The client, with whom HCLTech has partnered for the last six years, sought to comply with their accessibility standards as well as the Microsoft Accessibility Standards (MAS), which cover all components of hardware and software development.
The goal was to achieve even more rigorous standards than those required by international Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 standards.
HCLTech worked with the client to define enterprise-wide accessibility strategy and goals—and then to meet those goals.
The Challenge
Enhance accessibility standards
HCLTech has been performing accessibility audits and fix verifications for the client for six years.
In fact, the number of products HCLTech assesses has grown by 54%, from 90 at the outset of the partnership to 139. The client sought to enhance its accessibility standards even further.
The Objective
A cohesive plan to elevate enterprise-wide standards and comply with MAS
The client’s objective was clear. They sought to elevate their enterprise-wide standards to comply with MAS, which covers all hardware and software development components, including web content and multimedia, rather than the less rigorous WCAG 2.2 success criteria.
In the process, they sought a cohesive plan and schedule to bring more than 100 products and several hundred sub-products (account creation pages, ad creation pages, job posting pages, messaging pages and the like) up to the new company-wide standard.
In addition, we had to meet the objective without negatively affecting the products’ various release schedules.
The ultimate goal was to achieve Microsoft’s C grade, which indicates the product has no blocking or critical issues based on the MAS-driven audit.
The Solution
Expertise, experience, customization and teamwork
Combining lessons learned from working with other large enterprises, we studied the client’s processes, systems, schedules and goals and created a customized program.
Guided by Microsoft’s three main principles – transparency, inclusivity and accountability – HCLTech developed a strategy that included building accessibility into all products from the ground up.
In other words, we integrated accessibility into all processes, including design, development and deployment.
Our audits evaluated the client’s digital products, such as web pages, apps, mobile apps and services, against established MAS criteria to determine whether the product’s objects, user flows, behaviors, colors, sounds, images, videos, buttons, etc. are compliant.
The combined HCLTech/client team included:
- The client’s Senior Accessibility Program Manager, who works with our team and the product teams to plan and drive the schedule
- The client’s Senior Engineer Manager for accessibility, who works with our team and the product teams to solve accessibility issues
- The client’s Compliance Manager, who is the project’s main stakeholder
- HCLTech’s Accessibility Technical Manager, who is the project manager for our offshore accessibility team
- HCLTech’s Test Lead, who manages our accessibility test team
The team works every quarter, assessing a rotating number of products by the end of each quarter.
Our accessibility SMEs communicate daily with the client’s project manager and developers through several channels to address questions and solve issues.
This consistent timeliness enables the team to assess each quarter’s products on time, every time.
HCLTech also created an Accessibility Center of Excellence built around the client’s schedule and processes.
The Impact
Faster go-to-market and improved user experience
Our accessibility experience with large organizations helped this client achieve their immediate accessibility strategy and goals.
- 95% accessibility compliance YoY
- Reduced accessibility blocking bugs, which prevent users from performing the desired action in the user flow, from 26% to 12%
- Remarkably, HCLTech sends deliverables to the client’s team member before the agreed-upon SLAs 75% of the time
- The team achieved their ultimate goal, Microsoft’s C grade, which indicates that a product has no blocking or critical issues based on the MAS-driven audit
The client considers the project a huge success. We will continue to partner with the company to assess 30+ products in the coming years and ensure that their accessibility programs mature even further across the entire company.
