digital_accessibility_nonprofits.jpg
 
 

Digital Accessibility & Nonprofits

 

Challenge

Nonprofits are the pulse of our communities. With limited resources, an aging population, and increasing awareness around digital accessibility issues how can we help to prepare and encourage small nonprofits to incrementally address digital accessibility?

Solution

The A-valuation tool was designed to help small nonprofits address digital accessibility in an incremental and achievable way. 

Approach

METHODS: 

  • Deep Dive

  • Secondary Research

  • Expert Interviews

  • Survey

  • Empathy Mapping

  • Wireframing

  • Prototyping

  • Directed Storytelling/Interviews/Think-A-Loud

TOOLS: 

  • Pen & Paper

  • RealtimeBoard.com

  • GoogleDocs

  • GoogleSheets

  • Trello

  • Sketch

  • Axure

  • Keynote

 
 
 

Building Foundational Knowledge

What is digital accessibility? What companies are subject to digital accessibility laws? How can one determine if a site is accessible?

A deep dive, secondary research, and interviews with experts began to surface surface answers... and more questions.  

Key findings from research: 

  • Chronic, temporary, and situational disabilities combined with an aging population will increase the need for accessible websites

  • Accessibility Tools (WAVE, SiteImprove, etc.) can help address accessibility contrast issues

    • Additional results displayed cause confusion, can be subjective or false positives

  • Sifting through, understanding, and learning digital accessibility guidelines, laws, and regulations takes time

  • If a site complies with accessibility guidelines (WCAG) it does not mean the site is usable

 
 
“It needs to be a person to tell you if it’s truly accessible.”
— Kelly, Accessibility Expert
 
 

Learning from the Community

A survey of nonprofits began to paint a clearer picture of the complex world in which they operate.

  • Significant resource constraints

  • Funding drives priorities

  • No role consistency in terms of who completes website updates

  • Community members come to nonprofit sites for services but don't have a voice when it comes to website updates

  • The nonprofit community is an important information resource for other nonprofits

  • Positive association with digital accessibility

Word cloud generated from Nonprofit survey responses.

Word cloud generated from Nonprofit survey responses.

 
“We need to be able to scale it (accessibility) to our capacity and also make the case for investing resources in it.”
— Survey Participant #7
 
 

From Concepts to Design

To address the complexity of digital accessibility in a resource constrained environment, the A-valuation tool was created to help inspire nonprofits to take a confident first step along a path of digital accessibility.

The prototype tool was designed intentionally, utilizing high-level digital accessibility guidelines (WCAG 2.1), and built on a digital platform to reach a broad audience.

 
 

Next Steps

The tool is currently in its first iteration. Initial testing showed a positive response to the tool, but this is only the beginning.

Future tool enhancements include: 

  • Condense information displayed on the results page

  • Identify value in a log-in feature for Nonprofits to track progress within the tool and over time

  • Build out content (links, checklists, etc.) within the tool