Who we spoke to
2 x ITT school participants
2 x proxy participants
Of which:
- Two were hearing impaired
- One was motor impaired
- One was visually impaired
Goals of the research
- To understand how people with disabilities use the service
- Uncover any potential barriers to using the service that users with accessibility needs might experience
Key insights
Based on our recruitment (self-recruitment and through a recruitment agency) and survey results, we found that a few users have accessibility needs—only 2 out of 77 people stated an accessibility need on our survey.
Hearing impairments
We conducted research with 2 participants with hearing impairments. As the service does not require sound, they completed it successfully.
Motor impairments
We spoke to one participant with a motor impairment. They were a wheelchair user with MS, resulting in difficulty using their arms. Due to this, they found it challenging to use a desktop to complete the service, specifically when entering the teacher’s reference number and date of birth. For this reason, they said they often use a mobile device.
When struggling to complete the service on a desktop, we asked them to continue it on their mobile device for ease and comfort. They were able to complete the service quickly.
Visual impairments
We conducted a research session with a user who had Macular Degeneration, meaning that the difficulty with their eyesight fluctuates. They informed us of some contrast issues with the service. However, these were minor, and they were still able to complete the service:
- They had to zoom in on their browser to make the text larger. They said they do this often when using online services. Once zoomed in, they were able to read the font.
- The statuses on the claims screen were difficult for them to read due to the colour contrast. They said they often struggle with pastel colours.
- The font size on the ‘Check your answers’ page was not different enough, which made the text blurry.
Next steps
The findings in this round of research were minor. They did not result in any changes to the service since we could not conduct testing with participants who use assistive software, which will be the focus of our next round of accessibility research.