Accessibility is the starting point for digital services

Accessibility in the digital world serves the same purpose as accessibility in the physical environment: it ensures that everyone has a suitable and safe route to wherever they wish to go. That is why organizations other than public sector bodies also benefit from the provision of accessible digital services. 

Have you ever been pleased when online services work well and make everyday life easier? Or perhaps you’ve felt frustrated while searching for information hidden within a digital service, or maybe struggled a little with a poor mobile view? Poor contrast or font sizes that are too small, for example, are also common accessibility issues that affect us all. This makes it difficult to read text on a website, both for people with visual impairments and for anyone trying to read text on, say, a mobile phone screen in sunlight.

A service that works well and is easy to understand is a key factor in customer satisfaction and competitiveness for both large and small organizations, businesses and communities. Accessibility is important to you, to us, to our partners and to our clients. We have put together a comprehensive information pack explaining what accessibility, the Digital Services Act and the Accessibility Directive are, and what they mean for the development of online services.

The Act on the Provision of Digital Services

Public authorities, public organizations and public service providers are already bound by legislation on the provision of digital services, namely the Digital Services Act and the Accessibility Directive (Regional State Administrative Agency). The core idea is that the Digital Services Act, and accessibility in particular, helps to prevent inequality among users of digital services. At the same time, it ensures that no user of these services feels left behind by digitalization. 

The Digital Services Act is a comprehensive piece of legislation, and accessibility is one of its key areas. According to the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland, accessibility can in turn be divided into three smaller parts: a user-friendly and clear user interface, the technical implementation of the service, and comprehensible content. But what do these three aspects mean in practice?

Read more: The Digital Services Act brings online stores within the scope of accessibility requirements

Building accessibility starts with the design phase

The most practical way to approach accessibility is to assess a digital service from the users’ perspective. That is why, particularly during the design phase of new online services, consideration is given to questions such as who the website is being created for, whether visitors have any special needs, what sort of devices they use to view the content, and what users do on the site. Such an assessment can, of course, also be carried out for an existing service. 

At the same time, the implementation and evaluation of usability emerge as key factors in accessibility. When the user interface is designed to be as clear and easy to use as possible, it is natural to build the service in accordance with the detailed guidelines of the Accessibility Directive.

Technical criteria provide a framework for the presentation of content

Technical solutions are used to implement the digital service’s user interface and to create the agreed structures for presenting content. The WCAG guidelines ensure, above all, that the service’s technical solutions and functionalities have been implemented correctly in terms of accessibility. 

The criteria for Levels A and AA of the WCAG guidelines contain extensive guidance on various details. For example, there are guidelines on the placement of elements within a digital service, taking into account the use of assistive technologies, and implementing functionalities so that they work flawlessly for different users and on different devices (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2). 

Although the WCAG guidelines are extensive, there is no need to be daunted by the requirements: for example, in almost all of Hurja’s website projects, these Level A and AA criteria are already being met, even though the Digital Services Act does not specifically require this. 

For example, the Northern Savo climate action website was designed in accordance with accessibility requirements (see customer story). The following aspects, among others, were taken into account on the website:

• The color scheme, contrasts and text size of the layout are suitable for different user groups
• Navigation is easy, and you can browse the content using the keyboard or a pointing device
• Users can adjust the text size to suit their needs
• the website’s content is clear and easy to understand
• The content can be read using various reading devices

Building a digital service in accordance with the WCAG guidelines removes a great many technical barriers that hinder accessibility. Accessibility assessments can also be supplemented by using software tools such as Google’s Lighthouse extension or other programs designed for testing. 

Accessible content is easy to understand

Difficult-to-understand content is one of the most common accessibility issues in digital services. The reason for challenging content is often quite human – content creation can be influenced by sector-specific terminology and complex linguistic structures. It is clear that even the most skilled developer cannot make this kind of accessibility issue accessible simply by applying the technical criteria of the WCAG! Formally, so-called “grammar” is part of the AAA-level criteria, but even at Levels A and AA, it is important to ensure that headings describe the content adequately and that heading levels are used consistently, so that users can easily find the content they need.

In addition to all the technical work involved in a digital service, it is important to produce content of high social and cognitive quality, presented in a format suitable for users. And, of course, this must be done in accordance with the WCAG guidelines on content set out in the Accessibility Directive. Accessibility applies to both the website and files (e.g. downloadable PDF files).

For example, clear and accessible language, a coherent narrative, well-structured headings and paragraph breaks, and the provision of information across multiple channels (see Papunet, 2019, Guide to Designing Accessible Websites) are all characteristics of good, accessible digital content.

Read more: Accessibility Testing in Practice – Towards an Accessible User Experience

The accessibility statement and feedback process must be in order

The Accessibility Directive requires service providers to publish an accessibility statement on their website or in their app, the content of which must comply with the EU’s definition. Up-to-date guidance and transition periods for drawing up and updating the statement can be found, for example, on the Regional State Administrative Agency’s website. 

In addition to the accessibility statement, users of digital services must be given the opportunity to provide feedback on digital accessibility. Guidance on this has been compiled on the Regional State Administrative Agency’s website. The site also provides guidance and useful tips for service providers.

Towards ever more accessible digital services

The purpose of the Digital Services Act and accessibility is to ensure that all service users have equal opportunities to participate in and make use of digital services. When a digital service is developed through collaboration and its accessibility significantly exceeds the minimum requirements, the service provider becomes easily approachable and customers find it a pleasure to explore the service’s content. Accessible online services are therefore in everyone’s interest.

However, the accessibility criteria do not provide guidance on absolutely all factors relevant to accessibility, so it is advisable for digital service developers to have a broader understanding of the principles, specific characteristics and best practices relevant to their own field. Here at Hurja, we are happy to develop digital services where accessibility is implemented to a very high standard.

We also offer accessibility audits for existing online services, through which we assess the current state of the service’s accessibility and identify ways to improve it. Get in touch – let’s have a chat!