Serve the primary demographic by ensuring the website meets the needs of the elderly
Identify customer needs How does the customer struggle to use The Telegraph’s products
Identify business needs How much was the change worth?
Findings
Customer needs
Simplify Remove complexity wherever possible
Consistency All products are from The Telegraph. They should be consistent in look, feel & behaviour
Legibility The Telegraph’s core asset is its words. The customer must be able to read them easily
Compatibility Our customers use numerous tools to make online content easier to use. We must not prevent those tools from working on The Telegraph
Business needs
Drive change Introduce Accessibility Standards & make them policy
Demonstrate worth Showcase how big an audience is affected. And their financial value to the Company
Communicate Why this is important. Demonstrate how our customers fail to use our products – and go elsewhere
Implementation
Executive Report on the potential revenue in supporting users with disabilitiesAccessibility Framework introduced to aid staff in creating accessible content Colour Contrast Tool to allow designers to pick accessible colour combinationsDesign Style Guide introduced to ensure consistent, accessible, design across all teams
Changes
Outgoing design
Navigation
The primary site navigation was simplified – reducing five main areas to three – with ongoing work to reduce this further. The whole navigation content was consolidated, removing unnecessary categories & duplication of content, complexity and confusion.
Keyboard navigation
Tabbing to the first article was reduced from 24 clicks to just 2. A bypass block was introduced, allowing users to quickly view the main content – or enter the navigation if they wished.
Simplify page structure
The page template was simplified, removing unnecessary content, allowing users to concentrate on what they needed. Advertising formats were amended, & design simplified.
Legibility
Distracting prefix text was removed, allowing the article headlines to become prominent. Colours were adjusted to ensure a sufficient contrast. This, together with adjustments in font sizes created a more engaging page.
Device support
All designs were developed from the mobile device view – The Telegraph’s most used device. All template sizes were adjusted, reducing breakpoints no longer required, and introducing a wider breakpoint to allow content to be optimised for HD Displays.
Results
An overall improvement in engagement – looking at all metrics. This included page views per visit, Dwell time, & Bounce rate reductions.
As a result, users spent more time engaging with The Telegraph, viewing more content in more sections.
This led to a greater reading satisfaction within our older users.
