Website user experience project consultation

Accessibility Standards Canada is committed to improving how Canadians experience and access information on our digital platforms. As part of this commitment, we sought feedback in 2024 to help shape a more accessible and user-friendly website.

We held a consultation on our website's user experience (UX), aligned with the objective of the Act to create a barrier-free Canada by 2040. The consultation focused specifically on improving accessibility in 2 of the Act’s priority areas: Information and Communications Technology, and Communications.

The objective of the consultation was to get feedback on:

1. barriers people faced when using our website
2. how well our website is meeting people’s needs online
3. ways to improve the website's usability and structure

We invited individuals to participate in a series of virtual group interviews. Each session included a maximum of 12 participants, was bilingual, and lasted approximately 1 hour. Interview questions were shared in advance.

Insights from this consultation will inform future decisions about the website’s structure, navigation, and content. They will also contribute to our broader accessibility goals and continuous improvement efforts.

Below is a summary of the observations made by the participants during the consultation.

Accessibility Standards Canada’s mandate

• The purpose and mandate of the organisation need to be clearer and easier to find
• The organisation’s role should be clearly distinguished from other federal entities
• The audience for the site is unclear
  • Participants are unsure if it’s meant for the public, experts, or disability communities
• The word “disability” should appear more often
• Educational content should be added
• The impact of the organisation’s work and the value of its resources is not well understood
• Progress on standards development could be shared more effectively through updates and storytelling

Content

• Content is difficult to navigate and needs better organisation
• Sorting content by disability type or sector could help users find what they need
• Duplicate links should be removed to reduce confusion
• Some sections, like the “Centre of Expertise”  are unclear
• lain language summaries are needed for technical documents
• Real-life examples and practical how-to guidance would make the content easier to understand and apply
• Visual elements, such as charts and infographics, could support better comprehension
• Library-style layout may help manage the site’s growing volume of content

Navigation and structure

• Key information, such as standards and other resources, is hard to find
• Many navigation links make it easy to get lost
• Menu labels and heading are unclear especially for users who are not familiar with the website
• The search function and page titles are confusing

General

• User accounts would make it easier to apply for committees or save their work during public review
• Screen reader compatibility is good, but other accessibility needs should be better supported
• The website’s visual identity should be distinct, rather than follow the Government of Canada template