Understanding Web Accessibility and Its Drivers

Yeliz Yesilada, Giorgio Brajnik,

Markel Vigo and Simon Harper

2/23

How do YOU perceive web accessibility?

1. What is the main motivation for embracing accessibility?

2. Is web accessibility specific to disabled people?

3. How can we demonstrate the other benefits of web accessibility?

4. Can we consider "providing access" as the baseline for web accessibility?

5. What needs to be done to turn web accessibility from an afterthought to something that is done proactively?

3/23

Why does this matter?

• Guide and help in better teaching web accessibility;

• Better communicate the meaning of the concept;

• Advance web accessibility as a research field by providing a shared understanding;

• Improve penetration of web accessibility into commercial and industrial settings.

4/23

How did we investigate this?

5/23

What did we find?• Definitions by standardisation/regulatory bodies have higher

acceptance.• People are led by the social aspect of accessibility.• Forcing people does not engage on accessibility.• Empirical research is needed on demonstrating how

accessibility benefits all.• Different understandings of web accessibility can generate

tension.• A definition has to be realistic, concise, be proactive and refer to

different contexts and user groups.

6/23

The survey: Demographics (Part 1)

7/23

The survey: Questionnaire (Part 2)

D1 Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can use the Web. More specifically, Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate and interact with the Web, and that they can contribute to the web [W3C WAI].

D2 Technology is accessible if it can be used as effectively by people with disabilities as by those without [SECTION 508].

D3 The extent to which a product website can be used by specified users with specified disabilities to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use [ISO].

D4 A website is accessible if it is effective, efficient and satisfactory for more people in more situations [Thatcher et al, Constructing Accessible Websites].

D5 The removal of all technical barriers to effective interaction.

8/23

The survey: Questionnaire (Part 2)

9/23

The survey: Statements (Part 3)

10/23

Gender

Female %40

Male %60

11/23

Age

55+ (%18)18-24 (%3)

25-32 (%32)

35-54 (%48)

12/23

Country

%49

%8

%32

%5 %6

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

USA Canada Europe Australia Others

13/23

Work

Industry (%40)

Academia (%33)

Governmental Organisation (%13)

Non-Governmental Organisation (%11)

Others

14/23

Education

%38

%21%18

%5 %4

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

ComputerScience

SocialSciences

OtherScience andEngineering

Psychology Design

15/23

Role

Researchers (%26)

Consultants (%27)

Manager (%10)

Practitioners (%27)

Student (%3)

Policy Makers (%1)

Others

16/23

Specialisation

%3%4%7

%9%11

%23

%31

0102030405060708090

100

Web

Accessibility

HCI

Software

Engineering

Design Computer

ScienceBusiness

UX

17/23

Interest/Motivation

18/23

Interest/Motivation• Specialisation

– “Designing better products” is the principle reason why engineers embrace accessibility.

– Very few designers are forced to do web accessibility.

• Education– Business people did not specify increasing revenue as their main

motivation.

• Role– Majority of consultants, practitioners, managers, researchers agree on

social reasons (ethical and inclusion)– Researchers are the least interested in ethical reasons.

• Work– Complying with law is quite low in industry and governmental organisations.

19/23

Definitions Ranking (Total score)

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

D1 D2 D3 D4 D5

20/23

Revisiting….What did we find?• Definitions by standardisation/regulatory bodies have higher

acceptance.• People are led by the social aspect of accessibility.• Forcing people does not engage on accessibility.• Empirical research is needed on demonstrating how

accessibility benefits all.• Different understandings of web accessibility can generate

tension.• A definition has to be realistic, concise, be proactive and refer to

different contexts and user groups.

21/23

Future Research

• Investigate statements and their relationships with definitions and motivations.– Relationship between accessibility and usability;– Accessibility for all vs. for disabled people;– Web accessibility vs. user experience;– Inclusion vs exclusion, etc.

• How do people who are not in the field perceive web accessibility?

22/23

Joint W4A-WWW2012 Panel on “Exploring Perceptions of Accessibility”

• Wednesday, April 18th 2012 -- 16:00-17:30• #w4apanel12 #w4a12• Panelists:

– Ricardo Baeza-Yates (VP of Research for EMEA & LatAm Yahoo! Research);– Chieko Asakawa (IBM Fellow, IBM Research, Tokyo);– Ed Chi (Research Scientist, Google+, Google);– Bebo White (Departmental Associate – Emeritus, SLAC National Accelerator

Laboratory);– Mike Paciello (Founder & Principal, TPG); and– Georges Gouriten (Télécom ParisTech).

23/23

Questions!

• Email: yyeliz@metu.edu.tr

• Home Page: www.metu.edu.tr/~yyeliz