What is involved with an accessibility audit? (Part 1)
The second most-often question I am asked is what actually does having a website accessibility audit involve? FYI, the most often question I get asked is what does website accessibility for disabled people actually mean? I always point them to my recent TEDxTalk for that one! In case you are interested in watching it, the details are in the comment.
In a sentence, a website accessibility audit involves assessing your website in terms of how accessible it is for disabled people to use. There are 5 elements to every audit I undertake:
- What is to be assessed and when it will be assessed
- Assessment of the website against automated matrices
- Manual Evaluation of the Website by myself
- Live audits of the website with my amazing website accessibility testing team, comprising of Mede, Iona and Sara
- Presentation of my report, including the videos
This is the first in a series of five articles, where I will explain each one in greater detail.
What is to be assessed.
This is agreed with the client in advance and is not as straightforward as it sounds.
There may be a requirement for a general assessment if it is a brochure website. This might involve assessing every single page or, more usually, assessing each template on the website. Websites usually have one layout for their home page, another for other main pages, another for their news or blog articles, and another for the case studies or other information.
There may be some element of further user interaction required, such as signing up for a newsletter or creating an account to access further content. There may be a booking or other e-commerce facility that requires both signing up and making an online payment. Specific journeys may need to be mapped out and agreed in advance.
If I am assessing a private environment, such as a Customer Help Portal, there may also need to be access to it organised in advance, particularly if access is limited t specific IP addresses. All of these things are planned from the outset.
The other important part is to agree on the dates on which the different elements of the audit are to be carried out.
Once all this has been done, we are ready to begin! In the next post, I will look at what assessing a website against automated matrices actually means, and I will use that opportunity to clear up the most commonly misunderstood aspects of website accessibility.
#accessibility #equality #diversityinclusin #webdesign
If you would like to watch my TEDx Talk on Website Accessibility, please follow this link: https://webaccess.live
If you would like to find out more about website accessibility, why now view our website dedicated specifically to the subject? Please follow this link to visit it: https://accessibilityaudit.co.uk/
If you are interested in a free initial review of the accessibility of your website, why not book yourself in for a consultation? Please follow this link to do so:
https://calendly.com/cliveloseby/accessibility-audit-free-initial-consultation
Clive Loseby
Access by Design. Accessible Websites, Beautifully Designed.
Outstanding Website Accessibility Audits
Award-winning web design, Chichester.
