Fortune 500:
Accessibility (A11y) Aid
A project that grew into a program.
About
With a accessiblie issue regarding a customer facing application arises and is underway. This semmingly small project has opened the door to oppertunity to further improve the accessibility as a program effect.
The Problem
The company product design process has a limited understanding of accessibility and its contributions within Retail. Excluding customers and associates with visual and hearing disabilities.
The Objective
Expand knowledge and understanding of accessibility. How it can improve the production process, increase ROI, improve customer and user experience.
Key Metric
WebAIM 2020 Accessibility Ranks:
#900,448 of 1,000,000
Part One
It starts with a project.
Blind by Bluu from Noun Project (CC BY 3.0)
The Problem
The screen reader technology for iOS and Android needs improvements on the customer-facing app.
The Objective
Improve VoiceOver and TalkBack for the flow from Onboarding of new users to checkout.
Digital Accessibility was a new concept for most involved. Introducing myself, what I need, and what I do to the Product Manager and Lead Developer of the team. Understanding what they need and how much can be done at a time.
Old Process
Discovery
Data Analysis
Deliverable
-Screen Reader
-Tab/Focus
-Color Contrast
-Typography
FollowUp
-Initial Meeting
-Key Focus Areas
-Problems
-Audit Suggestion
-Data Compile
Presenting findings to the PM and Lead Dev. Learning how to implement development tickets. Having conversations with the developers of each ticket was assigned to and give them a better understanding of screen readers and how to implement those changes.
Introducing WCAG, ARIA, ATAG, and other resources to learn more about accessible coding.
Gaining greater knowledge of the process of individual developers and that tickets need to be split between iOS and Android. Expanding the sole focus of VoiceOver into Android TalkBack. Learning what 'gherkin' is and how it is a more efficient way for the developers to resolve tickets. While also improving attached screen recordings and annotated screenshots.
Gherkin Example:
Scenario: Breaker joins a game
Given the Maker has started a game with the word "silky"
When the Breaker joins the Maker's game
Then the Breaker must guess a word with 5 characters
Start of Project
Capability of 10% of the total tickets per device.
Around 80-90 tickets created per device.
5 Months Later
90% of the total tickets per device were complete. Ticket completion increased by the 3rd month, showing comprehension of accessibility within the coding.
The last 10% were responsibilities of other teams.
Exploring into the Orginization
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Following the remaining 10% of accessibility issues to responsible teams.
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Introducing my services and growing a community.
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Finding similar-minded associates (Joined the Accessibility Guild).
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Perform additional Audits for other teams and experience
App Team Contributions
Conduct screen reader audits throughout mobile app and web
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Improved navigation for users of screen readers
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Decrease of tech debt
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Faster trouble shooting
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Improved understanding of compliance and ARIA
Connecting and building community.
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Build connection of learning and collaboration
Custom accessibility audits per project
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Decrease of tech debt
-
Reduction on orginization liability
Part Two
Online Design Ops
Design & Dev Systems
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Designers have a Design System that compiles of colors and componets
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​Accessibility Documentation per compontent
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Component edits to improve accessibility
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Developers have the code build for the Design System
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Accessibility Documentation of why components are created in a accessible way.
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Explaining if a componts can not be accessible due to system restrictions
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Expanding Accessibility
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Following accessibility issues to responsible teams.
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Introducing my services and growing a community.
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Attend Accessibility Guild meetings
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Get a better understanding of Guilds goals
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How I can help to implement said goals​
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​Perform additional Audits for other teams
-
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Created an intake form for audits across the department
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Developing Deliverable process​
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Initial introduction meeting
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Teams open for audits
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Accessibility Issue findings​
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Findings with solutions
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Top error types:
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Top error types detected:
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Low contrast text
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Missing alternative text for images
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Missing form input label
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Empty button
Discover
Define
Deploy
Develop
Design
Accessibility (A11y)
Slughammer
Waiting until the end of production accessibility issues adds tech debt, bugs and could resolve previous issues.
VS
Deploy
Develop
Design
Discover
Define
A11y
A11y
A11y
A11y
Pencil
Integrating accessibility creates opportunities to address issues while the product is being produced and can be addressed throughout the process.
Maturity Matrix
​Understanding steps to build up the companies awareness of accessibility.
​
Building a plan to grow a project into a program!
Define a policy
Communications
Level 5: Optimizing
Level 4: Quantitatively
Level 3: Defined
Level 2: Managed
Level 1:Initial
Procurement
Personnel
ICT (Information and Communication Technology) Development Life Cycle
Support
Knowledge and Skills
Plans for accessibility
Practice
Culture
Design Ops (Online) Contributions
Custom accessibility audits per project
-
Decrease of tech debt
-
Reduction on orginization liability
Connecting and building community.
-
Build connection of learning and collaboration
Creating documentation for design system components.
-
Decrease of tech debt
-
Faster trouble shooting
-
Improved understanding of compliance and ARIA
Part Three
Enterprise Design Ops
Design & Dev Systems
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Designers have a Design System that compiles of colors and componets
-
​Accessibility Documentation per compontent
-
Component edits to improve accessibility
-
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Developers have the code build for the Design System
-
Accessibility Documentation of why components are created in a accessible way.
-
Explaining if components can not be accessible due to system restrictions
-
Expanding Accessibility
​​
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Became Lead of the Accessibility Guild
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Elevate Accessibility education and participation
- Invite knowledgable speakers
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Develop an educational monthly syllabus
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Introducing my services and growing a community.
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Following accessibility issues to responsible teams.
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​Perform additional Audits for other teams
-
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Transfer intake form for audits into the Ops team intake form across the department
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Improvement of Deliverable
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Inform PMs about gherkin​
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Narrow down Accessibility needs
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Survey of understanding of a11y
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With the increase of the popularity of Dark Mode has become an increasing request from associates that work later in the day. These associates work with multiple desktop apps that adjust to a darker design. All of the desktop apps adjust except for one organizational app.
Associates complained that while working, and having to switch between apps causes eye issues and migraines.
​
Dark Mode design has been an ongoing project for the DesignOps team over months and an effort for accessibility for years.
​
The team with the most concerns was used as a test conversion design as used first.
Main issues after conversion:
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logos with poor color contrast
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Unclear labels for design switch
After a few months of use, it was noted that migraines and eye strain were greatly decreased.
New Process
Discovery
Develop
Data Analysis
Deliverable
Test
Rollout
Survey
FollowUp
-Initial Meeting
-Key Focus Areas
-Problems
-User Test
-Screen Reader
-Tab/Focus
-Color Contrast
-Typography
-Audit Suggestion
-Data Compile
-User Test
-Test Analysis
-Audit Suggestion
-Data Compile
Design & Dev Systems
-
Designers have a Design System that compiles of colors and componets
-
​Accessibility Documentation per compontent
-
Component edits to improve accessibility
-
-
Developers have the code build for the Design System
-
Accessibility Documentation of why components are created in a accessible way.
-
Explaining if a componts can not be accessible due to system restrictions
-
Design Ops (Enterprise) Contributions
Custom accessibility audits per project
-
Decrease of tech debt
-
Reduction on orginization liability
Teaching, presention and building community.
-
Improve associate knowledge
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Expand Design process to include accessibility
Creating documentation for design system components.
-
Decrease of tech debt
-
Faster trouble shooting
-
Improved understanding of compliance and ARIA
From the start of working with this organization, we ranked very close to the bottom of the ranking. After working as the main sole accessibility audit and specialist the ranking improved 396,578 spots on ranking.
Begining
#900,448
2020
#503,870
2024