – tablet, laptop and desktop
Use their own technology (Magnifiers, screen-readers, stylus, touch screen, keyboard input)
Four common categories
Need to be careful with categorization as there is a large variety within categories e.g.
Blind - Screen reader vs. low vision
Physical – wheelchair user vs. motor issues
Severity and degree/level of impairment
Multiple impairments
Illustration of an example of assistive technology
Picture is of ZoomText with colour inversion to increase contrast
Other common examples are screen readers which read out text on screen for visually impaired users, joystick/keyboard only for physical impairments, etc.
Design patterns
Occasionally the layout/structure is inconsistent
3 column layout to single list
Zoomed in user can lose context
If purpose is specific then need a clear route or call to action
CTA not always a link or button, could be a phone number or piece of content
Screen readers to scan through content
Visually to pick out key words
Sub-headings used to clarify
Pattern beginning to see around use of search (elderly/less tech savvy don’t use)
Focus on words e.g. go to ‘Money and Tax’ for council tax
Importance in search – variant terms / related terms e.g. ‘elderly’
Focus on ‘your’ care needs, not someone else
Minor usability e.g. on tablet, content below the fold
Delays in accordion drop-downs
Search a bit slow to react
Lack of use of right hand side links
Stacked cards interaction can be distracting
Journey through mygov.scot to find information successful
Current stats show 80% of user coming to our site and then exiting so this is important