Note: This information is from a project in 2005.

WAI Site User Analysis

Page Contents

User Group List
User Matrix
Implications

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:

People who are new to Web accessibility ("novices") - this is not an actual user group defined below; rather, it is a categorization that crosses almost all user groups
Web developers (including 1-6 below)

User categories

Most of the users fall into two categories:

"Techies" - are technical implementers, mostly look at the techniques and the guidelines, want to know the "how"
"Fuzzies" - are organizational implementers, mostly look at the supporting material (and not the guidelines and techniques), want to know the "who, what, where, when, why" (and the general "how" but not the technical details of how)

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

Web accessibility manager/coordinator, liaison between accessibility group and technical development group
Web "coder"/technical developer
Web interaction designer, usability specialist, application designer
Web graphic designer
Webmaster in small "shop" who performs multiple duties
Web content provider/producer (non-technical, maybe uses WYSIWYG editor or does not input content directly)

Tool developers

Authoring tool (including content management systems) developers
User agent developers
Assistive technology developers
Evaluation tool developers

Managers and assistants to managers

Internet or intranet site (including portal) manager
Information technology/information and communications technology (IT/ICT) manager, chief information officer (CIO) (or similar management role)
assistant to IT/ICT manager or CIO
product manager (most likely to "feel the heat" for accessibility)
project manager (e.g., managing one aspect of a Web application)
other business managers, content managers, decision makers, influencers, people who pay for accessibilty

Related to contracts

design shop sales/account manager who could/has been asked to include Web accessibility in contract
person setting up contract with outside Web design "shop"

Disability focused

person with disability
disability organization members, disability rights advocate
rehabilitation specialist
disabilities specialist/liaison/coordinator, e.g., in university or corporate human resources (HR)

Other

national or international standards developer
legislator, government policy maker (or assistant to)
Web accessibility policy, guidelines, or standards developer for specific organization
educator (e.g., trainer, professor - including accessibility in courses)
reporter, journalist
internal public relations or marketing
researcher, or student doing paper on accessibility
W3C Team member (non WAI) or W3C member organization representative
WAI WG member
Web accessibility specialist (consultant, evaluator, trainer)

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:

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.
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.
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).

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