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Creating a more accessible website: how feedback is shaping our user experience

At APM, we are dedicated to ensuring our website meets the needs of all users.

We have undertaken a comprehensive consultation process involving internal staff and external members, including people with disabilities, to gather feedback aimed at improving accessibility, usability, and the overall user experience. 

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Steps we took

1. Establishing an Accessibility Advisory Group

We began by forming a dedicated advisory group composed of individuals with lived experiences of disability.

This group represented a diverse range of disabilities, including those with neurodiversity, physical disabilities, cognitive disabilities and vision impairments.

We adopted a person-centric approach that focused on:

  • Collaboration: To ensure feedback was continuously integrated, we engaged with people with disabilities before, during, and after meetings in a collaborative process.
  • Ongoing evaluation: To gauge participation satisfaction and ensure access to feedback or complaint loops, we conducted continuous evaluations throughout the process, allowing for anonymous or identified input.
  • Multi-sensory communication: To encourage inclusive participation, we provided multiple ways for individuals to contribute, tailoring our communication methods to each person’s needs.
  • Flexibility: To ensure equitable participation, we presented information in flexible formats and worked with participants to determine how they needed information presented.

2. Online survey on website preferences and experiences 

An online survey was conducted with the advisory group to gather insights into users’ website preferences and experiences.

The feedback from this survey informed future improvements to the website’s user experience.

3. One-on-one website user testing

We carried out one-on-one website testing with member of the advisory group, asking participants to complete specific tasks and share feedback on their experiences.

These findings are now guiding immediate updates and future enhancements to the website’s accessibility, design, content and overall usability.

accessibility-advisory-group-1

4. Feedback presentation and survey

Following the user testing, we conducted a feedback presentation for the advisory group to explain the changes we were implementing based on the feedback received.

We explained the modifications being made and then launched a follow-up survey to gather feedback on the participants experience with the consultation process.

The survey focused on understanding whether their felt their insights were valued, incorporated and how we could improve future.

Accessibility-Advisory-Group-Website-Diagram-v2

Improvements implemented based on feedback

Following the survey and one-on-one user testing, several changes are being implemented:

Accessibility enhancements
  • Optimised website navigation for keyboard users
  • Refined keyboard tabbing behaviours
  • Updated mark-up for better screen reader descriptions
  • Reviewed headings (H1s) to improve content discoverability
Content accessibility
  • Translating key pages into easy-read versions
  • Reviewing content to use social disability language
  • Adding form fields to accommodate diverse needs to assist enquiries
Navigation & page layout
  • Adjusted banner sizes and spacing for improved readability
  • Improved menu structures for easier navigation
  • Enhanced search functionality to make content more discoverable
Visual & multimedia content
  • Developing animated explainer videos for key topics
  • Offering video and audio explanations for users who prefer them
  • Exploring multilingual options for content and video, including Auslan

We would like to thank all the members of the Accessibility Advisory Group for their involvement in this process. 

We look forward to continuing to work together to create a more accessibility and user-friendly website.

Have your say - share your feedback on our website accessibility 

We are committed to continuous improvement of our website and value your feedback. 

Please email support@apm.net.au to share your thoughts and suggestions. Your feedback will help to share future developments of our website.