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WAI: Strategies, guidelines, resources to make the Web accessible to people with disabilities

Note: This information is from a project in 2005.

WAI Site User Analysis

Page Contents

User Group List

Primary user groups

Defining primary and secondary user groups helps focus design and make "cross-roads" decisions. WSTF has not yet come to a conclusion on secondary user groups, and might decide not to identify secondary user groups. Two primary user groups are:

User categories

Most of the users fall into two categories:

List of all user groups

Note that these roles relate to Web accessibility, and might not be the same as a person's job title. For example, a teacher or a small business owner might develop a Web site as a small part of their job.

Web developers and content providers

Tool developers

Managers and assistants to managers

Related to contracts

Disability focused

Other

User Group Matrix

The User Group Matrix table below includes color coding that is redundant with the text, as follows:

range: low medium range high low-high
use: in a spurt lots at first, then less later several times per day - weekly low-high

The User Group Matrix table contains more information about the user gropes:

Category User group Web experience HTML knowledge Disability knowledge Web accessibility knowledge Frequency of use *
Web developers and content providers Web accessibility manager/coordinator, liaison between accessibility group and technical development group

high

high

low - high

medium-high

daily for a month or so, then a couple times per month

Web developers and content providers Web "coder"/technical developer

high

high

mostly low

mostly low

daily for a month or so, then a couple times per month

Web developers and content providers Web interaction designer, usability specialist, application designer

high

high

mostly low

mostly low

daily for a month or so, then a couple times per month

Web developers and content providers Web graphic designer

high

usually high, can be low

mostly low

mostly low

daily for a week or so, then once per month or so

Web developers and content providers Webmaster in small "shop" who performs multiple duties

high

high

mostly low

mostly low

daily for a month or so, then a couple times per month

Web developers and content providers Web content provider (non-technical, maybe does not input content directly)

low - high

low

mostly low

mostly low

daily for a week or so, then once per month or less

Web developers and content providers Internet or intranet site manager

high

high

mostly low

mostly low

daily for a week or so, then once per month or so

Tool developers

Authoring tool developers

high high low low

daily for a month or so, then a couple times per month

Tool developers User agent developers high high low low

daily for a month or so, then a couple times per month

Tool developers Assistive technology developers low-high often low usually high in one area low-high

daily for a month or so, then a couple times per month

Tool developers Web evaluation tool developers high high low-high high several times per week in spurts
Managers and assistants IT/ICT manager, CIO (or similar management role)

high

low - high

mostly low

mostly low

several times per day in a couple spurts per year

Managers and assistants assistant to IT/ICT manager or CIO

medium-high

mostly low, some medium

mostly low

mostly low

several times per day in a couple spurts

Managers and assistants product manager (most likely to "feel the heat" for accessibility)

mostly high

low - high

mostly low

mostly low

several times per day at first, then seldom

Managers and assistants project manager (e.g., managing one aspect of a Web application)

mostly high

mostly high

mostly low

mostly low

several times per day at first, then seldom

Managers and assistants other managers, decision makers, influencers, people who pay for accessibilty

low - high

low - high

mostly low

mostly low

several times per day at first, then seldom

Related to contracts design shop sales/account manager who could/has been asked to include Web accessibility in contract

medium-high

low-high (mostly medium)

mostly low

 mostly low

several times per day in a couple spurts per year

Related to contracts person setting up contract with outside Web design "shop"

high

low - high

mostly low

mostly low

several times per day in a couple spurts per year

Disability focused person with disability low-high low-high med-high low-high probably only a few times (since not much there for non-webbie)
Disability focused disability organization members, disability rights advocate

low - high

mostly low, some up to high

high

low-high (many low)

several times per day in a couple spurts per year

Disability focused rehabilitation specialist

low - high

mostly low

high

low - medium

several times per day in a couple spurts per year

Disability focused disabilities specialist/liaison/coordinator, e.g., in university or corporate human resources (HR)

low - high

mostly low

medium-high

mostly low

several times per day in a couple spurts

Other national or international standards developer low-high low-high low-high low-high daily in spurts
Other legislator, government policy maker (or assistant to)

medium-high

mostly low, some high

mostly low

mostly low

several times per day in a couple spurts per year

Other policy maker for specific organization

low - high

mostly low, some high

low - high

low - high

several times per day in a one time spurt

Other educator (including accessibility in courses)

medium-high

low - high

mostly low

mostly low

several times per day in a couple spurts per year

Other reporter, journalist

high

low-medium

mostly low

mostly low

several times per day in a spurt

Other internal public relations or marketing

mostly high

mostly low

mostly low

mostly low

several times per day in a couple spurts per year

Other researcher, or student doing paper on accessibility

high

high

mostly low

low

several times per day for a week

Other W3C Team member (non WAI)

high

high

mostly low

mostly low-medium

daily for a week or so, then a couple times per month

Other WAI WG member

high

mostly high

medium-high

medium-high

several times per day - weekly

Other Web accessibility specialist (consultant, evaluator, trainer) usually high medium-high medium-high medium-high often a couple time per week

* IF there was relevant content for them & it was easy to find & use

Implications

User/audience analysis reveals the following aspects that will heavily influence the site design:

  1. Finding: There are a large number of different users with very different characteristics and motivations.
    Implication: Some content should be presented for novice users - especially the highest level documents (including home page and navigation pages) will need to err on the side of novice users. Some advanced, technical documents can focus more on the experienced users. However, because novice users are likely to end up on a more advanced, technical document (from an outside link or search), it would be good to make it easy for them to get to more simple, introductory documents.
  2. Finding: Almost all users have low knowledge of disability and Web accessibility when they first come to the site; for example, users don't know the basic language and concepts of Web accessibility, WAI, W3C guidelines.
    Implication: Important to support novices: for example, have very basic introductory material "up front" as well as linked from other documents.
  3. Finding: Many users do not visit the site regularly; rather, they visit it often at first or when they are working on a particular issue, and then visit it seldom or not at all other times.
    Implication: In making specific design decisions, easy-to-use for first-time and infrequent users is higher priority than efficient-to-use for frequent users (with the possible exception of areas and documents targeted for working group members).