This content originally appeared on TPGi and was authored by Melissa Morse
Part of having a complete accessibility program is establishing metrics to validate the work and quantify the return on investment. One of the most effective ways to do this is by using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) tailored to accessibility.
We recently sat down with Aaron Farber, Senior Accessibility Platform Consultant at TPGi, to break down the essential KPIs that guide organizations toward sustainable accessibility success.
Why Metrics Matter in Accessibility
“Accessibility is a lot like security,” Aaron explains. “If you’re doing it right, nothing happens. But that doesn’t mean the work isn’t happening.” Metrics are essential for proving the value of accessibility efforts, justifying time and budget allocation, and spreading accountability across an organization.
According to Aaron, relying on metrics helps accessibility teams distribute responsibility effectively, evaluate team performance, and even gain a competitive advantage by measuring how accessible a product or site is compared to industry standards.
More importantly, Aaron adds, is spreading accountability. “Accessibility can’t fall on the shoulders of one person or team,” he says. With clear metrics in place, each role, from marketing to engineering, has defined responsibilities, ensuring that accessibility is part of everyone’s work.
Key Accessibility KPIs
So, what are the most important KPIs to track?
- Role-based training participation.
- Automated accessibility monitoring data.
- Accessibility barrier levels and time it takes to resolve each accessibility ticket.
- Accessibility rank compared to industry averages.
Aaron helps us break them down in more detail.
KPI 1: Role-Based Training Participation
Aaron explains that most accessibility issues are due to teams lacking knowledge about the basic tenets of online accessibility and the web as a platform. A great first and easily measurable first step is for teams to undertake role-based training.
“A great goal for any organization is to have team members pursue certifications like the ones offered by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP),” Aaron notes. He emphasizes the value of this certification, not only for building internal knowledge but also for adding legal credibility.
Training helps ensure that accessibility principles are understood and applied early, reducing the number of accessibility issues that make it into the production environment. However, Aaron acknowledges that training participation alone doesn’t guarantee proficiency.
“Measuring training participation doesn’t necessarily tell you whether people have absorbed the info and are applying it,” he adds. To address this, built-in quizzes help verify understanding, but accessibility, like many other fields, is difficult to quantify.
“It’s a mindset and perspective that individuals need to bring to their work,” Aaron explains. The real value of training, he says, lies in making accessibility part of everyone’s responsibility across the organization.
KPI 2: Automated Accessibility Monitoring
Automated monitoring provides signals about a site’s overall accessibility health and allows managers to have coverage and visibility for a large number of applications, which are always changing. Aaron explains that automated tools offer an instant snapshot of accessibility, even without deep development experience.
However, he cautions that automated scans can only identify 30% to 40% of WCAG violations. “It’s a starting point,” Aaron says, “but you’ll still need manual reviews to capture the more complex issues.”
Although automated testing alone cannot guarantee a positive user experience, it does serve as an early indicator of potential problems.
“If a site has a high number of automated errors, you know there’s a good chance users are going to have a bad experience,” Aaron explains. Automated metrics, like the WCAG Finding Density score found in the ARC Platform, allow teams to track progress over time, offering a snapshot of accessibility improvements and regressions.
Aaron also discusses the importance of using automation to avoid falling into an “audit-fix-audit” cycle. “Automated accessibility helps you continually improve without waiting for a full manual audit,” he says.
Automated monitoring flags code-level issues which often can be solved without significant engineering or changes to a site’s visual appearance. This empowers teams to independently address common issues while growing their understanding of accessibility over time. With this experience, teams build the skill to eventually perform their own manual testing.
For many organizations with limited budgets and resources, he suggests ongoing monitoring as a low-cost, quick way to assess the accessibility of a site before engaging in more in-depth testing.
Moreover, Aaron explains for e-commerce and DTC sites, adversarial forces may make use of automated scan results to identify targets for drive-by lawsuits. Therefore, it’s helpful to reduce the presence of the issues detected in these scans.
KPI 3: Severity Levels and Time to Resolution
Not all accessibility errors are created equal and classifying them by severity is critical for prioritization. According to Aaron, critical errors prevent users from completing essential tasks, while medium- and low-severity errors may cause delays or minor inconveniences. By tracking the time it takes to resolve these issues, teams can gain insights into their efficiency and effectiveness.
“One pro tip,” Aaron says, “is to create solution templates for common issues like missing alt text or improper focus order to expedite the resolution process.” Solution templates not only save time but also ensure consistency across the organization.
Aaron shared how TPGi developed such templates to support engineers and streamline the remediation process. He says this led to faster and more accurate fixes.
With practice teams get faster at solving these issues. Bug-tracking tools such as JIRA allow teams to measure the level of effort employed to solve an issue and show the time to resolution to reduce with each development cycle.
KPI 4: Competitive Analysis
Accessibility is a fundamental part of delivering a high-quality website. Accessibility not only broadens the circle of people that can use your website. It improves the quality of your website. By comparing the accessibility of your website to others in the same industry, organizations can better communicate their progress to nontechnical stakeholders and demonstrate accessibility as a competitive differentiator.
“When you communicate accessibility in terms of your competitors, it becomes more relatable for business leaders,” Aaron adds. This comparative approach not only highlights areas for improvement but can also foster a sense of friendly competition among teams.
Aaron emphasizes that showcasing metrics in terms of competitive performance can motivate teams to strive for better accessibility outcomes. “If you can demonstrate that your accessibility efforts surpass those of similar organizations, it creates a sense of pride and accountability,” he explains.
This focus on competition can drive motivation and commitment to enhancing the user experience for all.
Using KPIs to Address Legal Risks in Accessibility Compliance
As organizations work to improve their accessibility programs through effective KPIs, it’s also important to understand the potential challenges posed by web accessibility lawsuits if your digital assets aren’t accessible.
“Accessibility is not subjective,” he says. “Multiple testers should reach the same conclusion when assessing a site’s compliance.” This is why he insists that WCAG criteria are definitive, particularly in legal contexts.
Organizations must be focused on compliance, which is why he recommends prioritizing the severity levels of errors during remediation efforts. Understanding these levels can further guide risk mitigation.
Aaron points to the ARC KnowledgeBase to support remediation because it offers technical guidance on how to align with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) effectively.
For even more information on how to stay conformant and mitigate your legal risk, check out Aaron’s recent webinar, “Practical Steps to Deter and Win Web Accessibility Lawsuits.”
Using KPIs to Drive Lasting Accessibility Improvements
Aaron’s insights show that KPIs are more than just numbers; they are tools that help organizations foster accountability, prioritize efforts, and continuously improve.
Whether it’s through role-based training, automated monitoring, or competitive analysis, metrics provide a clear path toward a more inclusive digital future.
As Aaron reminds us, “Accessibility doesn’t happen by accident. It requires structure, commitment, and leadership.” This underscores the notion that creating an inclusive digital environment is not just a one-off initiative; it’s an ongoing journey that demands dedication at every level of the organization.
Leaders must champion accessibility as a core value, integrating it into the company’s culture and operational practices. This commitment entails establishing clear KPIs, providing robust training, and fostering open communication about accessibility goals.
Ultimately, this effort not only enhances user experiences for individuals with disabilities but also strengthens the organization’s overall performance and reputation in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
The post Measuring Accessibility Success: KPIs that Drive Continuous Improvement appeared first on TPGi.
This content originally appeared on TPGi and was authored by Melissa Morse
Melissa Morse | Sciencx (2024-10-29T13:27:49+00:00) Measuring Accessibility Success: KPIs that Drive Continuous Improvement. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2024/10/29/measuring-accessibility-success-kpis-that-drive-continuous-improvement/
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