Relates to

Design & user research, Discovery & strategy, Technical advisory
Technologist, Marketer

An accessibility audit assesses compliance against international accessibility standards, such as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 AAExternal Link and 2.1 AAExternal Link . Accessibility design audits evaluate how usable design components and the site colour palette are for disabled users and provide remediations and solutions for any violations. To find out more about why accessibility is important, visit our insight “Web accessibility: what is it and why is it so important?”.

How we can help

  • Review of design components and colour palette against the 38 WCAG 2.0 AA standards

  • Review of design components and colour palette against the 50 WCAG 2.1 AA standards (these include the 38 WCAG 2.0 Level AA standards)

Deliverables

  • Detailed report

    • Executive summary

    • Tabular list of all applicable standards, their definitions, pass/fail remediation, details for failure, remediation steps, user impact and recommended next steps

  • Executive report

Key assumptions

  • Complexity of engagement is dependent on the complexity of the design components used

  • Designs have a finalised colour palette and are interactive

Approach

  • 30-minute intake and review with Accessibility Consultant and Engagement Manager

  • Accessibility testing using automated testing tool, keyboard and visual review, colour contrast analyser and screen reader performed by Accessibility Consultant and Frontend Developer

  • 30-minute virtual presentation of executive report by Accessibility Consultant

  • One-hour virtual presentation of detailed report by Accessibility Consultant

Why Salsa recommends following WCAG 2.1 AA

Australian lawExternal Link mandates that all websites meet WCAG 2.0 AA standards. However, by meeting WCAG 2.1 AA standards your site will be meeting standards that provide greater accessibility and inclusion around mobile/responsive design, cognitive, motor and dexterity disabilities. As WCAG 2.2 is currently in draft status for release, it’s becoming imperative that we evaluate our sites against the most updated guidelines to provide an inclusive environment.

A breakdown of the various levels, and associated examples, of the WCAG standards is below:

User impact Time-based media example Readable example
Level A Involves the smallest amount of implementation effort and has the lowest impact on the presentation and business logic on your site. Captions are available for pre-recorded, synchronised media. The language of the page can be programmatically determined
Level AA Has a high impact for users and makes a higher impact on the system’s presentation and business logic than Level A (most businesses choose to focus on Level AA). Live captions are available for synchronised media. The language of certain pages or paragraphs, if different from the language of the page, can be programmatically determined. Exceptions are made for common phrases.
Level AAA These changes are usually for very specific user populations and can be very difficult to adhere to. Sign language interpretation is available for pre-recorded audio content. There is a mechanism, such as a definition or link to an online dictionary, that identifies unusual words such as idioms or jargon.