StackGen has partnered with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to bring its platform to the Google Cloud Marketplace.
Digital transformation continues to change the way people and organizations connect and interact, making it simpler and easier to access information, place an order, communicate with a colleague, and so on. That said, there are concerns around making digital experiences inclusive and accessible for all users. With an estimated 1.3 billion people globally(link is external) experiencing a disability, it's critical to make sure everyone can access and leverage digital experiences, apps, and services.
My organization, Applause, recently conducted its fourth annual Accessibility and Inclusive Design Survey, which surveyed more than 3,500 software testers, product engineers, software developers, QA and UX professionals, and legal professionals, globally. The survey examined to what extent companies are prioritizing accessibility when developing digital experiences, as well as their levels of expertise and the maturity of their accessibility efforts.
Prioritizing Accessibility and Inclusive Design
The survey found that companies are prioritizing accessibility and inclusive design more than ever before. Specifically:
■ 44% of respondents strongly agreed that digital accessibility is a higher priority than it was last year (up from 27% in 2023).
■ 77% of respondents said there is a specific group or person at their organization responsible for ensuring that products are accessible.
Accessibility Expertise on the Rise
The survey also found that developers are gaining expertise when it comes to accessibility, and are testing for accessibility earlier in the design process, leveraging inclusive design principles.
■ 26% of respondents described their digital accessibility understanding as advanced (up from 21% in 2023).
■ 87% of respondents said their accessibility expert or team uses inclusive design principles.
■ 79% of respondents said they build accessibility into design plans in the early stages of development.
Issues with Investments & Resources
The survey highlighted an unfortunate disconnect between the goal of making accessibility a priority and the investment and resources required to make this a reality.
■ Only 19% of respondents said they have adequate internal resources for accessibility testing on an ongoing basis.
■ 26% of respondents said they had limited resources for inclusive design and accessibility, compared to 23% last year.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
As part of the survey, respondents were asked about their organization's level of conformance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2(link is external), which is a set of international standards for making digital content accessible for people with disabilities.
■ 42% of respondents said their company meets WCAG 2.2 standards, up from 35% who met WCAG 2.1 in 2023.
■ Only 32% of respondents were on schedule to comply with the global-reachingEU Accessibility Act(link is external).
Automation and AI for Accessibility
As AI and automation tools grow more popular, they are also being used to test for accessibility.
■ 50% of respondents are using an automated accessibility tool for identifying issues, up from 40% in 2023.
■ 60% of respondents said AI will provide a significant additive to accessibility testing in the next two years.
Progress Still To Be Made
It is promising to see that accessibility and inclusive design are continuing to become more and more of a priority when it comes to digital apps and experiences. That said, the right resources and investments are clearly still needed to help uplevel digital accessibility globally. New technology leveraging AI and automation can help, but should be used in addition to a team with accessibility knowledge, and not as a replacement. As applications and services incorporate inclusive design and become more accessible, they make these digital experiences better for everyone, including people with disabilities.
Industry News
Tricentis announced its spring release of new cloud capabilities for the company’s AI-powered, model-based test automation solution, Tricentis Tosca.
Lucid Software has acquired airfocus, an AI-powered product management and roadmapping platform designed to help teams prioritize and build the right products faster.
AutonomyAI announced its launch from stealth with $4 million in pre-seed funding.
Kong announced the launch of the latest version of Kong AI Gateway, which introduces new features to provide the AI security and governance guardrails needed to make GenAI and Agentic AI production-ready.
Traefik Labs announced significant enhancements to its AI Gateway platform along with new developer tools designed to streamline enterprise AI adoption and API development.
Zencoder released its next-generation AI coding and unit testing agents, designed to accelerate software development for professional engineers.
Windsurf (formerly Codeium) and Netlify announced a new technology partnership that brings seamless, one-click deployment directly into the developer's integrated development environment (IDE.)
The Cloud Native Computing Foundation® (CNCF®), which builds sustainable ecosystems for cloud native software, is making significant updates to its certification offerings.
The Cloud Native Computing Foundation® (CNCF®), which builds sustainable ecosystems for cloud native software, announced the Golden Kubestronaut program, a distinguished recognition for professionals who have demonstrated the highest level of expertise in Kubernetes, cloud native technologies, and Linux administration.
Red Hat announced new capabilities and enhancements for Red Hat Developer Hub, Red Hat’s enterprise-grade internal developer portal based on the Backstage project.
Platform9 announced that Private Cloud Director Community Edition is generally available.
Sonatype expanded support for software development in Rust via the Cargo registry to the entire Sonatype product suite.
CloudBolt Software announced its acquisition of StormForge, a provider of machine learning-powered Kubernetes resource optimization.