Solirius Consulting

For the final post in our accessibility series, Ayesha Saeed one of our Accessibility Leads answers key questions on how to integrate and test for the 2023 WCAG 2.2 guidelines as a government service. You can find out more about Ayesha's journey as an Accessibility lead at: https://lnkd.in/eKtNa2hD Read the full WCAG 2.2 article here: https://lnkd.in/eymhbWpJ How are you testing for WCAG 2.2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments! #wcag22 #governmentServices #accessibility #testing

With the release of WCAG 2.2 last October 2023, government services are now being monitored to this accessibility standard. But how prepared is your organisation to meet these new requirements? Take part in our poll and share your thoughts in the comments. If you’re feeling unsure or need guidance, you can reach out to us to discuss how to best embed WCAG 2.2. Our team has extensive experience supporting organisations in achieving and maintaining accessibility, going beyond compliance. We will also be publishing some general guidance on what you need to do to meet WCAG 2.2 - so watch this space! #Accessibility #WCAG22 #Inclusion #DigitalTransformation

For week 4 of our accessibility series, Sreemoyee Roy Chowdhury, PhD discusses how you can advocate for diverse user needs and ensure inclusive design on your projects. In this insightful article, Sree shares why proxy users are valuable, where they fall short, and how to integrate them effectively into your design process. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eJE66pHP Let us know your thoughts in the comments! What role do proxy users play in your accessibility practices? #Accessibility #InclusiveDesign #AccessibilityMatters #UserExperience

For our fourth spotlight in our accessibility series, meet Sreemoyee Roy Chowdhury, PhD from our Design practice. With over a decade of experience, Sree is one of our Principal User Researchers who has specialised in uncovering user needs and delivering data-driven insights, prioritising accessibility at every stage. Sree reflects on her journey into accessibility, user-centred research and product design. Sree will also be sharing valuable insights on how you can utilise proxy users for accessibility user testing, so watch this space.... #DigitalAccessibility #UserResearch #MeetTheTeam [Full text from image] Meet Sree, Principal User Researcher Sree is a multidisciplinary researcher with over a decade of experience, specialising in uncovering user needs and delivering data-driven insights. She is a CDDO-DfE trained Service Assessor who champions user-centricity and accessibility in government services. Top tip: “Start with user needs, and understand them deeply to create impactful and accessible services. Ask ‘why’. Repeatedly.” Favourite resource: “The UK Home Office Accessibility Posters are my go-to for concise and specific tips that help embed accessibility into inclusive user research planning.” https://lnkd.in/dJhjiQt

In week 3 of our accessibility series, Aaron Grey from our Design Practice shares practical tips for making online presentations more accessible. Whether you're presenting to a large or small online audience, these tips will help you create an inclusive experience for everyone. 👉 Swipe through the images to learn how small adjustments can make a big difference. 💭 If you have any accessibility tips of your own, share them in the comments below! #AccessibilityTips #DigitalInclusion #OnlinePresentations [Full text from images] Accessibility tips for online presentations: Reduce the risk of unintentionally excluding audience members with access needs. Plan ahead if you can: Reach out to the audience before the presentation. Identify their access requirements, and share any materials in advance. Optimise for screen readers: PowerPoint Live and Google Slides can be read using a screen reader. Use correct hierarchy: H1 for titles, H2 for subtitles, and Body for main text. Use high-contrast text: Ensure colour contrast text to background ratio is at least 3:1 and text has a minimum body size of 24pt. This improves readability for those with lower vision. Avoid colour-only cues: Colour should not be the only method of conveying differences in meaning. Add labels to explain data visualisations to better aid colour-blind viewers. Test live captioning: Enable and test out live captions on your chosen hosting platform. Check before the call that this accurately captures your spoken words. Verbalise your visuals: Introduce yourself along with a visual description. Add alt text for all graphics, charts and images, and describe these out loud when presenting. Speak clearly and provide alternatives: Speak in clear, jargon-free language and share alternative accessible formats where required e.g in audio or braille. Don’t make assumptions and get feedback: Improve on the design and delivery of your next presentation to be more inclusive.

This November, we are proud to announce our participation in Movember. Movember is more than just growing a moustache - it's a global movement dedicated to raising awareness for men’s health, including mental health, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer. By starting important conversations, Movember helps reduce stigma, encourages early detection, and funds critical research. The team has currently raised £704 and as part of our Charity Matching initiative, Solirius will be matching the final total raised. If you would like to donate to this worthy cause, you can do so via our page here: https://lnkd.in/eKa6qdjf #Movember #CharityMatching #MentalHealth

For our third spotlight in our accessibility series, meet Aaron Grey from our Design practice. As a graduate UX Consultant, Aaron reflects on his journey with accessibility so far and the lessons he’s learned along the way. Aaron will be sharing valuable tips for making online presentations more accessible over the coming days so watch this space... #DigitalAccessibility #DigitalInclusion #MeetTheTeam [Full text from image] Meet Aaron, graduate UX Consultant. Aaron has been a graduate UX consultant at Solirius since July 2024 and has since worked with accessibility specialists to conduct wireframe audits and support accessibility design remediation on government services. Top tip: “Test wireframes early - don’t wait to test code! Early review leads to fewer late stage fixes, lower costs and a better user experience” Favourite resource: “The 'Record a Goose Sighting' is a fictional service that introduces accessibility issues that you may find across government services”

In the second article of our accessibility series, Philena B. our UX accessibility specialist details why accessible design is good design, and how common accessibility mistakes in design can be avoided. https://lnkd.in/ddC3s-2k #accessibleDesign #universalDesign #accessibility

For our second spotlight in our accessibility series, meet Philena B. from our Design practice, who shares her experience about accessibility and inclusive design at Solirius. Phi will be sharing an insightful piece about common accessibility mistakes in design over the coming days so watch this space… #DigitalAccessbility #DigitalInclusion #MeetTheTeam [Full text from image] Meet Philena, UX Consultant and Accessibility Specialist. Philena began her digital accessibility journey as a QA tester in government, later becoming an accessibility specialist. Now working in UX, she merges her accessibility expertise with her design skills to champion inclusive practices from the start. Top Tip: "Complex services can overwhelm users with access needs. Aim for simplicity and inclusivity from the start. This will greatly benefit all users." Favourite Resource: "The GOV.UK Design System (https://lnkd.in/gd-dnj7) has really good foundational accessibility practices for enhancing digital inclusivity." 

It’s great to see our team using their training days to build knowledge in accessibility by attending conferences. Learning more about inclusive design is really important to us and helps us make a real difference. #Accessibility #Learning #Solirius