scgx enterprise software — Accessibility audit
Timeframe: Summer 2019 - April 2020
Client: LLamasoft
Project Type: UI Accessibility Audit
Software Used: Microsoft Narrator, WebAIM, Microsoft Accessibility Insights
Project Overview
Conducted a large scale accessibility audit on LLamasoft's Supply Chain Guru (SCGX) software to uphold WCAG 2.0 standards.
Process
I began this project by doing an overview SCGX to make sure I understood how it worked. As a large enterprise supply chain management software, this application can do a lot and therefore has many facets, so I created an excel file listing all pages of the software. I went through about 30 pages individually to check for accessibility errors.
To define errors, I used WCAG 2.0 standards. I extensively checked through color issues, keyboard navigating issues, and screen reading issues by hand. To do some initial interrogating, I used Microsoft Accessibility Insights to guide me in the right direction.
At the end I had 3 deliverables. Each was a document laying out all the errors describing the location of the error, what standard it directly correlates with, as well as a screenshot of the error if necessary. After detailing the error, I wrote down specific recommendations on how to fix the problem. Whether it was a new hex code, an idea for the alt text on a picture, etc. I made sure the developer who was going to be handed the project new exactly how to fix it.
Lessons Learned
Organization is key. This project was overwhelming at first so I made sure to get tons of feedback from coworkers on how to begin and organize my documents. As an entry-level employee, it helped so much to have a supportive team.
Accessibility is so important. This project gave me great experience with WCAG standards. I learned so much and now will know what to look for in the future as well as know how to advocate for accessibility early on, so that you can avoid doing an accessibility audit down the line. When you design with accessibility in mind in the first place, it can save the company time and money in the future… but not just that. It can help extend the usefulness of your software to many many more people — and that is the most important takeaway.
I also learned a lot about accessibility and put together a crash course in accessibility Miro Board for my team which you can see below:
