This content originally appeared on TPGi and was authored by Melissa Morse
Is your organization relying on a one-time audit to meet accessibility standards? Do you find that as your digital assets evolve, accessibility issues keep surfacing, leaving you vulnerable to compliance risks and user frustration?
Many businesses struggle with this problem — stale audit data, delayed remediation, and a lack of long-term strategy can quickly derail accessibility efforts. That’s why forward-thinking companies are turning to digital accessibility services to ensure long-term success as they continue maturity their organization’s accessibility workflows.
Partnering with a digital accessibility service can help your organization seamlessly integrate accessibility testing into every phase of your development process, reducing risks, improving efficiencies within your workflows, and ultimately, improving the overall customer experience.
The Limitations of Traditional Accessibility Audits
Traditional accessibility audits, while helpful, often fall short of addressing the ongoing needs of dynamic digital environments. A one-time audit provides only a snapshot of accessibility at a specific moment. As websites or apps undergo updates, the data quickly becomes outdated, leaving your organization vulnerable to new challenges.
Comprehensive audits also require considerable time and resources, which can overwhelm internal teams and delay the remediation process. The extensive list of problems uncovered during full-scale audits is often only partially resolved due to resource limitations or lack of coordination, increasing the risk of compliance failures and legal exposure.
Moreover, treating accessibility as a one-off project rather than a continuous effort leaves you in an expensive cycle of releasing code and conducting accessibility audits once a year or less. This approach can open your organization to lawsuits and potential missed revenue opportunities.
Additionally, staying ahead of evolving regulatory requirements becomes more difficult without a long-term strategy, resulting in accessibility gaps that could have been prevented.
Shifting From Audit ‘Project’ to Sustainable Progress
The key to overcoming accessibility challenges lies in an ongoing commitment to accessibility within the DevOps workflow. When development teams actively embed accessibility throughout each phase, it enables them to consistently deliver inclusive digital experiences.
This proactive approach allows teams to find potential accessibility issues early, avoiding costly and often last-minute fixes when accessibility barriers are found in deployed products.
Partnering with a full-service digital accessibility provider like TPGi, provides your team with access to robust testing tools, expert guidance, fostering an inclusive culture and sustainable accessibility practices. These specialists offer invaluable support, helping organizations build a foundation for long-term success.
With real-time accessibility testing data supported by a centralized platform — development teams can adjust as needs evolve, ensuring accessibility requirements are met without disrupting workflow. This streamlined data management simplifies remediation and enables teams to address emerging accessibility challenges with agility.
Additionally, remediation tasks are broken down into manageable steps, allowing development teams to tackle accessibility improvements incrementally without losing momentum. This method aligns with your teams’ agile sprints, promotes steady progress helping teams efficiently reach their accessibility goals.
VitalSource Success Story: How TPGi’s Accessibility Services Simplified DevOps
VitalSource’s main challenge was managing a complex product portfolio while ensuring accessibility across all platforms. Their previous vendor couldn’t scale with their growing demands, so they turned to TPGi as a Service (TaaS) for a fully managed solution that integrated accessibility into every stage of their DevOps lifecycle.
Embedding Accessibility from Planning to QA
From the very beginning of VitalSource’s journey, TaaS actively supported the development process, ensuring that accessibility was a core component rather than an afterthought.
Planning Stage
At the start of the project, TPGi’s experienced project managers engaged in thorough discussions with VitalSource teams to find specific accessibility goals and align them with user needs and business objectives.
Rather than dealing with accessibility as an isolated task, TPGi’s proactive approach helped VitalSource integrate accessibility into every planning phase, from coding techniques and architecture to component designs.
With real-time adjustments built into the workflow, the teams were able to anticipate potential accessibility challenges early on, staying ahead of evolving standards and regulatory changes.
Development Stage
TPGi implemented a centralized platform during the development phase to streamline and manage VitalSource’s accessibility initiatives.
With tools like the ARC Platform and ARC Toolkit, VitalSource could test for accessibility in real-time throughout the development lifecycle rather than waiting for the final product. This embedded testing approach allowed the teams to identify and address potential accessibility violations as the code evolved, significantly reducing the need for costly, retroactive fixes.
By integrating accessibility directly into the development workflow, VitalSource caught and resolved issues in real time, preventing delays and maintaining momentum. The seamless collaboration between technology and teams enabled tackling accessibility barriers as they arose rather than dealing with them after launch.
QA Stage
As the project moved into the Quality Assurance (QA) stage, TPGi conducted thorough audits, meticulously examining all aspects of VitalSource’s products for accessibility conformance. This in-depth evaluation spanned every facet of the product, from user interface components to content presentation.
TPGi’s expert team provided ongoing support through bi-weekly consultations, guiding VitalSource through the complexities of remediation. This consistent engagement empowered VitalSource’s teams to address even the most complex accessibility issues confidently. As a result, they improved the customer user experience, reduced legal risks, enhanced product quality, and minimized disruptions to their timeline.
Results: A Scalable, Sustainable Accessibility Program
Embedding accessibility into every stage of their product development lifecycle allowed VitalSource to cultivate a sustainable and scalable accessibility program. Rather than being an afterthought, accessibility became an intrinsic part of their workflow, ensuring they stayed compliant and delivered high-quality, accessible digital products to their users.
VitalSource’s ongoing accessibility journey — with TaaS guiding the way — has empowered them to make informed decisions, minimizing future oversights and setting up a resilient framework for sustainable accessibility that extends beyond individual projects.
Choose the Right Digital Accessibility Service Partner
VitalSource’s experience with TPGi highlights the value of partnering with an accessibility service provider who can help you mature your accessibility efforts, integrate accessibility testing into your workflows, and achieve long-term success.
Partnering with TPGi means leveraging advanced technology for program management, unparalleled expertise, and a dedicated strategic team for guidance to seamlessly weave accessibility into every phase of your product lifecycle, ensuring your digital experiences are inclusive from start to finish. Ready to take your accessibility initiatives to the next level? Partner with TPGi as a Service (TaaS) and see the difference — Contact us to get started!
The post Transforming Dev Teams: How Strategic Digital Accessibility Services Streamlines Workflows appeared first on TPGi.
This content originally appeared on TPGi and was authored by Melissa Morse
Melissa Morse | Sciencx (2024-10-30T13:01:47+00:00) Transforming Dev Teams: How Strategic Digital Accessibility Services Streamlines Workflows. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2024/10/30/transforming-dev-teams-how-strategic-digital-accessibility-services-streamlines-workflows/
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