|
"Web accessibility" is about designing
websites so that they may be customised to suit
a users' sight, dexterity and Internet access
device. We have considered a number of trends
that suggest that business benefits may be of
substance too.
Over the next twenty five
years an increasing population of pensioners
will be supported by a static work force. It
is predicted that this will reduce the proportion
of the workforce of the population from 4:1
to 3:1 (without increases in immigration to
compensate). Thus meaning that those in work
will need to be a third more productive for
living standards to remain stationary. An increasing
healthcare burden is likely. Falling pension
values may also mean that people remain in work
beyond normal retirement age.
The bar graph derived from Government Actuary
Department population projections (2003) illustrates
the changing demographic structure. What has
happened is that whilst average life span continues
to rise, fertility in terms of children per
woman has dropped. The significant change for
policy makers is that the population in 'ages
over 50' is expected to grow by 132% over this
time period. Those in age groups 'less than
50' are expected to fall by 1%.
In relation to this information
the Disabilities Discrimination Act (DDA), which
came into force in October 2004, makes considerable
sense. Many people in the growth age group will
suffer from deteriorating eye-sight and dexterity.
While the pressure is off, now is a good time
to improve services so that less able people
can maintain independence. Web accessibility
is similar to putting a wheel chair ramp outside
an office. A website may be coded in such a
way so it can be adapted to suit people with
virtually any sight or dexterity disability.
A major source of future productivity
improvement is thought to be through automation
of administration using website databases.
Historically many types of
administration have relied on databases located
in office server computers. The servers could
only be accessed by computers networked at one
location. The customers relationship with this
database would usually be indirect, through
an employee who enters or reads the data.
Increasingly organisations
and companies are now placing these databases
in websites. This allows customers to increasingly
interact directly with the database via the
Internet. Administrative staff have access to
the same website database often through an Internet
connection that may be "filtered"
giving access only to websites relevant to work.
The benefits of web services may include:
reduced administration cost
as the customer does part of the data entry
work
the customer is responsible for their own error,
of which there may be fewer
24/7 unlimited capacity
the customer experience is consistent and may
be improved
information access form any Internet connection.
Broadband Internet lines in
the UK have at September 2005 now reached 8.1
million connections. This means that a high
speed Internet infrastructure suitable for web
services now exists. The greater the numbers
of people that can connect to them, the greater
the potential value of "web services".
Web services have the capability
to considerably increase productivity and quality
of administrative processes.
e.g. Lastminute.com
Using search technology a
visitor may quickly identify current holiday
offers that may meet highly bespoke requirements.
A holiday may be booked and paid for online.
The entire process may take less than ten minutes.
The holiday chosen may literally be the best
offer for that person at that time.
It is thought that web services
may be one way that productivity may be raised
to meet the demands of the demographic time
bomb.
Accessible web design is a
method of designing websites so that they may
be used under as broad a set of conditions as
possible. Each individual user's Internet connection
device may customise the website to suit:
users sight and dexterity
condition
connection speed
screen size
browser software
This extends a websites reach
to people (irrespective of physical ability)
and circumstances.
An example feature is text magnification; preventing
the need to lean forward to read small print. With accessible websites, by holding
the keyboard "Ctrl" key down and rotating the mouse wheel the text size
may be adjusted to make it easy to read. (Most Microsoft products also work in
this way).
The importance of accessible web design is that visual and dexterity impairment
increase with age. Web accessibility will increase the number of users in the
population growth area of 50+ age group that can use web services in the work
place and for domestic use.
In 2004 the Disabilities Discrimination
Act included websites as one of the areas where
"reasonable adjustments" should be
made to prevent exclusion of less able people
from information services. It seems probable
that this is part of a government agenda of
preparation for demographic change. Web accessibility
is nearing completion in many public sector
information resources.
Website accessibility is achieved
partly by the separation of content and style.
The graphic style and layout of the page is
held in a Cascading Style Sheet (CSS). This
may be disabled or modified to suit the Internet
user. Without the CSS sheet a web page is pure
text and image content presented in a linear
form.
This allows a website to be
listened to on a screen reader. For this requirement
pictures have a description in text so that
their meaning may be understood. This also allows
people with slow Internet connections to use
the website with the images turned off as this
speeds up download considerably.
When a website has been designed
in this way it is possible to have different
style sheets to suit different devices. On a
WAP mobile phone the layout may have reduced
width, for printing the width may be adapted
to A4. Should a company wish to "re-brand",
the entire website can be altered in presentation
from one point.
Over the next 10 years an estimate of the average
annual growth rate is 1.42% for the '50+' age
group. Once understood, these people are likely
to value the benefits of web accessibility.
They are also relatively affluent and influential.
Complying with accessibility
standards also means perfect design for search
engines such as Google, Yahoo! and MSN. A search
engine robot shares the experience of a blind
Internet user. World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
standards indirectly dictate acceptable practice
for optimising web pages to suit search engines.
Compliance with these standards may prevent
rejection from search engines.
This means more people find
the website increasing its value as a communications
tool.
Accessibility allows customisation
of the website to suit each visitors circumstances.
This improves experience for the visitor. If
the content itself is relevant then accessibility
improves the probability of revisit and referral
to others.
On the Internet, referral
can take the form of providing a hyperlink giving
a semi-permanent source of new visitors. Inward
links are counted by search engines as an indicator
of quality and this influences placing in search
engine results.
Choice of private sector partners
by the public sector may be influenced by web
accessibility. Web services bought in by the
public sector will now almost certainly have
a web accessibility requirement.
Beyond the legal requirements
web accessibility can be tailored to suit a
company's potential customers. Compatibility
with Blackberry's is useful for reaching the
political and financial elite whilst moving
through the corridors of power. Good print presentation
allows information to be distributed to people
away from the Internet or filed with paper proposals.
WAP phone compatibility may allow interactive
advertising in virtually any location.
Use of web services in the
workplace is rising. Roles that require use
of particular web services may be deemed discriminatory
if those services are not accessible to people
with disabilities. Using inaccessible web services
in the workplace may also lead to risk of work
related injury through poor ergonomics and compensation
claims.
UK government policy fully
supports the use of accessible web services
within public sector information systems as
a means to meet economic growth targets. Private
sector businesses pursuing emerging Internet
opportunities are likely to improve return on
investment (ROI) through specifying web accessibility.
Those that don't may suffer an increased probability
of negative ROI from web projects and risk exposure
of prosecution for discrimination.
About the author:
Mark Sheldon is Marketing Director of eConnected
Limited. For more information please E-mail:
info@e-connected.com
Web: www.e-connected.com
|
