What is Accessibility Research?
In the broadest sense of the word, "accessibility" refers to how well people with physical or cognitive differences can use a product. For example, if a blind person cannot rely on a screen reader to use a website to make a purchase, that website is inaccessible.
Accessibility and usability go hand-in-hand. If a computer is not usable to people without disabilities, it is also inaccessible to people with disabilities.
We offer a variety of different services to help clients assess the accessibility of their products:
Accessibility testing and assessment
We engage in our studies users who are aging, blind and low vision, with physical or cognitive differences, and who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. We test hardware, software, websites and Web applications using tools such as JAWS, Window-Eyes, ZoomText, Dragon NaturallySpeaking and other speech recognition tools, as well as other assistive technologies.
Cognitive testing
We conduct qualitative, one-on-one research in which we ask target users with a variety of cognitive differences to try-out products and technologies to ensure that they are accessible. We design research studies that use think-aloud data to determine whether users understand and can appropriately interpret how to interact with products. We also provide explicit recommendations for enhancing the cognitive accessibility of products and technologies.
Communications planning and research
We help our clients assess the effectiveness of their current communications around accessibility, and after developing an in-depth understanding of what the client needs and wants to communicate, we provide insight to help clients strategize and develop the content of their communications.
e-Learning and information design
We help clients to assess their e-Learning needs, develop curriculum and learning goals, develop and evaluate content, and assess learning using performance measures and metrics.
Heuristic, expert reviews
We develop analytical reports that provide independent insight based on our own expertise and a deep knowledge of the existing accessibility and human factors research. We review products to ensure that they are in compliance with existing standards (W3C WCAG, Section 508), but we also review products to ensure that they are accessible and usable beyond the level dictated by existing standards.
Program evaluation
We measure the extent to which information technologies are indeed providing the information that users need and the extent to which users are actually learning the information that is provided. We use various program evaluation tools to measure impact.
Information architecture design
We review existing content and architecture, evaluate usability and accessibility using heuristic reviews and user testing, analyze the flow of information, create new taxonomies, and redesign content and architecture.
Readability analysis
We use a multi-pronged approach to assess the readability of content, including heuristics, readability software, and user testing to ensure that content is accessible to users from a range of literacy and language backgrounds.
Usability testing
We conduct usability testing in a variety of settings, including research labs, in real-world settings, and remotely, using web-based software. We perform usability testing at various stages in the development cycle. Usability testing involves developing task-based user scenarios, using the think-aloud methodology, and analyzing observational data as well as subjective user feedback to make recommendations for enhancing the usability and accessibility of the product.