Background
1 in 5 Australians faces accessibility challenges,
but many websites fall short
According to the 2021 Census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, nearly one in five Australians (18%) has a disability. However, a 2020 report from the Digital Transformation Agency found that 78% of Australian government websites do not meet basic accessibility standards. This shows a clear need for improvement in web accessibility.
Goal
Elevating Accessibility in My Portfolio Website
While learning more about accessibility, I checked my portfolio website and found it wasn’t accessible. To create an equal experience for everyone and not marginalize any group, I decided to conduct an accessibility audit to identify and fix the issues.
My Role
Reviewer
Product Designer
Timeline
1 Week (2 Sep 2024 - 8 Sep 2024)
Tools
Wave, AXE, VoiceOver, WCAG 2.2 Guidelines, ARIA
Overview
Audit Scope: Purpose, Criteria, and Key Methodologies
Review Process
Result
211 Accessibility Issues Across 7 Themes Identified
211
7
Missing alt text: 70
Low contrast: 83
Missing headings: 49
Skipped heading levels: 1
Identical page titles across pages: 5
Missing legends: 1
Missing page regions: 1
Unexpected behaviour(Email link): 1
Result
Core Accessibility Issues: A Before & After Snapshot
In the photo below, I improved the contrast from 2.78:1 to 4.88:1, keeping the primary colours of orange and brown. This meets WCAG 2.2 guidelines (Success Criterion 1.4.3) for contrast.
I've incorporated alternate texts to 70 visuals lacking descriptions, guaranteeing their accessibility to screen readers and compliance with WCAG 2.2 standards (Success Criterion 1.1.1) pertaining to non-textual components.
I fixed 50 issues with missing or skipped headings to make the page easier to navigate, especially for screen readers. This follows the WCAG 2.2 guidelines (Success Criterion 1.3.1) to ensure content is well-structured and easy to understand for everyone.
Documentation
Detailed Accessibility Findings
Key Takeaways
Learnings
Accessibility-First Approach
Using VoiceOver showed me how different the experience is for those needing accessible features. Accessibility should be built into every step of the design process to ensure equal usability for all.
Business Benefits of Accessibility
Enhancing accessibility improves SEO, widens your audience, strengthens brand reputation, and reduces legal risks. It’s not an extra, it’s essential.