Legislators around the world are taking action and holding companies accountable: In the US, the “Americans with Disabilities Act” (ADA) has triggered a flood of lawsuits against online retailers.
At a European level, the “European Accessibility Act” (EAA) which will come into force in 2025, initially only affecting public service websites, apps and banking services.
In Germany, according to the national implementation law, e-commerce websites are also affected.
More than 7.8 million people in Germany have some form of disability - whether congenital, external circumstances or due to ageing.
In addition, there are users who have problems using websites because of a temporary or situational limitation.
Those who neglect web accessibility therefore exclude a large group of potential customers and hence sales potential.
Google has also responded by making accessibility part of its mission: "Organise the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful".
When user-friendliness and accessibility go hand in hand, everyone benefits.
If you are planning your website relaunch, accessibility can be considered alongside the relaunch to ensure more efficiency, as making an existing website accessible at a later stage is more time-consuming than considering accessibility from the beginning.
We start with a joint kick-off to define the website's goals and KPIs and prioritise the pagetypes to be analysed. This step is necessary to have all relevant stakeholders onboard, ensure knowledge transfer and set the roadmap for an accessible website.
This step involves getting to know your website or application. Our experts will take a close look at how your site works to understand its content and features, as well as what technologies are used.
As part of the analysis, we use tools to automatically check certain aspects of accessibility, as well as manual checks. This is essential, for example, to check keyboard navigation or the use of screen readers. We take into account the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guideline) test criteria, among others.
Further in the process, we create the audit documenting the critical areas. Using the PIE (Potential, Importance, Ease) framework, we prioritise the findings and provide concrete recommendations for action.
We present the results and recommendations for action of our analysis in a joint meeting - which can take place online or on site.
Beyond that, we are available to answer your questions after the audit and are more than happy to support you in testing and implementing the results, if required.
An external assessment can help you identify potential and prepare well for the European Accessibility Act. With an accessibility audit, you can implement an accessible user guidance on your website, ensure conformity and also optimise the conversion rate of your website.
Following an accessibility audit, we can also support you in the implementation to conform with the guidelines.
We will be happy to give you an initial assessment in a non-binding strategy discussion.
Judith Scheiderer, Verena Lahner and Johanna Dietrich are our specialists within the areas of user experience, accessibility and conversion rate optimization (CRO).
In addition to individually tailored workshops, they support our clients through UX and accessibility audits or in A/B testing.
An accessibility audit is a review of the accessibility of a website or application. It is used to ensure that people with disabilities (such as visual or cognitive impairments) can easily access the content and interact with the website. This is based on a set of accessibility guidelines, usually the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) to ensure that a certains standard is met.
An accessible website helps to ensure that all users have the same opportunities to use the website's content and features. Starting in 2025, the European Accessibility Act will come into force and with it, many EU countries will also be legally obliged to ensure that websites and digital applications of public institutions are accessibility compliant.
An accessibility audit checks whether a website or application meets the requirements of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These standards define how content on a website or in an application should be made accessible to people with disabilities. Some of the aspects that are reviewed include:
There are other standards and guidelines that are considered in an audit, depending on the audience for which the website or application is designed.
We identify optimisation potential along the user flow from search query to conversion.
We share our knowledge and support you in sustainably establishing UX processes in your company.
We help strengthening your in-house competencies with customised UX training.