Case study brief: Website accessibility audit testing for Bloom & Wild
Bloom & Wild is the UK’s most-loved online florist that is known for its exceptional service.
As a business who “cares wildly” about their customers and one that is committed to making long-term positive change in the community, they understood the need to ensure their digital space was inclusive for everyone.
Due to our extensive experience with digital accessibility and website audit testing, HeX was the first pick for the project.
Assessing an array of customer journeys made this case study stand out
Bloom & Wild is the country’s top-rated florist for a reason. From flowers to hampers, birthday treats, and subscriptions; the business has an abundant offering. Services which entail having a magnitude of striking imagery, adverts, and application programming interfaces (APIs) behind the scenes of their website. Being packed with a bunch of features, there was a lot to assess in terms of the usability and accessibility of their platform, but our experts rose to the occasion to ensure all customers would receive an equal and enhanced online experience.
Web development activities delivered
- Automated, manual, and technical website accessibility audit testing
- Accessibility report creation, detailing website accessibility enhancements and linking to the WCAG 2.2 Level AA criterion
- Accessibility consultancy giving demonstrations with the use of assistive technology and guidance on the required site changes to meet web standards
The HeX approach to accessibility audit testing
Our website accessibility audit testing stands out against competitors, due to our robust testing process. Unlike other agencies, who only run automated software scans, our team performed:
- Software scans to seek out basic errors
- Manual usability testing with a range of devices and assistive technologies
- Specific user journey assessments
- Technical reviews of the codebase
- Readability scoring of content
- Social media inclusivity tests
With all testing conducted to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA standards.
Leaving no leaf left unturned during the testing process
Our rigorous audit testing process allowed us to fully assess the customer experience. By undertaking both automated and manual reviews, our experts unearthed a series of accessibility errors that could be a real thorn in the side for some users. In particular, disabled customers who use specialist devices and software to access and navigate the web.
Below we explore some common errors found across the platform, that may have been impeding the customer experience for all visitors:
A lack of keyboard accessibility
Some users rely on using a keyboard instead of a mouse to access the web. When testing keyboard accessibility, our experts discovered that many features that are needed to navigate and operate the site presented problems. This included users being unable to successfully bypass or select menu items, operate links, filter products, use chat facilities, choose delivery dates within a calendar, or access the basket to complete a purchase.
Issues affecting users who are blind or have low vision
Broken and incorrect ARIA label attributes within the page’s source code on title attributes, headings, and buttons presented users with accessibility issues.
On a manual assessment, we discovered that people with low vision would struggle to see all site features due to low contrasting text between background and foreground colours. Focus states, which assist users in being able to see whereabouts they are on a web page when navigating through links, were also lacking or had low contrast ratios.
Screen reader users rely on information and instructions being clearly read out to both provide context with products and services, and to assist with navigation. With some key features not being announced, such as payment details, account logins, and form errors, it restricted customers from being able to create an account or complete a purchase. A lack of clarity on link text, skipped heading levels, and lacking alt text image descriptions also presented problems in choosing products and with navigation for blind and low sighted shoppers.
Readability enhancements to create a user-friendly online space
Our audit process does not only assess if site features can all be accessed and operated, we also review how user-friendly the content is. To help enhance the user experience, our accessibility experts made suggestions to improve Bloom & Wild’s readability levels. This included best practice approaches with text alignment and spacing, written content, the use of infographics, and ways to make their social media posts more inclusive for all followers.
Live delivery of findings to help plant a greater understanding of accessibility barriers
Discovered errors were collated in a comprehensive report. This contained screen shots of the issues with explanations of the root of the problems, also linking to WCAG success criterion. This, along with suggested enhancements that could further aid the user experience.
To help in giving a deeper understanding of the accessibility barriers that users may be facing, we also provided live demonstrations using assistive technology devices and software. This session gave a unique perspective to Bloom & Wild, allowing the team to see first-hand how the discovered errors impacted customers and sowing a seed for the required changes.
Helping Bloom & Wild to grow their reach through accessibility audit testing
Our thorough audit testing process dug up accessibility errors lingering beneath the surface that was impacting the user experience.
Once the required changes are addressed, all customers (no matter what device or software they use) will be able to access, fluently navigate, and fully interact with their website. In turn, helping Bloom & Wild to gain a greater reach by tapping into an online audience that may have previously been shut out from accessing their great range of products and services.
By prioritising digital accessibility, Bloom & Wild will not only help to grow their online audience, but they will ensure all of their customers will have a blooming good experience whilst visiting their website.
More case studies about accessibility audit testing
Future PLC
Woman & Home is an award-winning lifestyle magazine, which has been nearly running for an impressive 100 years. TechRadar is an online global publication, which helps up to 30 million people find and use the tech that they love. Working to WCAG 2.2, we made recommendations to make the magazines inclusive for everyone.
UK Space Agency
Having 45,000 employees across the country, the UKSA recognised the need to have accessible tools and applications at their disposal. Therefore, they approached our experts in need of robust accessibility audit testing. This testing was performed across their intranet to meet WCAG standards and offer best inclusive practices.