Accessibility considerations can complement existing tasks that sustain and grow a product’s user base. Regardless of whether accessibility was planned earlier, there are opportunities to put these considerations in place at or after Launch. This guidance helps to ensure that deliverables and services meet accessibility standards.

Purpose

The aim of these tasks is to ensure services and support are accessible to users who have disabilities. This guidance outlines the tasks and activities that help ensure that deliverables and services meet accessibility standards.

This does not replace for your organization’s existing tasks for sustaining and growing your customers and users. Instead, it expands and complements your existing tasks.

Support and customer service

Ensure users can contact and receive support and service via accessible channels:

Ensure product documentation includes information for users with disabilities on how to get support and service.

Ensure the support channel website conforms to accessibility standards.

Ensure mobile apps for service and support conform to accessibility standards.

Ensure users who have hearing loss can contact support.

Train customer support personnel regularly in assisting users with disabilities.

Do root-cause analysis on problems reported, and implement remediation and prevention plans.

Ensure sales and marketing systems conform to accessibility standards.

Discoverability and SEO

Conforming to accessibility standards improves discoverability for all users. The visible and non-visible information that is built-in to improve the experience of users with disabilities increases the penetration of machine learning. You can justify some of the costs of addressing accessibility with an increase in discoverability and search engine optimization (SEO). This is particularly true for captioning and audio description, which can make the content of all videos available for detailed search.

NPS and other feedback tools

Ensure net promoter score (NPS) and other feedback tools conform to accessibility standards. Often feedback tools are not accessible, so product and website owners are not aware of accessibility issues because the affected users cannot report them.

Provide alternative or redundant feedback mechanisms such as phone, e-mail, and social media when your feedback tools do not directly conform to accessibility standards.

Metrics and KPI

Ensure accessibility considerations are included in management metrics. Key performance indicators (KPI) can include:

percent of products with available Accessibility Conformance Report (ACRs)

percent of websites with published website accessibility statement

percent of compliant pages and products

percent of non-compliant products with remediation plans in place

Requirements

602.2 Accessibility and Compatibility Features, IBM accessibility requirements
602.3 Electronic Support Documentation, IBM accessibility requirements

Resources

IBM offering launch hub, IBM internal use only