A Comparative Study of Accessibility and Usability of Norwegian University Websites for Screen Reader Users Based on User Experience and Automated Assessment
Original version
Parajuli, Eika H: A Comparative Study of Accessibility and Usability of Norwegian University Websites for Screen Reader Users Based on User Experience and Automated Assessment. In: Antona M, Stephanidis. Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Theory, Methods and Tools, Part I, 2020. Springer p. 300-310 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-49282-3_21Abstract
Websites are essential for learners’ access to information. However, due to the lack of accessibility and usability of websites, students with disabili-ties who solely rely on screen readers face challenges accessing webpage con-tents. This study explores accessibility and usability issues frequently encoun-tered by screen reader students while interacting with Norwegian university webpages. An evaluation using automated tools showed that none of the univer-sity websites met the minimum WCAG 2.1 guidelines. Sixteen visually im-paired participants were recruited and assigned five usability tasks on four dif-ferent university websites. The results show that participants encountered usa-bility and accessibility issues on all four websites. Recommendations for in-creased accessibility are proposed based on the findings.