This content originally appeared on TPGi and was authored by Melissa Morse
For all Millennials and above, do you remember the Ronco Rotisserie “set it and forget it” infomercial? That slogan dominated TV screens for decades. Unlike TV cooking gadget fads, accessibility shouldn’t be something you set and forget.
Digital accessibility is a dynamic field, evolving as laws, regulations, and user needs change. Therefore, product managers must keep accessibility requirements at the forefront to support an ongoing inclusive digital experience for all users.
The Role of the ‘Manage’ Phase in Digital Accessibility
Effective web accessibility goes beyond compliance — it’s about building a user experience that evolves with your audience’s needs. This is why we suggest adopting the ‘Discover. Solve. Manage.’ framework, which guides organizations through the entire accessibility journey—from discovering barriers to implementing solutions.
In the ‘Discover’ phase, you’ll use automated scans, manual audits, and other tools to find accessibility barriers across your digital assets. Then, your team will ‘solve’ these findings using the ARC KnowledgeBase, which will map findings to expert remediation guidance and embed skills through role-based training.
In the ‘Manage’ phase, the focus shifts to continuous monitoring, refining, and staying vigilant against emerging issues. This is where product managers can use new tools and solutions to effectively and promptly address these challenges.
When your organization is proactively testing for accessibility, you’re taking steps to sustain digital accessibility that continues to meet legal standards and evolving user expectations.
3 Ways to Build a Sustainable Accessibility Program
For long-term website accessibility success, consider these three strategies for building a sustainable program.
1. Establish a Governance System
Establishing an internal governance framework lays the foundation for upholding accessibility standards throughout your organization. A well-defined governance structure provides you and your teams with clear guidelines, roles, and responsibilities. When everyone is onboard, accessibility initiatives can be consistently prioritized across the organization.
By implementing standardized policies and procedures, you can speed up the decision-making processes, distribute resources efficiently, and create accountability for accessibility outcomes. Not only that, but this also helps to achieve consistency between teams, products, and departments.
This system also encourages collaboration between teams, empowering them to weave accessibility into every stage of the development lifecycle, and to stay aligned with the organization’s broader goals.
2. Integrate Accessibility into Development Lifecycles
Embedding accessibility into every stage of the development process goes beyond surface-level fixes. Accessibility is a fundamental part of your product’s design and functionality from the very beginning.
By incorporating accessibility checks early and consistently within the development cycle, teams can find and address potential barriers before they become ingrained in the final product.
It is easier and cost effective to fix bugs if they are addressed upstream. Equip your teams with the right tools and resources to make accessibility a natural part of every step in the development process.
ARC Platform’s DevTools are designed to seamlessly integrate into your existing workflows, making it easier to embed accessibility without disrupting your team’s productivity.
Easily embed the ARC Rules engine into your accessibility automation suite and configure testing rules that best meet your development cycle. This streamlines your teams’ testing approach and keeps your data reporting exact.
Educational resources, like ARC Tutor, offer role-specific insights, ensuring that each team member — from designers to developers — has the information they need to develop and maintain an accessible end product. Self-paced training gives your team the chance to fit learning opportunities into their busy schedules and pick topics most relevant to their needs.
3. Leverage Data and Analytics for Continuous Improvement
To measure the success of your accessibility efforts, it’s important to set up key performance indicators (KPIs). Setting up clear KPIs helps your team stay aligned with your accessibility goals and provides a benchmark for monitoring progress.
ARC’s program management capabilities and reporting features give your team a clear view of how well your accessibility efforts are progressing and complete control over your program. The ARC Dashboard allows your team the ability to monitor progress over time and spot patterns or trends that need attention — all in one central location.
Additionally, it aggregates data from across all your sources in each period and gives you the opportunity to apply custom filters to measure the findings across selected pages/components. Finding Density in the ARC Dashboard allows you to see how your organization is performing against established accessibility standards, like WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). Your finding density score functions as your north star, providing your team with an overall success or failure metric to measure your progress.
Implementing a data-driven approach supports the continuous improvement of your accessibility strategy. This allows you to adjust your efforts based on trend analysis and set realistic, measurable goals for future initiatives.
Supporting a Sustainable Accessibility Program with Hands-On Support
Even with a solid strategy and the best tools, managing digital accessibility can be complex and challenging. No one can handle every aspect of accessibility alone. That’s why you’ll want to source a tool or service that includes expert guidance and support.
Enter the ARC Help Center. This valuable resource provides professional and practical support to ensure that your accessibility efforts stay on track and adapt according to evolving needs.
With access to industry experts and fast response times, the Help Center provides targeted solutions to address specific accessibility challenges as they arise. By centralizing support within the ARC Platform, the Help Center simplifies the onboarding of new team members and streamlines the resolution of accessibility issues, providing your team with the confidence to elevate your accessibility program.
Whether it’s interpreting complex guidelines, troubleshooting issues, or optimizing workflows, the Help Center is here to support your team with their toughest accessibility challenges.
From WCAG Level A to AA: An Accessibility Success Story
MetaMetrics, an education technology organization, looked to elevate the accessibility of its Lexile & Quantile Hub from WCAG Level A to AA. To achieve this goal, they partnered with TPGi as a Service (TaaS), which integrated the ARC Platform into their accessibility management program. The ARC Platform provided MetaMetrics with tools to manage tickets, monitor accessibility issues, and gain real-time insights.
With TPGi’s guidance and ARC’s Help Center support, MetaMetrics built a sustainable framework for ongoing accessibility improvement. The team used ARC to track progress, resolve issues, and deepen their understanding of WCAG Level AA standards. This approach enabled MetaMetrics to continuously enhance the accessibility of the Lexile & Quantile Hub, ensuring a better user experience for all.
Empower Your Team to ‘Manage’ Digital Accessibility with ARC
A well-managed accessibility program is not just about fixing technical bugs but also about creating a culture of inclusion and understanding. Therefore, it is essential that you adopt the ‘Discover. Solve. Manage.’ framework for the long-term success of your digital accessibility efforts.
Ready to see how the ARC Platform can transform your accessibility strategy? ARC can do that! With the ARC Platform’s robust management tools and access to expert support, your organization can maintain a high standard of accessibility, no matter what laws and regulations are thrown your way. Schedule a demo and discover how it can help your organization create a sustainable accessibility program.
The post Manage Accessibility Barriers: Effective Strategies for Sustainable Website Accessibility appeared first on TPGi.
This content originally appeared on TPGi and was authored by Melissa Morse
Melissa Morse | Sciencx (2024-08-20T17:45:30+00:00) Manage Accessibility Barriers: Effective Strategies for Sustainable Website Accessibility. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2024/08/20/manage-accessibility-barriers-effective-strategies-for-sustainable-website-accessibility/
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