Upload assistive technology article.

app/posts/2024-10-18-16-assistive-technology.md

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+---
+title: Testing with users with access needs or who use assistive technology
+date: 2024-10-18
+---
+
+## What we tried to achieve
+
+We wanted to understand how usable the prototype that we had built was with different types of assistive technology, and for those who have different access needs. We wanted to learn as much as we could about how usable it was for:
+
+* People with different cognitive impairments
+* People with different physical impairments
+* People who use different types of assistive technology
+
+This objective was not linked to one of our riskiest assumptions, but it would help us learn more about the following  assumption, which we created in the assumption generation session:
+
+“We assume that the service will need to be accessible to users of assistive technology”
+
+It would also help us to meet one of the service standards ‘5: Make sure everyone can use the service’.
+
+## How we tested our assumption: methods, validation, and rationale
+
+### Our testing approach
+
+We focussed our recruitment for round 3 of  testing on finding operators who have an access need and/or who use assistive technology.
+
+We wanted to test the service with people who would actually use it but also fit the above criteria. This would allow us to continue to test our other assumptions, but also gather information on how usable what we had built was for people with access needs or those who use assistive technology.
+
+We did not create any specific questions or scenarios to test this. We observed participants using the prototype and asked probing questions to understand where there were any pain points, and whether anything could be improved.
+
+The make-up of the participants for round 3 of testing is shown in the table below. The bottom two rows show the participants access needs and any assistive technology they use.
+
+| Breakdown of key characteristics of Round 3 participants |  |
+| :---- | :---- |
+|  | Round 3 |
+| Experience of owner | 1 x 1-5 years  2 x 6-10 years  2 x 10+ years   |
+| Type of short-term lets owned | 2 x Privately owned self-catering holiday home(s) e.g. Holiday Cottage  2 x Entire privately owned house(s) 1 x Individual rooms or annex within privately owned house(s) |
+| Number of short-term lets owned | 3 x 1 short-term let 2 x 2-5 short-term lets  |
+| Number of days the short-term lets are let out over a calendar year  | 1 x let for 31-90 days 2 x let for 91-180 days 2 x let for 181-365 days   |
+| Location of short-term lets | 1 x Southwest England  1 x Northwest England  1 x London 1 x East Midlands  1 x West Midlands  |
+| Self managed or using a management company | 3 x self managed 2 x use a management company |
+| Places where participants advertise (multiple choice) | 5 x Airbnb 4 x Facebook  |
+| Digital literacy | 1 x 8/10 1 x 6/10 1 x 7/10 2 x 3/10  |
+| Access needs | 2 x Dyslexia 1 x Dyscalculia 1 x ADHD  |
+| Assistive Tech used | 1 x  iOS speech & Immersive Reader 1 x Isolator & Time Timer 1 x Text-to-Speech & MathTalk 1 x iOS speech, Immersive Reader, & Firefox Reader View |
+
+The findings from our usability testing sessions and survey of management companies can be found in the [‘Our findings’](#our-findings) section below.
+
+## Our findings
+
+### Findings from usability testing sessions with operators
+
+#### 1\. Accessibility is a very personal thing and people can be affected in different ways i.e. by ‘cluttered’ pages, amounts of text, colours used etc.
+
+Some participants in round 3 of testing expressed how the layout of the page can impact how easy it is for them to use the service. Although this finding is not specific to this service, it is important to ensure that pages are easy to navigate. Participants gave this feedback in more general terms, and did not explicitly reference any pages in the prototype which they felt were cluttered.
+Participants also discussed how different colours on a page can be distracting (including text changing colour in the middle of a passage), and that large sections of text can be intimidating and distracting \- which can lead to them losing focus.
+
+"with online tasks I become very anxious. I lose interest and get distracted quickly"
+
+One participant expressed a preference for filling out forms on a mobile device because the smaller screen size reduces information that is shown to them at any one time, and is therefore less distracting or intimidating.
+
+##### Resulting service design and prototype design suggestions:
+
+* Using the GOV.UK Design System will ensure that the service is responsive will help people access the service on their device of choice
+* Having content designers as part of the design process can ensure that information is conveyed in as accessible a way as possible
+
+#### 2\. Incompatible accessibility software could decrease chances of registration
+Some operators will rely on assistive technology to complete the registration of their short-term let online. If GOV.UK Design System components are not compatible with their software of choice, it becomes more difficult for them to stay focused and they are more likely to give up. With one participant in our testing they attempted to use Firefox Reader View with our prototype, but they were unable to do so. Instead they used a piece of card to mimic the behaviour of the reader view and isolator that they normally use.
+
+"if there's no reader view, I'd probably do something physical, like use a bit of card or something to block out some of the lines"
+
+##### Resulting service design and prototype design suggestions:
+
+* Be aware of where the GOV.UK Design System might not currently be compatible with types of assistive technology. Make sure that peoples user experience is not unduly impacted by this.
+
+#### 3\. Participants rely on others to help reduce the burden on them.
+If faced with a task that they have to complete online, people may turn to a friend or partner for help. In the context of short-term lets they may also expect their management company to deal with parts of registration which they struggle with.
+
+"A management company takes some of those challenges away from you"
+
+If they are unable to get support through their networks then they may rely on support provided by the service provider. One participant expressed that in this scenario they would  prefer to speak to someone to help them complete their registration.
+
+"I would always prefer to speak to someone. I'm of that generation I suppose"
+
+##### Resulting service design and prototype design suggestions:
+
+* Ensure that the service has support services which people who are struggling can use (as outlined in the suggestions above), so there is less of a need for them to depend on their friends or family.