How the OneCX Program is prioritising accessibility

The OneCX Program is transforming the digital experience of NSW Government and providing a seamless experience to meet the diverse needs of over 8 million customers.

The program is building nsw.gov.au as the one place for customers to source information from NSW Government. In bringing together content from over 500 agency websites, we are working to increase the accessibility of content and meet evolving web accessibility guidelines. We aim to reach the widest audience possible and deliver an inclusive, world-class experience.

What is accessibility?

An accessible website is one where any user, no matter their ability, can access the same content, features and functions. Accessibility can assist people with reading and understanding information, as well as navigating, interacting with and contributing to the website. 

There are many elements to making a website accessible. These include reading age, font sizes, colour contrast, alternative image text, video captions and error identification, to name a few.

The OneCX Program considers these elements of accessibility when reviewing, designing and migrating content to nsw.gov.au. This helps to ensure all customers can access information, when they need it.

Why accessibility is critical

With a focus on customer-centricity, the OneCX Program uses data-driven insights to help identify pain points and inform content on the website. The 2021 census revealed that 1 in 3 people (2.52 million) in NSW have a long-term health condition, disability, and/or need assistance with core activities. It also reported nearly 1.5 million people (7.2%) have an education level of year 9 or below, and 31.5% of people in NSW speak a language other than English at home.

Accessibility is critical if we want to engage with our broad and diverse audience and provide an inclusive customer experience.

Information on our website should be accessible to all, including: 

• people with disability 
• people with English as a second language or who have low literacy 
• people who have limited access to the internet, such as slow connections. 

How the OneCX Program is making accessibility a priority

nsw.gov.au is inclusive by design and aims to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at the AA level. The OneCX Program team commits to providing a website that is accessible to everyone, regardless of technology or ability. 

Accessibility is everyone’s responsibility. So, we take a multi-layered team approach when building and maintaining the website:

Features for everyone:

• Responsive design: The website adjusts to different screen sizes, ensuring a good experience on phones, tablets, and desktops.
• Assistive technology compatibility: Content is created to be used with tools like screen readers and magnifiers used by people with vision impairments.
• Keyboard navigation: All search and navigation features can be used with a keyboard, helpful for those who don't use a mouse.
• Accessible forms: Online forms are designed to be usable with a keyboard, making it easier for everyone to submit information.
• Adjustable text size: Users can easily increase or decrease the text size for better readability. (using browser or keyboard; Ctrl and + or – keys or ⌘ and + or – keys)
• Limited and purposeful colour use: Colours are chosen carefully to avoid contrast issues that might make it difficult for some users to see the content.

Going beyond the basics:

• Training for accessibility: As accessibility is integral to the way content is built, it is incorporated into the training sessions provided to new users. There are also instructional articles, training modules, checklists and toolkits to aid the creation of accessible and inclusive content.
• Alternative text for images: Images include descriptions (alt text) to be read by screen readers, conveying the image's content to visually impaired users.
• Text-to-Speech integration: A ‘ReadSpeaker’ feature is planned to allow users to have the website content read aloud.
• User research and testing: Regular user research and usability testing help identify and address accessibility issues for both existing and new features.
• Easy read content: Provides information in simpler language formats to ensure everyone can understand it easily.
• Design system for accessibility: A design system ensures all website elements are built with accessibility in mind and adhere to WCAG guidelines.
• Quality assurance: All content is checked for compatibility with assistive devices and software and proper colour contrast to avoid accessibility problems.
• Regular audits: Annual accessibility audits ensure the website maintains its WCAG certification. 

Accessibility governance

Siteimprove is the website accessibility tool that is used to monitor any accessibility issues on nsw.gov.au. It highlights items for improvement that content editors can fix to increase the website's overall accessibility score. Whilst it is each agency’s responsibility to monitor its content regularly, our team will occasionally monitor at a high level and notify the page owner to rectify the issues.

Annually, we engage a third-party accessibility specialist to do an accessibility audit on nsw.gov.au. They assess pages against the WCAG 2.1 AA Guidelines and compare it against industry benchmarks. On average the website score is 84.6%, this sits above the industry benchmark of 82.9%. Findings of the audit report feed plans for continuous improvement. 

The OneCX Program seeks to continuously improve and remediate accessibility across the website. 

Learn more about accessibility on nsw.gov.au.

Have existing content you’d like to ensure is accessible? Refer to the simple accessibility checklist for a quick health check. Further resources are available for content owners on the Help Hub.