Brief Description of Project: 

The manufacturing and energy websites project involve creating online platforms for a company in the manufacturing and energy sector. These platforms aim to provide users with convenient and secure access to various services and products, including information about the company's products, services, sustainability initiatives, career opportunities, and customer support services. The goal is to develop a seamless and user-friendly digital experience, empowering users to engage with the company's offerings efficiently from anywhere with internet access.     
 

Sector : Internal Communication  

Refers to the department within the company facilitating effective communication and coordination among organizational divisions, ensuring smooth operations and alignment of goals.  

Problem Statement:  

The manufacturing and energy websites faced accessibility challenges, hindering users with disabilities from accessing vital information. Common issues included:

1. Missing Status Messages: The status messages lack standardized accessibility features, posing barriers for users with disabilities to access important updates effectively. 
2. Insufficient Color Contrast: The text and background elements fail to meet standard accessibility guidelines, impacting readability, particularly for users with visual impairments.
3. Incorrectly Defined Page Titles: Misconfigured page titles create confusion for visually impaired users navigating multiple web pages, deviating from standard accessibility practices.
4. Incorrect Tab Order: The sequence of elements receiving focus via keyboard navigation does not adhere to standard web accessibility protocols, leading to navigation challenges for keyboard users.
5. Lack of Keyboard Accessibility: Certain interactive controls do not support standard keyboard commands, limiting accessibility for users reliant on keyboard navigation methods.     
    

These problems collectively created barriers for individuals with disabilities, such as those with blindness, low vision, locomotor disability, and intellectual disability — preventing them from fully engaging with the company's online platforms. The average accessibility compliance score for manufacturing and energy websites was 34.00%.     
 

Solution Statement :

We performed testing on the manufacturing and energy website applications and identified over 90 accessibility violations, which lowered the compliance score. Our development team addressed these issues, ensuring an inclusive user experience for individuals with disabilities, including those with blindness, low vision, locomotor disability, and intellectual disability. 

Our actions included:

• Utilize ARIA roles and attributes to programmatically define status messages.
• Adjust CSS styles to enhance color contrast according to WCAG guidelines. 
• Incorporate proper HTML title tags and ARIA landmarks for improved page identification. 
• Refactor HTML markup and JavaScript event handling to establish a logical tab order. 
• Update interactive elements with tab index attributes and keyboard event listeners to enable keyboard accessibility. 
   

These enhancements have transformed the manufacturing and energy websites, creating a more inclusive and user-friendly online environment. By removing barriers, we have actively promoted engagement for individuals with disabilities, guaranteeing equal participation in the digital platforms. These improvements have cultivated an accessible atmosphere, fostering a seamless and enriching experience for all users on the websites.   
 

Methods and Tools: