Jenny Craven, Research AssociateCERLIM, Manchester Metropolitan [email protected]
The EIAO project is co-funded by the European Commission, under the IST contract 2003-004526-STREP.
The European Internet Accessibility Observatory - Scope:
• Three year project: Sept 2004 – 2007.• Partners from 10 institutions across Europe.• Developing reliable methods and tools for large-
scale assessment of websites accessibility.• Checking websites with the developed methods
and tools.• Making the results available at different levels.• Helping stakeholder groups such as web masters
and web designers to improve accessibility.• Helping policy and decision makers to assess
accessibility of websites.
Elements of EIAO• Web Accessibility
Metrics (WAMs) based on the WCAG.
• An Internet robot (ROBACC) for automatic data collection on web accessibility.
• A data warehouse (ROBACC DW) providing online access accessibility data.
Content accessibility
indicators
Form forUser webexperience
ROBACC DW
Web sites ROBACCWAMSpec
WAMproblem
Yes: Release WAM
No: Redesign
yes
?
Involvement of users in the project:
User req.
WAM
UserTesting
ROBACC
ROBACC DW
WAM
UserTesting
ROBACC
ROBACC DW
WAM
UserTesting
ROBACC
ROBACC DW
1.WAM
UserTesting
ROBACC
ROBACC DW
User req. WAM
ROBACC
WAM
ROBACC
WAM
ROBACC
2.WAM
ROBACC
ROBACC DW
User req.
Improved Methods & WAMs
Project Month
0 12 24 36
WAM
ROBACC
WAM
ROBACC
WAM
ROBACC
2.WAM
ROBACC
ROBACC DW
User req.
6 18 30
UserTesting
UserTesting
Feb05 Aug05 Feb06 Aug06 Feb07 Aug07
• User requirements for accessible web sites.• Levels of awareness of accessibility issues.• Levels of use relating to accessibility and web development.• Opinions relating to Observatory features.• Encourage a user-driven approach to the development of the European Internet Accessibility Observatory.
Problems identified• Keyboard access.• Lack of ALT text or poor use
of ALT text.• Page organisation.• Site navigation.• Mark up.• Language.• Multimedia.• Downloading.• Inability to personalise.
How these relate to WCAG 1.0:
• 9 Priority 1 checkpoints
• 11 Priority 3 checkpoints
• 21 Priority 2 checkpoints
First findings: End users.
First Findings: Stakeholder Groups.
• Requirements: – Examples of best
practice.– Monitoring
accessibility.– Show errors AND
how to fix them.– Configurable levels
of detail for assessments and reports.
• Issues raised:– Need for automated
AND user testing.– Limitations of
automated testing.– Reliability of results.– Legal concerns over
accessibility statements.
Future work• Development of Observatory software based
on end user and stakeholder requirements studies.
• Iterative feedback from users & further development.
• Clustering with 2 other EU funded projects to develop a Unified Website Evaluation Methodology for the EU.
Visit the website at: www.eiao.net