digital accessibility and missed opportunities in the travel industry
DESCRIPTION
Are you turning away business because your website isn’t accessible? Many travel businesses are doing what they can to accommodate disabled people at their destination, and every carrier is geared up for disabled travellers. But many potential customers struggle to research and book their travel online. Join Tnooz and AbilityNet for our FREE TLearn webinar and explore the results of a recent and comprehensive test, the size and shape of the marketplace and lessons to be learned by everyone in the travel sector. Panelists for the webinar are: Robin Christopherson, head of digital inclusion, AbilityNet Kevin May, editor and moderator, Tnooz Gene Quinn, CEO and producer, Tnooz This webinar took place on Thursday 7 August 2014TRANSCRIPT
Digital accessibilityand the travel industry
TLearn webinar7 August 2014
Your hosts
Kevin MayEditor & moderator
Gene QuinnCEO & producer
Your presenter
Robin ChristophersonHead of Digital InclusionAbilityNet
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
Digital Accessibility and the Travel Industry
Tnooz Webinar
7 August 2014
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
Welcome
Robin Christopherson, AbilityNet
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
Review of the accessibility of 12 major travel and tourism websites undertaken in May and June 2014
• The business case
• Methodology
• Key findings
• Q+A
Please use the questions box to ask questions at any stage
State of the e-Nation
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
• From design through to UAT
• Accessibility Testing
• User Testing
• Desktop, Mobile and Tablet
• Accessibility Accreditation
• Service Agreements
• My Computer My Way
AbilityNet
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
Travel and Tourism and Accessibility
The marketplace
• Billion dollar global business
• Disability awareness rising
• Resorts and carriers becoming accessible
• Digital is first step in many journeys yet not so good
This webinar:
• An opportunity to learn and improve – not name and shame
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
The Business Case for Accessibility
A huge marketplace
• At least 1.1 billion people globally have a disability
• Controlling over $4 trillion annually
• A market the size of China
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
Changes in consumer behaviour
Changing expectations
• Paralympics
• Mobile/tablet
• Usability expectations
• Personalisation
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
Legal risks: Don’t think it doesn’t happen
Equality Act - UK
ADA/Section 508 - US
• Sale of Goods
• Recruitment
• Employment
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
Key findings: An opportunity missed
Only one site approaches technical compliance
Every site has usability problems
None exemplifies good practice
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
The Results: Airlines
Red – many issues identified - immediate action required.Amber – some issues identified - attention needed.Green – few or no immediate issues identified.
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
The Results: Travel companies
Red – many issues identified - immediate action required.Amber – some issues identified - attention needed.Green – few or no immediate issues identified.
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
Methodology
• Test for technical compliance (WCAG2.0 AA)
• Test for ‘real-life’ accessibility using disabled users
• Consultant review of accessibility help info
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
Technical Compliance
• Tested using Compliance Sheriff
• Covers home page and all linked pages
• Results reviewed by a consultant
• Score evaluated as red, amber or green
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
User Testing
Tested 2 core user journeys
Testers include:
• Dyslexia – 6m of the population – of which 4m severely so
• Sight loss – 2 million in UK
• Hearing Loss – 10 million in UK
• British Sign Language user – approximately 50,000 users
• Able-bodied ‘control’ users
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
What the users said: Saga
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
What the users said: Saga
A user with dexterity issues who uses the keyboard instead of a mouse to access the internet
“I could not see what link was active so it was impossible to tab around the page to make any choices.
“Making active links visible (i.e. show where the mouse is) is essential to navigate the page in any way.”
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
What the users said: Monarch
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
What the users said: Monarch
A user with poor vision said:
“When booking flights and choosing dates the calendar appeared very small making it hard to read.
“The layout wasn’t clear and there was too much going on.”
“The colour contrast (grey on white) was very difficult to read and certain headings were very small.”
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
What the users said: Club Med
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
What the users said: Club Med
A blind person:
“When I was at school, Turkey was in Asia, but I see no mention of it here.”
“I’m invited to search for a resort on a map, which is useless to me as a blind person … this company would not get business from me.”
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
Accessibility Help
• Looking for best practice
• Using our experience as expert witnesses
• The quality of the Accessibility Help Page is a useful indicator
• Plus, we look for additional accessibility that disabled users are catered, e.g. BrowseAloud or My Computer My Way
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
British Airways: Accessibility and Site Help
www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/accessibility-site-help
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
Conclusions: An Opportunity Missed
Don’t be surprised
• This is a typical set of results
• They raise legal, marketing and governance issues
• Almost every issue could be addressed quickly and easily
Some easy wins and an opportunity for competitive advantage
• Better designed pages and forms
• Better user experience for all users
• Reach more customers
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
E-Nation report
All the results including user comments
www.abilitynet.org.uk/enation-travel-july-2014
Airline and Travel Sector Reports
Available on request from
Get the reports
Webinar archive at www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
Contact Us
Talk to us about our Accessibility Services
www.abilitynet.org.uk/accessibility-services
[email protected] +44 1926 465 247
[email protected] @abilitynet
More free webinars from AbilityNet: www.abilitynet.org.uk/webinars
Next AbilityNet webinar:
The Business Case for Accessibility, September 2014
Thank you!
Send your questions and comments to [email protected]
Replay and presentation of webinar will be available on www.tnooz.com