Website quality for SME wineries: Measurement insights

PurposeThe study aims to offer a general review of website evaluation, with particular application to the winery tourism field. Automated website evaluation is explored as a complementary tool in the evaluation of small and medium enterprise (SME) winery websites.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a mixed-method investigation including a critical review of winery website evaluation literature and analysis of winery website scores generated through a free service of a commercial automated evaluation scoring system.FindingsNo standards currently exist for winery website evaluation metrics and current evaluation processes suffer from human rater bias. An automated evaluation scoring system used in the study was able to discriminate between a sample of known best practice websites and other independently formed samples representing average wineries in the USA and in North Carolina.Research limitations/implicationsWineries and other small business tourism firms can benefit by incorporating automated website evaluation and benchmarking into their internet strategies. Reported human rater limitations noted in manual evaluation may be minimized using automated rating technology. Automated evaluation system metrics tend to be updated more frequently and offer better alignment with trending consumer expectations for website design.Originality/valueThe current study used an automated website quality evaluation tool that serves to move winery website design efforts forward and supports the goals of reputation management for tourism businesses relying on internet marketing

Proceso metodológico para el análisis comparativo de validadores automáticos de accesibilidad Web

Web accessibility is that feature that allows anyone, regardless of their conditions, to access the contents of websites. The use of automatic validators allows a first analysis to be made about the level of accessibility of a website. However, the selection of these tools tends not to be trivial due to the technical differences presented by each validator. The objective of this work was to carry out a comparative analysis between automatic accessibility validators, seeking to establish selection criteria when choosing a validator to carry out an accessibility evaluation. A methodology was proposed based on three stages that allowed the selection of 14 validators that were analyzed under different criteria. In addition, it allowed to conclude that none of the analyzed validators fulfills all the characteristics, reason why it would not be enough to select only one to carry out an accessibility evaluation process. Therefore, this methodological process constitutes a very useful tool for the selection of accessibility validators.La accesibilidad web es aquella característica que permite que cualquier persona sin importar sus condiciones pueda acceder a los contenidos de los sitios web. El uso de validadores automáticos permite realizar un primer análisis acerca del nivel de accesibilidad de un sitio web. Sin embargo, la selección de estas herramientas tiende a no ser trivial, debido a las diferencias técnicas que presenta cada validador. El objetivo de este trabajo fue realizar un análisis comparativo entre validadores automáticos de accesibilidad, buscando establecer criterios de selección a la hora de elegir un validador para realizar una evaluación de accesibilidad. Se propuso una metodología basada en tres etapas que permitieron seleccionar 14 validadores que fueron analizados bajo diferentes criterios. Además, permitió concluir que ninguno de los validadores analizados cumple con todas las características, por lo que no sería suficiente seleccionar solo uno para realizar un proceso de evaluación de accesibilidad. Por lo tanto,  este proceso metodológico se constituye como una herramienta de gran utilidad para la selección de validadores de accesibilidad

Implementing accessibility in digital services

Digital accessibility has recently gotten more awareness thanks to the EU accessibility directive (Directive (EU) 2016/2102) and Finnish accessibility law (Laki digitaalisten palvelujen tarjoamisesta 306/2019) which require public and certain private organizations to make sure their digital services follow WCAG guidelines for digital accessibility. This has created a need for accessibility awareness and skills. Many organizations are still finding ways to work with the requirements, and the focus has largely been on making the current services accessible. For this thesis, 13 semi-structured interviews were conducted with working professionals who have worked on projects that include accessibility implementation. In addition, a literature review was conducted to find the consensus in existing research. The grounded theory –method was used to discover main motivators and key factors that influence accessibility implementation in organizations. This research provides practical suggestions on how accessibility implementation in digital services can be improved and supported by organizations. Based on the findings, a recommendation is made to adopt a more strategic approach with accessibility. Accessibility should be included in the company’s product and service development processes from the beginning. This can produce many benefits from cheaper implementation to better usability. Accessibility evaluation should be a continuous process to catch issues early. A good division of responsibilities also helps make sure that accessibility is not pushed to the bottom of the priority list. In addition, it is important to not overlook the role of members of the organization. Accessibility should not be the sole responsibility of anyone department, and different departments should understand how their responsibilities intersect with the organization’s accessibility strategy. This can be achieved through offering training sessions and organization-supported self-learning on the subject. A key factor that improves accessibility implementation is the personal motivation of individual workers. Despite the legislation, the effectiveness and prioritization of the accessibility work often depend on individual workers’ motivation. Accessibility is often prioritized under other work, categorized as an optional extra, or ignored outright. There are several ways to boost motivation, the most effective of which is showing the impact of the work on real users through user testing. Seeing someone with disabilities use the service or testing the product with, for example, a screen gives context to the sometimes-abstract accessibility needs and guidelines. It is important for managers to build teams’ empathy towards those who need accommodations to use digital services. Organizations should also strongly consider working with accessibility experts, conduct regular audits and test with real users. In the future, especially in the public sector, accessibility will continue to be an important factor when creating any digital services. This should be taken into account when starting new projects, as well as when hiring new employees and outsourcing.Digitaalinen saavutettavuus on viime aikoina saanut näkyvyyttä EU:n saavutettavuusdirektiivin (Directive (EU) 2016/2102) ja Suomen saavutettavuuslain (Laki digitaalisten palvelujen tarjoamisesta 306/2019) ansiosta. Lain mukaan julkisten ja tiettyjen yksityisten organisaatioiden digitaalisten palveluiden tulee seurata WCAG saavutettavuusvaatimuksia. Useimmat organisaatiot etsivät yhä parhaita tapoja tuoda saavutettavuus osaksi prosessejaan, ja tähän asti suurin osa työstä on mennyt nykyisten palvelujen muuttamiseen saavutettaviksi. Tätä tutkielmaa varten tehtiin 13 haastattelua digitaalisella alalla työskentelevien ammattilaisten kanssa, joilla on kokemusta projekteista, joissa saavutettavuus on ollut läsnä. Lisäksi tehtiin kirjallisuuskatsaus, joka antaa syvemmän käsityksen saavutettavuudesta ja olemassa olevasta tutkimuksesta. Haastatteluista ja kirjallisuuskatsauksesta saatujen löydösten perusteella annetaan ehdotuksia siitä, miten organisaatiot voivat käytännössä tukea saavutettavuuden implementointia. Löydösten mukaan, saavutettavuutta tulisi lähestyä strategisesti prosessin alusta alkaen. Tämä voi tuoda huomattavia rahallisia säästöjä ja johtaa parempaan yleiseen käytettävyyteen. Saavutettavuusarviointeja ja testauksia olisi hyvä suorittaa jatkuvasti prosessin aikana, jotta ongelmat voidaan löytää ajoissa. Vastuu on myös hyvä jakaa selkeästi, jotta saavutettavuus voidaan priorisoida oikein. Lisäksi tärkeää on huomioida yksittäisten organisaation jäsenten rooli. Saavutettavuus ei koske vain tiettyä organisaation tiimiä kuten suunnittelijoita, vaan jokaisella organisaation jäsenellä tulisi olla käsitys siitä mitä saavutettavuus on, miksi se on tärkeää ja mitä heiltä vaaditaan sitä varten. Organisaation on mahdollista edistää tätä tarjoamalla koulutuksia aiheesta. Yksi avaintekijöistä, joka vaikuttaa saavutettavuuden implementointiin, on yksilöiden henkilökohtainen motivaatio aihetta kohtaan. Laista huolimatta, onnistunut saavutettavuuden implementaatio usein riippuu henkilöiden omasta motivaatiosta, koska saavutettavuus on vaikea oppia ja se on helppo priorisoida muiden töiden alle. Haastatteluiden mukaan keino kehittää motivaatiota on luoda konkreettisuutta oikean saavutettavuutta tarvitsevan henkilön elämään. Keinoja, joilla konkreettisuutta voidaan luoda, ovat esimerkiksi käyttäjätestausten tekeminen oikeiden käyttäjien kanssa, tai avustavien teknologioiden, kuten ruudunlukijan, kokeileminen. Organisaatioiden olisi hyvä myös harkita saavutettavuusasiantuntijoiden kanssa työskentelyä, säännöllisiä saavutettavuusauditointeja ja testausta oikeiden käyttäjien kanssa. Nämä voivat säästää kehittäjien ja suunnittelijoiden aikaa, sillä he voivat oppia tehokkaammin projektin aikana ja mahdolliset ongelmat löydetään nopeammin. Saavutettavuus tulee olemaan kasvavasti tärkeä aihe erityisesti julkisten, mutta myös enenevissä määrin yksityisten organisaatioiden digitaalisten palveluiden kehittämisessä. Tämä tulisi ottaa huomioon esimerkiksi uusien projektien aloituksessa, rekrytoinnissa ja ulkoistamispäätöksissä

Accessibility of Thai university websites: Awareness, barriers and drivers for accessible practice

Governments and organizations have to respond to a range of legislative and policy initiatives intended to promote equal opportunity for all. The Thai government has passed a number of laws which aim to protect its citizens from discrimination and from breaches of their human rights by government departments and agencies. The Persons with Disabilities Education Act B.E. 2551 (2008) and the Thailand Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy Framework (2011-2020) required government agencies to delivery equal education and access to online information for all Thais. Most Thai universities receive government subsidies, and therefore have an obligation to contribute to national prosperity so that all Thais can benefit from their activities, or as the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology and The National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (2011, p. 23) states “The creation of content, database, online content which promotes lifelong learning, the development of school websites and other digital content should follow the web accessibility standard”. Given the Thai government’s commitment to lifelong learning and the creation of accessible materials, this thesis sought to investigate to what level Thai universities were implementing web accessibility in their websites and e-learning materials. A mixed method approach was employed in order to explore the level of accessibility awareness, barriers to web accessibility implementation and possible drivers for accessibility uptake which might exist within Thai universities. Quantitative data derived from automated and manual web evaluations was gathered based on WCAG 2.0 guideline in order to determine the actual levels of accessible design apparent in Thai university websites. Fifty representative universities were selected from the top ranked Thai universities and a number webpages were tested from within each of the university websites. In addition, online surveys were conducted with three stakeholder groups within the Thai university sector, namely lecturers, web staff and senior managers. These surveys were design to set the context for quantitative website assessment findings and provide evidence as to these stakeholders understanding of web accessibility as a concept. Finally, follow-up interviews were conducted after the web assessments and surveys were analysed so as to reduce ambiguity and increase understanding, creating a very clear picture of the standing of web accessibility in Thailand’s universities. The findings of the data analysis indicate that Thai universities have low levels of web accessibility implementation in their websites and e-learning materials, even though web accessibility requirements had been embedded in Thai laws and policies for over a decade. In terms of web evaluation, the university webpages had accessibility problems across all aspects of WCAG 2.0’s POUR principles, with not a single tested webpage passing even the lowest level of WCAG 2.0 compliance. The survey and interview data revealed very low levels of awareness of web accessibility amongst Thai university staff members as well as lack of knowledge regarding students with disabilities and their specialised technology needs. Whilst Thai university staff were generally supportive of the concept of web accessibility and supporting students with special needs, this was accompanied by some less supportive views, including students with disabilities being taught only in specialised educational facilities or only where there were sufficient numbers of such students to make the investment in accessibility worthwhile. A number of universities in this study featured university admission requirements which could be classed as a discriminatory and not aligned with the requirements of the Thai government. In fact, this thesis revealed an almost total lack of awareness within the Thai university sector of Thai government policy regarding web accessibility and equality in education. This thesis proposed a Smart Thailand : Accessible Learning model and an associated implementation framework which together might lead to an environment in which Thai universities would be more willing and able to implement the tenets of web accessibility and provide an equitable learning experience for all Thai citizens, especially those with disabilities

Integrating accessibility evaluation into web engineering processes

This article presents methodologies and techniques for performing accessibility evaluations on web applications. These methodologies are discussed in the context of performing them within a web engineering process, be it a traditional, unified or agile process. In this chapter the case is made that website commissioners and web engineers cannot afford to overlook accessible practices as they risk alienating an increasingly large user base who may require accessible web features

Understanding and Supporting Web Developers: Working Practices and Resources for the Creation and Evaluation of Accessible Websites

Web developers have a responsibility to develop websites that are accessible and usable by the broadest range of users, including people with disabilities. Despite numerous initiatives over the last two decades to support, encourage and compel developers to fulfil this responsibility, websites continue to exhibit persistent accessibility problems. This programme of research aimed to better understand the difficulties that developers face and to develop the necessary support for them to successfully integrate accessibility into their existing workflows. The first study systematically reviewed 397 web accessibility evaluation studies published over a 15-year period between 1999 and 2014. This showed a persistent occurrence of accessibility problems that does not appear to be improving. The second study followed a contextual design methodology to investigate the working practices of 13 professional developers. This showed how they are hindered, not by limited awareness or concern, but by a lack of knowledge and practical guidance on how to make websites accessible. To understand the nature of their confusion and uncertainty, the third study interviewed 26 professional developers and attempted to elicit their mental models of web accessibility. Their mental models were found to incorporate some, but not nearly enough, knowledge and awareness of accessibility and were based on a conceptual model that prioritises technical conformance over user experience. These findings were embodied in the design and implementation of an accessibility information resource, called WebAIR. The ease of use and effectiveness of WebAIR in supporting the creation and evaluation of accessible websites was evaluated in a series of four studies with both professional and novice developers under increasingly realistic experimental conditions. The resource was well received by participants in each study and, despite concerns over its viability within organisations that place little value on web accessibility, WebAIR was demonstrated to be a usable, pragmatic accessibility information resource

Simulation Models in eGovernment Using System Dynamics

Doktorgradsavhandling ved Universitetet i Agder, Institutt for infomasjons- og kommunikasjonsteknologi, 2017System Dynamics (SD) is a method to build simulation models using computers, to study the behaviour of systems, and apply what-if scenarios aiming at achieving optimal policy design. In this thesis, we are introducing an SD approach in modelling the eGovernment. The thesis is based on two topics or essays: eParticipation and eAccessibility as examples of eGovernment areas that SD models have not been used in before, to show how SD can be used in modelling and supporting decisions in the field of eGovernment, especially in new areas. Although this research is part of the eGovMon project1 where the use of SD method is indicated, via a literature review we shed light on the mathematical modelling methods commonly used in the eGovernment field, and a comparison between the suitable methods and SD is sketched showing the benefits of and our rationale behind choosing SD. eParticipation aims at linking ordinary people with politics and politicians by making the policymaking process understandable and easy to follow via Information and Communication Technologies. To apply this concept, we were interested in finding a topic of public interest that needs to be highlighted and promoted. Employment policies for Persons with Disabilities (PWD)2 including factors that prevent or promote them to move from welfare recipients to join the labour force in Norway, is such a topic. The employment rate for PWD in Norway is unchanged since 2000, and is not as high as the neighbouring countries, despite the repeated governmental promises. Under this topic, we have administered two questionnaires, one of them towards PWD and another towards potential employers. The PWD questionnaire covered PWD attitudes towards employment in Norway, including information about the factors enabling them to work, encouraging them to take available work opportunities, and preventing them from active job application. Corre-spondingly, the second questionnaire covered the attitudes of employers towards recruiting PWD in Norway, including factors encouraging employers to, and preventing them from recruiting PWD, as well as information related to employers’ awareness of facts about PWD employment. The results were incorporated in an SD model which focuses on enabling PWD to move from welfare to work. The model is intended to be used by policymakers, disability organisations, and individual citizens, and support more targeted discussions among them. Additionally, this model was encapsulated in an Interactive Learning Environment (ILE). To explore how the model could change how its users think and take decisions, the ILE was assessed by an expert opinion poll, and tested with users in two different experiments. 67% of the sample of our expert opinion poll thinks that the ILE achieves its intended goals. Furthermore, 71% of the candidates of both experiments have redefined certain knowledge as a result of using the ILE. eAccessibility of a website refers to the ability of all people to use this website irrespective of their disabilities or the client devices they use to access the Internet. It is an important aspect of websites in general and of public websites in particular. Access to public websites is crucial to assure equal opportunities for all citizens to participate in the society. The government exerts efforts to enhance accessibility, yet there is still room for improvement. Many ways could be proposed to enhance accessibility. However, the impact of selected actions is hard to predict due to diversification and contra-diction, in addition to the continuous change of the system over time. Under this topic, we have analysed questionnaires collected via a couple of surveys on eGovernment measurement methods, in addition to administering another questionnaire and a sample of webpages to classify the Norwegian municipal website accessi-bility failures according to their original causes. Moreover, we have conducted a set of personal interviews with representatives from municipalities. The findings including factors affecting the accessibility of the municipal websites were compiled into an SD model, which is intended to support policymakers’ and website managers’ decisions, and to enhance their mental models. This SD model was also encapsulated in an ILE, which was used in an experiment with users. Results show that 80% of the experiment candidates have redefined certain knowledge as a result of using this ILE