The purpose of an accessibility assessment is to confirm that a digital journey is accessible to everyone. It is an independent way of measuring the accessibility quality of Nationwide’s digital journeys and platforms.
Before arranging an accessibility assessment, it is essential to understand what an accessibility assessment is and what it includes. This understanding will determine whether the product/service is ready for assessment or if there is more work necessary to get the product/service to the required level.
What does DAC assess?
Our accessibility partner DAC assess websites such as Nationwide.co.uk and mobile applications such as the mobile banking app. They can review documents such as PDFs but do not do this unless asked explicitly as part of an assessment.
During an assessment, DAC does not assess every page or screen in an application. Instead, they check a sample of pages or screens representing the website or application as a whole. The selection will include common page types and components to provide as much coverage of the design and functionality of the website/application as possible. Assessing a representative sample indicates overall how accessible the system is and highlights any significant barriers to access.
Why don’t DAC assess every page?
It is simply not feasible for DAC to assess every page or screen of a website or application due to the size and complexity of most modern websites and applications, and the sheer amount of accessibility tests necessary for a thorough assessment.
Most accessibility tests are manual tests that require human judgement to assess whether something is a barrier for someone with a disability or impairment. It can take several hours to manually test a single page, so attempting to evaluate all pages of a website in this manner is not an efficient or cost-effective way to assess accessibility quality.
What happens during an accessibility assessment?
During an assessment, DAC will test the agreed sample of pages/screens using three types of accessibility testing according to their testing methodology. This approach allows them to find the broadest range of technical and usability issues that may prevent people with disabilities or impairments from using Nationwide digital services.
For each accessibility assessment, DAC perform:
- Automated accessibility testing to quickly and easily identify issues in code.
- Manual accessibility testing assessing the pages against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1.
- User testing by people with a range of disabilities.
If requested, DAC will provide brief updates throughout the assessment phase to help teams understand the testing progress and if any barriers to access are encountered.
Please note the accessibility assessment can take between 1-2 weeks to complete depending on the size of the testing sample, and the website/application’s complexity.
What to expect after an accessibility assessment?
Once the assessment is complete, one of DAC’s accessibility consultants will collate the assessment results into a comprehensive written report. They will send the report to the relevant product owner, delivery lead and Nationwide’s accessibility team for review. They will also provide a de-brief to clarify the report’s findings (if necessary) and answer questions if required.
The report will show the level of accessibility achieved by the product/service. If the product/service hasn’t met the required level of accessibility (Level AA), the report will list the accessibility issues preventing the product/service from reaching that level.
The accessibility level achieved must be shared with Digital Accessibility Governance Forum [link] to measure how Nationwide services perform in terms of accessibility.
Suppose there are no accessibility issues reported at either Level A or Level AA. In that case, the Digital Accessibility Governance Forum will consider the website/application compliant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
What happens if the journey doesn’t achieve Level AA?
It’s likely, due to Nationwide’s current level of accessibility maturity that the product/service will not meet the desired level of accessibility (Level AA). If that is the case, the team responsible for the journey will need to rectify all the issues identified in the accessibility assessment report.
Finding the right solution to fix specific accessibility issues isn’t always straightforward and can be a time-consuming process, often involving multiple disciplines. It may take several rounds of updating and testing before the journey achieves the required level of accessibility.
Be aware in older or legacy systems, that it may not be possible to fix all the accessibility issues reported without significantly redesigning or rebuilding parts of the system.
Deciding whether to repair or rebuild must be considered carefully, depending on the assessment report’s severity. Teams should seek support from the Nationwide accessibility team to decide on the best approach. Longer-term, product owners should also consider accessibility training to improve their team’s accessibility knowledge and inclusive design skills.
Immediate Re-assessment
Immediate re-assessment is only necessary when DAC find accessibility issues with the journey. When the team has fixed the issues raised in the assessment report, DAC will re-assess the website/application to confirm each point is no longer an issue.
Please note, if there are a significant number of issues raised during an initial assessment, fixing issues may accidentally introduce or uncover further accessibility issues. This process is to be expected and should not deter anyone from continuing with accessibility fixes and testing.
When DAC is satisfied that the team have fixed all the issues, and have not introduced further problems, the product/service will be considered compliant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. DAC will then issue Nationwide with an accessibility accreditation certificate.
Thank you for your feedback