A research review of accessibility of the UX Research process at newspaper.com
Summary
No documented research has been done on the accessibility of the UX Research process at newspaper.com. In order to provide an inclusive research process for all readers, I had a look at the accessibility of our 3rd party platforms that we use to schedule, video interview, and survey our readers.
Currently, we use 4 user-facing UXR tools. Calendly, Google Calendar, Microsoft Teams, and Typeform. They all meet WCAG accessibility requirements and go above and beyond for accessible UX. Most of them have customizable accessibility settings and accessibility help documentation. Through these tools, our UXR process shows good signs of being accessible by default.
I drafted an accessibility statement for recruiting emails to let users know that our process is accessible and that people can request accommodations.
*No user testing has been done on any of these topics. This document was built from product documentation and accessibility blog research.
UXR Accessibility Statement:
On the Postmedia Research team, we are dedicated to creating a digitally accessible experience for everyone, including people living with disabilities. We use meeting software that is WCAG 2.1 AA compliant for all research interviews and surveys. If you would like to request accessibility accommodations, such as closed captioning or voice assistance, please let us know.
Notes
- Encourage participants to request accessibility accommodations in invitation process/emails.
- Let the participants know how to access the meeting or event with alternative means, for example, keyboard shortcuts or voice assistance.
- Mention the availability of closed captioning.
Research Platforms
Calendly
https://calendly.com/legal/web-accessibility-statement
“Many use cases and experiences within Calendly currently meet WCAG 2.1 AA compliance standards and we are continuing to remedy and correct outstanding issues while simultaneously ensuring new features are in compliance with those standards.”
“Out of all the different scheduling tools tested, we found Calendly to be the most accessible option, despite its flaws.”
Google Calendar
Google Calendar is accessible with screen readers and has customizable keyboard shortcuts for ease of use.
https://support.google.com/accessibility/answer/6101541?hl=en
https://support.google.com/a/answer/1631886?hl=en#calendar
https://www.accessibility.com/blog/how-to-make-google-calendar-accessible
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft is dedicated to making Teams an accessible experience that is compliant with screen readers. There are several built-in tools to help meet multiple accessibility needs. It is up to the meeting host to describe visuals for people with visual impairment.
Microsoft Teams meetings can be accessed through screen readers or keyboard shortcuts.
The nature of a 1-1 Research interview is often accommodating to participants who are deaf and hard of hearing. Participants can turn on automatic captions. In a 1-1 interview, we do not switch speakers, have background noise, or have multiple speakers speaking at once.
- Ensure that the speakers’ camera is always on for lip-readers to follow along
- Ensure that all materials are accessible, prepared, and sent ahead of time.
- Encourage participants to request accessibility accommodations.
- Choose a clear background.
Typeform
Typeform is by default accessible for screen reader users and has a built-in accessibility check tool, making it a good option for accessible surveys.
“Typeform’s default, full-screen respondent experience is WCAG 2.1, Level AA compliant. If you were wondering what this all means for you: compliance with these guidelines lets assistive technology users complete your typeforms.”
https://www.typeform.com/help/a/create-accessible-typeforms-360055612291
- Typeforms embedded in a web page or launched in an email haven’t been tested for accessibility yet, but we’re currently working on this.
Check if your Typeform is accessible
https://www.typeform.com/help/a/check-if-your-typeform-is-accessible-11826172113812
Typeform has an accessibility checker that checks for colour contrast, alt text, and general accessibility.
Choosing the default theme cleared up the above colour contrast issues
Add alt text for screen readers
Adding a short description to your pictures will help people with visual impairment. Even though this label is not visible in your Typeform, screen readers will read it out loud.
- You can use the Alt text field in question settings to manually describe the picture you’re adding in maximum 125 characters.
Use hyperlinks instead of bare links
When adding a link to an external URL, use a hyperlink instead of a bare link. Clearly stating the target of your link in the context will also help users with disabilities.