Two audits, one plan. Making digital experiences work for everyone

Accessibility. Can everyone use it? 

Accessibility is about removing the barriers that can prevent people from accessing and using a website.

We usually assess platforms against WCAG 2.2 Level AA where appropriate, combining automated testing with manual verification. This gives us a way of identifying both technical accessibility issues and improvements that could be managed directly by the client's content team.

For example, adding meaningful alt text is a content task rather than a technical fault. Other issues, such as improvements to shared forms and templates, can require technical input but have the potential to resolve multiple issues across the site.

This distinction matters.

If a team knows exactly what it can fix itself, it can start making improvements immediately. If something requires development, it can be clearly defined and prioritised alongside other technical work.

The result is a practical accessibility roadmap rather than simply a list of compliance issues.

Usability. Can customers achieve what they came to do?

Accessibility tells us whether people can use a platform. Usability asks a slightly different question:

How easy is it for them to achieve what they came to do?

To understand this, we take a customer's-eye view, looking at key screen types and the journeys customers use most.  Often, what we find as a recurring theme is promoting the idea of moving from an information-led experience to a task-led one.

Customers don't necessarily arrive thinking about an organisation's structure, services or internal terminology. They arrive with a goal.

"I need to book a room."

"I need to report a leak."

"I need to deposit some money."

The experience should help them get there.

This then leads to recommendations around how we can re-structure a platform around user goals, reducing unnecessary clicks, making content easier to scan and setting expectations more clearly.  And importantly, our audits also identify what is already working well, highlighting existing solid foundations and ensuring that their budgets are spent only where they will deliver the biggest benefits.

The objective isn't to change everything.

It's to understand what should stay, what needs improving and where change will have the greatest impact.

Taking it to the customer

The final stage is to take these findings and present them to your customers.

By doing this, we're not starting with a blank sheet of paper. We already have evidence, themes and prioritised opportunities that we can explore with them.

A customer workshop gives us the opportunity to test those assumptions, understand what matters most to customers and identify where improvements could have the greatest impact.

The outcome is a simple progression:

1. Audit

2. Prioritise

3. Workshop

4. Validate

5. Plan

For the organisation, that means a clearer route from compliance and usability findings to delivery.

For customers, it means a digital experience that is easier to access, easier to understand and easier to use.

From audit to action

This is where the two audits become more useful together.

Rather than handing over two separate lists of findings, we bring accessibility and usability into one plan.

Accessibility is slightly different. There are compliance requirements to consider, so some improvements need to be tackled sooner rather than later. Usability improvements on the other hand, can then be prioritised around customer feedback and impact, available budget and appetite for change.

For the client, this means being able to answer some straightforward questions:

• What's the most important thing to fix for you and your customers?

• What can our content team do themselves?

• Where do we need technical support?

• How much effort will it take?

• What will make the biggest difference to customers?

That's the real value of the audit.  

Not more findings, but a greater level of confidence about what to do next.