GAMING MECHANICS: HELPING TO COMBAT THE 'DIGITAL-DIVIDE' THROUGH IMPROVED WEBSITE ACCESSIBILITY DESIGN

As technological advancements enable new levels of functionality, websites and other user interfaces are becoming increasingly more sophisticated, and the user experience of these platforms has never been better.

However, whilst developers look to optimise interfaces with improved aesthetics, responsiveness and functionality, something that’s often overlooked is accessibility.

This case study looks at how Gaming Mechanics helped to redesign the website of Sapphire Care, a home care service provider on the Isle of Man, to ensure it was user-friendly and catered to individuals with disabilities whilst accurately representing their brand.

The digital-divide

As companies have shifted away from in-person services and the need for person-to-person interactions; we now place a significant reliance on digital platforms to perform everyday tasks.

Therefore, it’s imperative that these platforms are easy to use. Not only because you could be missing out on sales, but also that you might be excluding certain subsets of the community altogether.

For people with disabilities in particular, the shift towards digital services has been met with substantial challenges. Websites and applications are often designed without considering the diverse needs of users with disabilities. Common accessibility issues include inadequate keyboard navigation, poor contrast ratios, lack of alternative text for images, and inaccessible forms.

These barriers make it difficult or impossible for people with disabilities to effectively use these digital platforms, putting them at a significant disadvantage of being able to perform the many essential tasks they facilitate.

Making platforms accessible

Recognising the critical need for use of digital platforms in modern society, there’s been a push for more consideration to be given to accessibility. In fact, you may be breaking the law if you do not make your services accessible for everyone who needs it, including those with disabilities.

In an aim to establish an industry standard set of guidelines for accessibility on the web, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) were established in 1999. These have regularly been updated as technology continues to evolve, with the latest version being WCAG 2.1 which has three levels: A, AA and AAA.

Since 2018, public sector organisations in the UK have been required to meet the UK Government’s accessibility requirements. For a digital services to do this they must:

• meet level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) as a minimum
• work on the most commonly used assistive technologies - including screen magnifiers, screen readers and speech recognition tools
• include disabled people in user research
• have an accessibility statement that explains how accessible the service is

Even if a company is exempt from the accessibility regulations, under the Equality Act 2010 or the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (in Northern Ireland) they’re still legally required to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people when they’re needed - for example, by providing the information they need in another, more accessible format.

How Gaming Mechanics helped Sapphire Care to fulfil their accessibility needs

Sapphire Care's outdated website posed significant challenges in terms of accessibility. They recognised the need for a more user-friendly website that accurately represented their brand and catered to individuals with disabilities.

Aiming to create a more inclusive digital experience, they reached out to island-based web development company, Gaming Mechanics, who implemented a range of enhancements throughout the website design process to help accommodate users with various impairments. Notably, they focused on the following key aspects:

Visual Accessibility:

• Ensured sufficient colour contrast to facilitate easy reading for users with visual impairments.
• Implemented scalable font sizes for improved readability and customisation.

Navigation and Interaction:

• Incorporated clear and intuitive navigation buttons and menus to facilitate content exploration.
• Implemented keyboard accessibility features, enabling users to navigate the website using assistive devices.

Content Presentation:

• Optimised text structure and formatting to enhance readability for users with cognitive impairments.
• Provided alternative text descriptions for images, enabling visually impaired users to understand the content using assistive technologies.

The final product delivered a visually appealing, functional, and accessible platform that also reflected Sapphire Care’s brand identity, and received much positive feedback from stakeholders. Gaming Mechanics continue to provide dedicated support, offering innovative ideas to enhance Sapphire Care's online presence and further improve the user experience.

Summary

As we continue to place increased reliance on digital platforms, it’s imperative that accessibility of these platforms is seen as a priority in order to ensure no sections of our community are restricted from being able to perform essential tasks.

Sapphire Care and Gaming Mechanics is a great example of how an organisation has taken it upon themselves to ensure their services are accessible to everyone, and emphasises the importance of accessibility in creating a meaningful online experience for all.