Research on our target audience

About

Pronouns

He/Him

Age

52

Job

User Experience (UX).

Commonly used sites

IAAP, CSPS.

Disability:

Deaf since birth.

Example of Temporary or situational

• Temporary hearing loss due to an ear infection in the right ear.
• Construction noise.

Skills (aptitude)

• Tech-savvy and able to picks up new software quickly.
• Knows sign-language.

Tools (adaptive technology, devices, other)

Category: audio replacement and enhancement.

• Live closed captioning in meetings.
• Other: Transcripts during/post-event.

Needs (tasks, environments)

• Prefers the option to work from home.
• Requires access to his laptop daily for work.
• Often asks for instructions or conversations to be repeated to him.

Barriers & frustrations (specifics, attitudes)

• It can be really frustrating when tools lag or aren't available.
• Web-based services and applications that rely on interactions using voice-only commands are really difficult or sometimes not possible to use.
• Group meetings, back-to-back meetings, or just too many meetings in a day can be draining.

Quote:

“When music is playing while a speaker is speaking, it’s very distracting. WCAG 2.1 has a criterion that says background noise has to be certain decibels below the speaker’s voice but it’s an AAA level. This means it’s not mandatory for companies and organizations to comply with this criterion.”

About

Pronouns

She/Her

Age

23

Job

Junior accessibility tester.

Commonly used sites

W3C and Deque.

Disability:

Blurred vision with low contrast.

Example of Temporary or situational

• Brightness from the sun.

Skills (aptitude)

• Solid understanding of assistive technology used for web browsing.
• Highly skilled computer user who uses contrast adjustments to see the screen clearly.

Tools (adaptive technology, devices, other)

Category: Vision Enhancements

• Colour adjustments.
• Automated web accessibility checker.
• Microsoft Teams.
• Screen reader.
• Word processing software.
• Screen magnification.

Needs (tasks, environments)

• Requires access to web and document accessibility guidelines when conducting tests.
• Adequate testing time for Information and communications technology (ICT) accessibility in the GC.
• Digital files to be available in accessible formats.

Barriers & frustrations (specifics, attitudes)

• Loss of web content or functionality when font size or browser screen is resized.
• Low contrast text can be hard to read.
• Images on websites that do not provide text alternatives.
• Speakers who do not provide information that help understand information displayed visually.

Quote:

“It's really annoying when the colours of the text and background are so close to each other, it makes anything on the screen hard to read.”

About

Pronouns

She/Her.

Age

52

Job

Front-end developer.

Commonly used sites

WCAG for developers.

Disability:

Fibromyalgia.

Example of Temporary or situational

• Inflammatory arthritis.
• Bumpy car ride.

Skills (aptitude)

• Uses macbook and apple products daily for her job.
• Techsavvy and relies on her tools in her day-to-day life.

Tools (adaptive technology, devices, other)

Category: Mobility and Dexterity Enhancement.

• Ergonomic keyboard, mouse.
• Dragon Naturally Speaking.
• Pre-programmed X-Keys.
• Voice recognition software.

Needs (tasks, environments)

• Prefers accommodations and flexibility in work schedule to account for rest, medical support, preferred working styles.
• Understanding from their team for the varying levels of discomfort that may occur each day.
• Simple pointer gestures when navigating through webpages (ex: single-click/tap).
• Links with proper names to clearly indicate where the link leads to and what its purpose is.

Barriers & frustrations (specifics, attitudes)

• Distractions in the workplace.
• Workplace policies that make work from home accommodations difficult to get.
• When alternative interaction patterns are not available and the required action is difficult to complete (ex: shaking a device, pinching, drawing, etc).

Quote:

“The buttons on my phone screen can be so small, I want to hit a checkbox but accidentally click another option, I have to uncheck the wrong one to proceed but it’s frustrating.”

About

Pronouns

They/Them.

Age

31

Job

Trainer / Educator.

Commonly used sites

AAACT, GcPedia, DAT.

Disability:

Motor Neurone Disease.

Example of Temporary or situational

• Holding a baby.
• Fracturing a limb.

Skills (aptitude)

• Has experience providing training on web and document accessibility.

Tools (adaptive technology, devices, other)

Category: Mobility Enhancements.

• Speech recognition device.
• Power wheelchair.
• Adjustable monitors.
• Adaptive keyboards.

Needs (tasks, environments)

• Information about how to acquire workplace accommodations due to mandatory return to office policies.
• Standard method to provide trainees with resources on accessibility standards, policies and requirements within GC.
• Ability to view web content in both portrait and landscape orientation.

Barriers & frustrations (specifics, attitudes)

• Difficulty booking a workspace through the designated web application.
• Difficulty finding accessible routes outside and within buildings.
• Buildings without an automatic door button.
• Obstructions on accessible routes including ramps and corridors.

Quote:

”I cannot book a workspace like everyone else does because the application does not support keyboard navigation.”

About

Pronouns

He/Him.

Age

48

Job

Manager in communications.

Commonly used sites

Deque.

Disability:

Autism spectrum disorder, Dyslexia.

Example of Temporary or situational

• Sustaining a Concussion.

Skills (aptitude)

• Relies on calendar, timetables, and organizational apps on desktop and mobile.
• Prefers having the option to customize my environment (ex: tools and tech, room light and temperature, monitor display, etc.)

Tools (adaptive technology, devices, other)

Category: Cognitive and Learning Style Enhancement.

• Text preference settings, power keyboard user.
• Text to speech software.

Needs (tasks, environments)

• Works best with consistent and familiar routines and processes.
• When communicating, terms used in conversations must be literal, clear, and to the point.
• Hopes people understand neurodiversity diagnoses are unique, 1 person’s needs may be different from another person with the same disability.
• Sites with multiple pathways of navigations to make the site easier to use.

Barriers & frustrations (specifics, attitudes)

• Not great with socializing, like small talk, eye contact, picking up subtle hints/cues, and physical touch.
• Often deals with headaches and migraines.

Quote:

“When I’m using a website, I find it frustrating when there is no consistency in page layouts and some terminologies to confirm my actions can be difficult to understand.”

About

Pronouns

She/Her.

Age

62

Job

Administrative Services Officer.

Commonly used sites

Salesforce, IAAP, DAT.

Disability:

ADHD, anxiety-disorder, severe hearing loss, hear sounds but can’t distinguish speech

Example of Temporary or situational

• Users who aren’t familiar with the internet.
• Non-native speakers.

Skills (aptitude)

• Works best with consistent and familiar routines and processes.
• Skilled in Microsoft Office applications.

Tools (adaptive technology, devices, other)

Category: Cognitive and Learning Style Enhancement and others.

• Screen reader.
• Zoom magnifier.
• Password manager.

Needs (tasks, environments)

• Enjoys working with automated tools like autofill/complete that can help fill in information quickly and helps users to remember all their different account information.
• Often works in spaces in the office with privacy and low volume policies to help eliminate distractions and facilitate deep focus work.
• Use of simple, plain language, free of acronyms, metaphors, slangs, explanatory instructions, and descriptive images.

Barriers & frustrations (specifics, attitudes)

• Not being able to lip-read and see facial expressions when people have cameras turned off during a video call.
• Use of captions that are inaccurate or non-customizable.

Quote:

“When I fill out a form online, it’s difficult to complete the task within the given time. It is even more frustrating when I don’t know how much time I have, the site times out and deletes my work, and I have to redo the form all over again.”

About

Pronouns

He/Him.

Age

39

Job

Administrative Support and Program Officer.

Commonly used sites

GCdocs, GCXchange, DAT.

Disability:

Muscle fatigue and slurred speech.

Example of Temporary or situational

• Repetitive stress injury and cannot speak in certain situations due to anxiety.
• Recovering from a concussion.

Skills (aptitude)

• Experience reviewing information and extracting critical information.
• Often requires repeated exposure to content to understand it.

Tools (adaptive technology, devices, other)

Category: Mobility and Speech replacement or enhancements.

• Text preference settings, power keyboard user.
• Text to speech software. Text-to-speech software.
• Spell checkers.
• Ergonomic keyboard and mouse.
• Templates and organizational tools.

Needs (tasks, environments)

• Websites and browsers that provide full keyboard support and provide options to skip to main sections of the page.
• Alternative means of communication that do not rely heavily on speech. For example, text-based chat, email and feedback form.
• Must use an ergonomic keyboard and mouse for daily office use.

Barriers & frustrations (specifics, attitudes)

• Web content that cannot be accessed using a keyboard.
• Insufficient time limits to complete tasks like completing a web form.
• Support and help centers that offer phone numbers as the only way to communicate with their organization.

Quote:

“It can be very tiring to have to tab through irrelevant material to reach the content need.”