Accessibility Study 2023 published

Every year, the Access for All Foundation conducts a study on the topic of accessibility and takes a close look at various digital products and applications. So far, the focus has mainly been on websites, but the latest study is dedicated to apps for the first time – making it particularly interesting for us, of course.

More than half of the 46 apps reviewed are unsatisfactory in terms of accessibility. This is the result of the Accessibility Study 2023 conducted annually by the Access for All Foundation. Only 20% of the apps are accessible for people with a disability. Overall, this means that 80% of the apps tested have limited accessibility and therefore exclude a large proportion of potential users.

The study examined several apps from Switzerland and abroad that are particularly important for our everyday lives – including the SBB app and WhatsApp, for example. The interpretation of the data is based on the assessment of the apps according to WCAG-guidelines (World Content Accessibility Guide), i.e. the test criteria of WCAG 2.1, conformance level AA. More about the WCGA guidelines in our corresponding blog article).

The following are the key findings of the study:

• On average, the two platforms iOS and Android are very similar. Only in terms of keyboard operability does iOS perform better
• Apps from the USA perform significantly better. The publishers of the study attribute this to the size of the publishers, who have far more resources available to devote to “soft” aspects such as accessibility.
• There are few differences between privately published apps and public service apps
• In particular, the “mobile usability” aspect (i.e. the complete display of content in portrait and landscape format) and “keyboard usability” (keyboard control options) scored poorly overall – although they would be very important.

The authors of the study see economic factors and a lack of awareness of the problem as reasons for the lack of accessibility of apps. But also a lack of regulatory pressure. There is still a lack of concrete regulations for the implementation of digital products – however, this would not only help to raise awareness of accessibility, but would also lead to the issue of accessibility being considered and brought to the table early on in the project.

The authors of the study then call for the following measures for greater accessibility:

• Advantages for accessible apps must be made visible to publishers
• Expertise and awareness should be promoted
• Tracking is key and stakeholders need to be brought together better
• Regulatory gaps must be closed

We at Bitforge have also observed the above points in our everyday work and see it as a central element to strengthen the visibility of the topic. We therefore regularly carry out our Accessibility Event through. We also try to convince our partners and customers of the importance of accessibility whenever possible and implement the apps accordingly – as we recently did with the FOOBY app. “Our aim is to raise awareness of the topic of digital accessibility among the various stakeholders and reduce reservations,” says Maria Timonen, Accessibility Manager at Bitforge. Accessibility must become a basic requirement and a quality feature. This can only be achieved if the issue is considered at the design stage and regulations are introduced.

Click here for the complete study.