Accessibility

Clients who think that their online forms are too long may consider putting 2 or more fields (e.g. text fields, dropdown menus) next to each other in one line. Is this a good idea? Read more…

There is a distinct difference between ‘accessibility compliance’ and ‘an accessible experience’. Read more…

In times of a recession, online fraud increases (CIFAS ‘Fraud trends and recession go hand in hand’) but most online users, although aware of Internet threats, have a gap in understanding them. Read more…

Keyboard accessibility is one of the most important aspects of web accessibility. There are a whole host of reasons why certain users will find mouse usage difficult or impossible. Some users may have no use or limited use of their hands or arms and rely on the keyboard or alternative input devices to navigate websites. Blind people using screen reading software almost exclusively rely on keyboard navigation. Read more…

By Lucy Carruthers

Every time I complete a form online, be it purchasing a concert ticket, subscribing to a magazine, or signing up to a retail web site, there is a different means of opting in to marketing communications. For me, this is somewhat irksome and often it’s overcomplicated. Radio buttons and check boxes, opt-in or opt-out, whole paragraphs of marketing talk that bedazzle me and that I have to read again and again until I can decipher whether I should be ticking the box or not.

Surely the same rules should apply here as for the rest of the form; keep it simple.

Language should be short and easy to understand, avoiding all marketing jargon. Get the legal information across but make sure the choice the user needs to make is obvious and does not get lost in all the text. My preference is to have opt-out as the default requiring the user to physically opt in and thereby giving them control, but there are no rules on this so long as the user is given the choice. If the user opts in then ask them by what means (e.g., post, SMS, email etc), but if they want to opt out asking them by what means is a waste of their time. Radio buttons and checkboxes should, according to accessibility guidelines, be placed to the left of the label. Checkboxes are the convention, with a tick denoting the user is opting-in, but radio buttons are fine if it makes the options clear and they are used consistently. The use of other writing for the web guidelines may also help, such as the use of white space and bolding of key words – ‘I would like to be contacted…’ or ‘I do not want to be contacted’. These are just some basic guidelines that, if followed, would make it far simpler for the users to make the right choice, quickly.

Foviance is evaluator of choice in usability and accessibility for the entries to The New Media Age Effectiveness Awards.

Judges are looking for the best work in interactive media; the work that has delivered the most impressive results and the best return on investment. Vertical sectors are represented by two categories; businesses or projects using interactive media to deliver products and services, and marketing campaigns using interactive channels to communicate with consumers.

The winners were announced at the Awards Ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London on 25th June.

London, UK, 2 February 2009 – Foviance, the expert in customer experience, has been selected by East Sussex County Council to test their website and provide usability recommendations. As part of ongoing improvements to online services, this study aims to make their information more accessible to East Sussex residents and other web visitors.Childcare services and help for older people are amongst the key areas of the Council’s website, receiving over 1.5 million visitors a year, which will benefit from the research. Read more…

By Katie Buchanan

Wimbledon might be over for another year, but this year welcomed a few differences. Not only was there a new men’s champion for the first time in five years, there was also a massive improvement in coverage for the working population.

For the first time, tennis fans were able to visit the BBC website and watch free live match streaming of play on a court of their choice from their own desks. The ability to launch a compact pop-out window perfectly catered for the needs of a desk-bound audience needing to work (or at least pretend to work) on other documents whilst keeping an eye on the game. This ability coupled with the option to watch match highlights and previous matches on BBC iPlayer, offered convenience like never before.

The good news for all sports fans is that the growing accessibility of live coverage online is set to continue. Developments in mobile technology and infrastructure will enable more and more users to watch live sport on the move via their mobile phones. Perhaps next Wimbledon, you could watch a nail-biting five-set semi-final between Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal from start to finish without changing your daily habits or missing a single point. You could stream it to your desk at work on the BBC website, and then switch to your mobile on your commute home, before catching the climax on TV. Indeed, with the greatest show on earth, the Beijing Olympics, due to start this month, fans will be eager to be in continual touch with developments as early as possible.

The potential is clear to see. For media organisations, getting content to people wherever they are, regardless of platform, is an attractive proposition. Of course with any new technology it is vital that it is delivered in a way that truly addresses peoples’ needs. In order to drive usage it is necessary to have comprehensive knowledge about the who, what, why, when, where and how of human behaviour:

• Who – refers to the people demanding these applications and those that could be triggered to use them
• What – pertains to particular features or functionality they want
• Why – determines the drivers of use
• When – suggests the most appropriate time for use
• Where – questions the context of use with regard to both physical and social environment
• How – examines the behaviour actually exhibited in using these new offerings.

At Foviance we are proud to be currently working with a number of brands and are employing innovative research methods to help them truly understand how their consumers respond to these new concepts. This is aiding them in their development efforts while providing greater clarity for future strategy.