Democracy Requires Universal Online Accessibility

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Democracy rests on the idea that all of society can participate in civic processes, from obtaining information and government services to the bedrock of the democratic process - elections. Since so many aspects of daily life have shifted online, barriers to accessing the internet are undemocratic.

Thankfully, on-demand accessibility crowdtesting platforms like Fable Tech Labs help public agencies and institutions ensure nobody in society is excluded from the civic process. Please keep reading to learn more about how they work.

Reach Compliance Faster by Skipping Recruitment

Institutions like public broadcasters need to know that every eligible voter has the information they need to make informed decisions that impact their life. Keeping everyone informed in real-time can be challenging when it comes to elections since poll numbers change constantly, and complex data visualizations need to offer the same value to all users. 

The best on-demand accessibility crowdtesting platforms have real users with disabilities on hand. Institutions can side-step the time-consuming burden of recruitment by incorporating real users to test products early in development cycles. 

Connecting remotely with people who have real disabilities early in the process helps avoid mistakes later on, which may be hard and expensive to fix. 

Real Users with Disabilities Beats Out Automation

Automation can do some things very efficiently, but it isn't a perfect filter, and sometimes things slip through the cracks. Relying on actual people who live with an array of disabilities to test the product is a much more effective way of ensuring universal accessibility. 

When there's a community of engaged users with real disabilities ready to test your product, it's the best simulation possible. There's no better way to understand this community's needs than asking them questions and listening to what they say.

Conduct live one-on-one discussions and unmoderated testing with real users with disabilities to better identify barriers, assess experiences, and solve problems. Universal accessibility isn't truly universal if someone somewhere is excluded. Automation can't guarantee universality, but testing real users with a disability can. 

User Testing on Every Device and Version

What happens if a voter is excluded from a news item or election coverage because the online content doesn't work correctly on their mobile device? User testing needs to be conducted on web and mobile experiences with diverse users. 

Products should be customized according to any user, no matter what device or assistive technology they use. Testing this comprehensive, accurate, and efficient leads to AODA compliance faster. More than that, testing needs to reflect the way people use these devices in their day to day life, and this means including every version of every device.

Just like universal accessibility requires everyone to have access, democracy needs the full participation of all society. From public broadcasters, Crown agencies, and other institutions that serve the public, it's essential to rely on an on-demand accessibility crowdtesting platform to ensure everybody in society has access to the information and services they need.