accessibility & online customer service delivery
DESCRIPTION
The benefits of accessible websites to the success of online customer service devlivery.TRANSCRIPT
Accessibility & online customer service delivery
12 September 2006
Internet age
The Internet has led to substantial cultural transformation
Retail
Banking
Leisure activities
Government services
Social interaction
Internet access
Internet Access in the UK
29 million adults
64% of the population (86% of these have home access)
UK adults : average 2 hours a day online
12% of homes have broadband access – growing
And yet…cause for concern
Disability Rights Commission Research
Serious accessibility and usability problems in over 1000 main service websites in the UK
81% of websites tested failed to meet basic (WAI – A) accessibility standards
Over 45% of problems encountered by disabled users of websites would not be detected by the automated test check points
UK snapshot
10 million registered disabled people in the UK
10 million potential customers
People with disabilities don’t live in a vacuum
Wide sphere of influence
Accessibility – broadest sense
Blind, visually impaired and colour blind
Impaired mobility
Cognitive disability & / or learning disabilities
English not a first language
Hardware, software, bandwidth limitations
All impact on access
Limits potential
Inaccessible websites and other forms of electronic information:
Limits universality
Human potential of web based technologies
Web evolution – phase 1
1st GENERATION – provision(information and services)
eGovernment push : Provision of electronic delivery of priority services
rapid online service provision in line with set targets
Web evolution – phase 2
2nd GENERATION – refocus
• eService Take-up – service provision and getting people to use them
• Accessibility – maximising access to and reach of services
• Usability – getting people to use online services by making them easy and intuitive to use.
Disused
After all, what good is provision of services without take-up of services?
• Underused
• Waste of space
Consequences
If you ignore the potential of accessible websites:
Lose out on potential revenue
Limit your organisation’s effective communication
Miss the opportunity for efficiency savings
Have negative publicity – sector reports
Be at risk of litigation
Accessibility makes sense
It makes sense…
Ethical Sense – age of corporate social responsibility
Legal Sense - DDA
Economic sense – maximises customer service delivery success
Experience matters!
Growing realisation
Success of online service delivery & take-up is dependent on user experience.
Experience matters!
Websites that are:
Unintuitive
Difficult to navigate
Complicated
Unclear
Failure or at least not realising their potential
e-Accessibility
Movement for change….
Legislation – DDA – legal framework
Government Recognition – 2007 Commission Equality & Human Rights
Awareness – industry participation in conferences
Standards – Launch of PAS 78 – Guide to Good Practice in Commissioning Accessible websites - March 2006
Awareness and action
Step1 – Awareness
Step 2 - Action
Hounslow web programme
Ongoing commitment to achieving high standards of accessibility and usability.
Effective:
Communications
Customer service delivery
Programme phases
Key Phases
Phase 1 – key features provision underpinned by compliant and well formed code
Phase 2 – focus on engagement, inclusion and increased take-up by improving website usability & enhancing the user experience.
Approach
Centres around:
• Provision of assistive features and technologies
• Effective project management of web development with accessibility/ usability principles built in – including the development of guidance standards
• Training & Awareness
• Ongoing accessibility processes
• Ongoing usability processes
Assistive features/ technologies
Key assistive features
Compliant code – WAI AA
Speech enabled
Customisation options
Text only
Change contrast
Adjustable text sizes
Printer friendly formats
Change contrast example
Key assistive features
Compliant code – WAI AA
Speech enabled
Information availability options
Text only
Change contrast
Adjustable text sizes
Printer friendly formats
Browsealoud example
Phase 1 features cont’d…
Access keys – enables navigation without a mouse
Interpretive and descriptive tags for images
General assistive features
Various navigational options (main, breadcrumb etc..)
Powerful search engine for information retrieval
File sizes and file types
Project Management controls
Web Project planning and definition
• Clear technical specifications – including accessibility standards enshrined in:
• Web standards for partner websites
• Internal Web standards
• Web writing style guide and CMS publishing guide
Training and awareness
• Content author training
• Staff/ Manager briefings
• Distribution of PAS 78 guidance – now free
Accessibility optimisation
Web Team regular activity:
Accessibility optimisation and code compliance – checking/ fixing
Tools used include:
• Firefox html validator – instant checking
• SiteMorse error reports
• W3c markup validation service
• Others…
Usability optimisation
Web Team regular activity:
• Optimising website navigation, presentation and layout
• Usability audits and recommendations
• Web performance and usage analysis
• New stuff : eye tracking – eye movement detection
Phase 2
Engagement, inclusion through usability enhancement
User testing integral to further development process
Engagement Disability Forum participants
Website usability and accessibility ‘health check’ audits
Ongoing refinement and improvement of our website
Continuous process
Website accessibility and usability requires commitment
Continuous process of development
Carrots
Accessibility helps achieve a high standard of online customer service provision by:
Improving efficient in service delivery
Increased capability to personalise service delivery
Maximising the reach of web services and information
Improving customer relations through inclusion
Stick
And if the carrots are not convincing?
then the stick is the DDA.
