Index uncovers an average of 37 errors per page on the web's
most visited websites, with significant barriers across retail,
travel, and other industries
TUCSON,
Ariz., Sept. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/
-- AudioEye, Inc. (Nasdaq: AEYE), the
industry-leading enterprise SaaS accessibility company, today
released its first-ever Digital Accessibility Index, a
combination of automated AI findings coupled with expert audits
from members of the disability community, to identify the most
common digital accessibility issues across 40,000 websites. Of the
3 billion website elements tested (i.e., images, links, headers),
the findings concluded every page tested had at least one
accessibility error — and the average page had 37 items that failed
one of the success criteria of the Web Content Accessibility
Guidelines (WCAG).
"AudioEye's Digital Accessibility Index underscores the
unacceptable reality that digital experiences are broken for people
with disabilities, preventing them from accomplishing critical
tasks that many of us regularly depend on, such as online shopping,
banking, news access, job-related activities, and more," said
David Moradi, CEO of AudioEye. "This
Index shows a clear need to approach digital accessibility with a
combination of AI-driven detection and automation paired with
expert audits from members of the disability community."
AudioEye's report found that the most frequent barriers were
related to image accessibility, descriptive links, and keyboard
accessibility, which can significantly impact the ability of the
1.3 billion people globally with a disability to utilize online
services and experiences successfully.
Key insights from the report include:
- 56% of the 32 million images scanned had faulty or missing
image alternative text, making it difficult for people using screen
readers to understand the full context of image-heavy
pages.
- On average, each enterprise page had five links that lacked
critical context for people with disabilities, making it hard to
navigate between pages or know where clicking a link would take
them.
- 25% of forms were missing clear labels and instructions for
people with disabilities, preventing them from submitting critical
information to customer service, completing purchases, and other
essential activities.
In addition to the automated scan, AudioEye's team of certified
experts reviewed the top 3-5 companies in multiple industries,
including government, and found significant barriers keeping users
from accomplishing core site objectives, including:
Retail
AudioEye testers encountered barriers
keeping them from being able to complete a purchase, such as
needing to be alerted when forms in the checkout process needed to
include required information. Additionally, some users experienced
no alert when adding an item to the cart, leading to confusion and
potentially incorrect orders.
Media
Media sites generally have more video
content than other industries, yet testers encountered unlabeled
video player controls, making it difficult to start, stop, or pause
videos. Additionally, keyboard accessibility issues prevented
keyboard-only users from clicking between articles, sometimes
getting stuck in slideshows with no way to
exit.
Travel
Testers encountered pop-up windows that
contained no information about flights or rooms for screen reader
users and no way to close the window using a keyboard alone.
Additionally, vague or missing image alt text failed to paint a
verbal picture that would help non-sighted users decide about rooms
or amenities.
While the barriers found were significant, impacting customer
experience, revenue, and critical site objectives, the issues found
are fixable through a combination of AI-driven automation and
expert audits.
Methodology
AudioEye conducted an automated scan of
over 2 million pages across 40,000 websites from companies with
over $100M in annual revenue,
starting at the homepage and following every link until it scanned
up to 100 pages per site. More than 3 billion site-specific
elements were tested against 25 of the 78 WCAG 2.1 criteria.
Following the scan, accessibility experts— including members of the
disability community — manually audited the top sites in each
industry, revealing which issues are most disruptive to users.
About AudioEye
AudioEye exists to ensure the
digital future we build is inclusive. By combining the latest AI
automation technology with guidance from certified experts and
direct input from the disability community, AudioEye
helps ensure businesses of all sizes — including over
104,000 customers like Samsung, Calvin
Klein, and Samsonite — are accessible.
Holding 23 US patents, AudioEye helps companies solve
every aspect of digital accessibility with flexible approaches that
best meet their needs — from finding and removing barriers to
navigating legal compliance, to ongoing training, monitoring and
upkeep. Join AudioEye on its mission to eradicate
barriers to digital access.
Media Contact:
RAISE
Communications
Cari
Sommer
cari@raisecg.com
IR Contact:
Tom
Colton or Luke
Johnson
Gateway Investor Relations
AEYE@gateway-grp.com
949-574-3860
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SOURCE AudioEye, Inc.