Kuba Zwolinski | Snowdog | Accessibility is a process. Make it an easy part of your team's routine.

Summary

At MMUK 2024, Maiik introduces the first speaker, Kuas Volinski, who discusses web accessibility's importance in business, emphasizing its impact on e-commerce, the need for a legal framework, and the potential for accessibility to benefit all users. He advocates for building an accessibility culture within organizations to avoid costly audits and make accessibility a standard part of development processes.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The importance of accessibility in web development is highlighted, emphasizing its impact on inclusivity and business success.
• 💼 Accessibility is not just a moral imperative but also a business necessity, with legal regulations driving its necessity in e-commerce.
• 💡 The speaker's initial optimism about building accessible web solutions has evolved, recognizing the challenges and complexities involved.
• 💰 The cost of accessibility is discussed, noting that while it was once seen as expensive, it can be integrated effectively into business processes to avoid costly audits.
• 🛠️ Building an 'accessibility culture' within organizations is crucial, ensuring that all aspects of development, from content creation to maintenance, consider accessibility.
• 🔍 The speaker advocates for education and awareness about accessibility within teams, noting that it's not just a front-end developer's responsibility but a collective effort.
• 👥 Decision makers are urged to understand the business case for accessibility, recognizing its role in expanding the customer base and improving user experience.
• 👴 Aging populations and the increasing number of older online buyers are highlighted as a significant factor that underscores the need for accessible web solutions.
• 🛑 The speaker warns against the common misconception that accessibility is a one-off task, stressing that it is an ongoing process that must be integrated into regular development cycles.
• 🛍️ The potential for accessibility to benefit all users, not just those with disabilities, is emphasized, showing how it can improve usability for everyone.
• 🌐 The speaker encourages collaboration and contribution to open-source tools and initiatives, suggesting that a collective approach can make accessibility more attainable and less costly.

Q & A

Who is the host of the technical track at MMUK 2024?

The host of the technical track at MMUK 2024 is Maiik, the head of development at JH.

What is the role of the first speaker, Kuas Volinski, in the web industry?

Kuas Volinski is a web standards and accessibility enthusiast, a former developer working with Magento since 2008, a several-time Magento Master, Market maker, organizer of Meet Magento Poland, and a former board member of the Magento Association.

Why is accessibility important in the context of e-commerce?

Accessibility is important in e-commerce because it not only complies with legal regulations and avoids financial penalties but also because it opens up the market to a large group of potential customers with disabilities, making the web more inclusive and usable for everyone.

What are some of the legal implications for e-commerce sites that are not accessible?

Non-accessible e-commerce sites risk facing financial fines due to regulations such as the American with Disabilities Act in the US, and similar laws in the UK and the upcoming laws in the European Union.

How has the internet changed the lives of people with disabilities?

The internet has opened doors to a normal life for people with disabilities, allowing them to participate in activities that were previously inaccessible to them, such as earning money and being regular customers.

What is the common misconception about the cost of accessibility in web development?

The common misconception is that accessibility is expensive, often due to the costs associated with audits and rebuilding existing solutions. However, integrating accessibility from the start can make it a cost-effective part of the development process.

What is the key to making accessibility a common practice in web development?

The key is to build an accessibility culture within every organization, ensuring that everyone understands the principles of accessibility and incorporates them into their everyday work, from content creation to maintenance.

Why is it important for developers to care about accessibility guidelines?

Developers should care about accessibility guidelines because if they don't, even the best designs and user journeys will not result in an accessible solution, which can lead to the exclusion of users with disabilities and potential legal issues.

What role do decision makers play in promoting accessibility within an organization?

Decision makers play a crucial role in promoting accessibility by understanding its importance, allocating budget for training and development, and supporting the integration of accessibility into the organization's processes.

What are some tools that can assist in making web development more accessible?

There are various tools available, including plugins for design software like Figma, machine learning solutions for code analysis, and open-source libraries that can help developers and QA specialists ensure accessibility during the development process.

How does Kuas Volinski suggest contributing to the field of accessibility?

Kuas Volinski suggests contributing by discussing accessibility within organizations, integrating it into everyday processes, and considering open-source contributions to improve and share accessibility tools and knowledge.

Outlines

00:00

🎤 Welcome to MMUK 2024 Technical Track

The speaker, Maiik, introduces himself as the head of development at JH and the host of the technical track at MMUK 2024. He expresses gratitude to sponsors, speakers, and participants for making the event possible. The event includes technical talks, soft talks, and panel discussions. Maiik also invites attendees to visit the sponsor marketplace during breaks. The first speaker of the day, Kuas Volinski, is introduced as a web standards and accessibility enthusiast, a former developer with Magento, and a former board member of the Magento Association. Kuas emphasizes the importance of accessibility in business, noting that it is not just a moral obligation but also a legal requirement in many countries, which can impact a business's financial standing if not adhered to.

05:00

💼 Accessibility as a Business Necessity

Kuas Volinski discusses the importance of accessibility, highlighting that it is not only a legal requirement but also a significant opportunity for businesses to cater to a large customer base with disabilities. He points out that the internet has revolutionized the lives of people with disabilities, allowing them to participate in the economy as consumers. Kuas also emphasizes that accessibility is crucial for making all solutions more usable, not just for people with disabilities but for everyone. He mentions the aging population and how accessibility considerations are essential for maintaining a business's relevance as society ages. Kuas concludes by stressing the need to build an accessibility culture within organizations to ensure that accessibility is integrated into every aspect of business operations.

10:03

🛠️ Building an Accessibility Culture

The speaker explains the concept of building an accessibility culture within organizations. He emphasizes that accessibility is not just about following guidelines and front-end coding but involves many aspects of both online and offline business. The speaker outlines the process of content creation, user experience design, user interface design, development, and maintenance, highlighting the importance of incorporating accessibility at each stage. He stresses that if any element of this process lacks basic knowledge about accessibility, it can make the work harder for everyone involved. The speaker also discusses the challenges of getting different stakeholders, including developers and decision-makers, to understand and prioritize accessibility. He suggests that making accessibility a common practice, similar to coding standards, can help avoid expensive audits and ensure that accessibility is a part of the regular development process.

15:04

💡 Tools and Education for Accessibility

The speaker discusses the importance of education and the use of tools in the accessibility development process. He mentions that accessibility is not just about developers but involves everyone in the company, including decision-makers and backend developers. The speaker suggests that spending time on education and investing in online courses can be beneficial. He also highlights the availability of tools that can help during the development process, such as plugins for design software like Figma and machine learning solutions for code analysis. The speaker introduces an open-source library and a tool developed by his organization that can help analyze websites during the development process, combining automated and manual tests to make accessibility a smoother process. He encourages organizations to discuss accessibility internally and to contribute to the accessibility community by sharing and collaborating on solutions.

20:04

🌐 Open Source Contribution and Collaboration

The speaker concludes by emphasizing the importance of discussing accessibility within organizations and making it a part of everyday processes like designing, coding, and decision-making. He encourages organizations to contribute to accessibility by sharing knowledge and collaborating on solutions. The speaker also highlights the role of open source in making the internet accessible and reasonable in e-commerce. He mentions the release of a tool developed by his organization that can be used, modified, and contributed to as an open-source project. The speaker invites questions and acknowledges that the 20-minute talk only scratches the surface of the vast topic of accessibility, but his main point is to encourage organizations to start the conversation about accessibility.

Keywords

💡Accessibility

Accessibility refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. In the context of the video, it emphasizes the importance of making web content and services usable by people with a wide range of abilities, including those with visual, auditory, cognitive, or motor impairments. The speaker discusses how accessibility is crucial for business, not just a moral imperative, and highlights the need for an 'accessibility culture' in organizations.

💡Web Standards

Web standards are a set of guidelines and specifications that ensure the long-term availability, interoperability, and consistency of web pages and applications. The speaker, Kuas Volinski, is described as a 'web standards enthusiast,' indicating his advocacy for following these standards to improve web accessibility. This is relevant as adhering to web standards can help make websites more accessible to all users.

💡E-commerce

E-commerce refers to the buying and selling of goods and services, or the transmitting of funds or data, over an electronic network, primarily the internet. The video script discusses the financial implications of e-commerce sites not being accessible, suggesting that accessibility is not only a legal requirement but also a business necessity to cater to a broader customer base.

💡Regulations

Regulations in this context refer to laws and rules that mandate certain standards or practices, such as the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) mentioned in the script. These regulations often include requirements for accessibility, making it a legal obligation for businesses to ensure their digital services are accessible to people with disabilities.

💡Inclusive Web

The term 'inclusive web' is used to describe a vision where the web is accessible to everyone, regardless of their abilities or disabilities. The speaker reflects on the early days of his career when he was optimistic about building an accessible web, highlighting the evolution of accessibility from a niche concern to a mainstream necessity.

💡Magento

Magento is an open-source e-commerce platform written in PHP. The speaker mentions his experience as a former developer working with Magento, indicating his expertise in e-commerce solutions. This background is relevant as it provides credibility to his discussion on web accessibility in the context of e-commerce platforms.

💡Financial Consequences

Financial consequences in the script refer to the potential penalties or losses that businesses may face if their e-commerce sites are not accessible. This underscores the economic impact of non-compliance with accessibility regulations and the need for businesses to invest in accessibility to avoid such consequences.

💡User Experience

User experience (UX) is the overall experience a user has when interacting with a system, including ease of use and pleasure derived from the interaction. The speaker discusses the importance of designing an accessible user journey, which is crucial for ensuring that all users, including those with disabilities, can navigate and use web services effectively.

💡Maintenance

Maintenance in the context of the script refers to the ongoing process of updating, managing, and ensuring the accessibility of a website or e-commerce platform. The speaker emphasizes that accessibility is not a one-time task but a continuous process that must be integrated into the maintenance cycle of digital services.

💡Open Source

Open source refers to a type of software where the source code is made available to the public, allowing anyone to view, use, modify, and distribute it. The speaker mentions his belief in open source and collaboration, suggesting that open source tools and community contributions can play a significant role in promoting web accessibility.

💡Aging Population

The aging population refers to the demographic trend of an increasing proportion of older individuals in a population. The speaker highlights this as a reason for prioritizing accessibility, as older individuals may face age-related disabilities that affect their ability to use digital services, making accessibility a critical factor for inclusivity.

Highlights

Introduction of Maiik as the head of development at JH and the host of the technical track at MMUK 2024.

Thanking sponsors, speakers, and participants for making the event possible.

Announcement of the technical tracks including talks, soft talks, and panel discussions.

Invitation to the sponsor marketplace during breaks.

Introduction of the first speaker, Kuas Volinski, a web standards and accessibility enthusiast.

Kuas Volinski's background as a former developer with Magento, Magento Master, and organizer of Meet Magento Poland.

The importance of accessibility in web development and its impact on business.

The evolution of accessibility from a legal requirement to a business necessity.

The financial consequences of not being accessible in e-commerce.

Accessibility as a way to reach a larger customer base, including people with disabilities.

The transformative impact of the internet on the lives of people with disabilities.

The need for accessibility in everyday web solutions, not just for compliance.

The aging population and its implications for accessibility in e-commerce.

The cost of accessibility and the need for a shift in perspective towards it being a normal part of development.

Building an accessibility culture within organizations to avoid expensive audits and rebuilds.

The role of education in making accessibility a common practice in all aspects of web development.

The importance of involving everyone in the organization in understanding and implementing accessibility.

The use of tools and plugins to assist in designing and coding with accessibility in mind.

The release of an open-source accessibility tool by Snow to help developers and agencies during the development process.

The call to action for organizations to discuss and integrate accessibility into their everyday processes.

The potential for collaboration and contribution to the field of accessibility to improve standards and practices.

Transcripts

uh hello everybody Welcome uh welcome to

the technical track of mmuk 2024 I'm

maiik I'm the head of development at JH

and I will be your track host uh this

year I would like to thank all our

sponsors speakers and you the

participants as well for making this

event event possible because without you

we would not be here uh we'll have

technical tracks here uh technical talks

soft talks and panel discussion

uh as well uh during the breaks I would

like to invite you uh to the sponsor

marketplace where our lovely sponsors

have prepared many different things for

you uh and without further Ado I would

like to introduce our first Speaker of

the day kuas volinski uh web standards

and accessibility Enthusiast spreading

awareness about accessibility uh and how

it can positively impact every business

former developer working with Magento

since 2008 several times Magento Master

Market maker and organizer of meet

Magento Poland uh and a former Bo board

member of the Magento Association please

welcome

kisi good good morning everyone I really

do appreciate that you are here the

break was really short so it's like a

it's even more important to me that you

are here and that you want to listen and

maybe talk about about

accessibility uh so we have only short

short time for for this uh for this talk

but if you have any questions uh I'm

staying here for the whole day so I

really invite you to come and let's

let's talk about it later um so thank

you for the

introduction uh I I work with different

web Technologies for years already and

since the very beginning I was always a

a big Enthusiast of web accessibility uh

that's how I started my my web career 20

years

ago uh I really like the idea of having

a a very inclusive uh web that is that

is a place that everyone can access and

it opens door uh to uh to different

activities to people who were isol

isolated from that before and uh at that

time I was just optimistic and I thought

that I can build uh accessible web just

like that uh of course it was very

difficult at that time and accessibility

was really uh reserved only for some

government sites some government

services that were forced to be

accessible and right now the situation

is is slightly different and we can talk

about accessibility from a completely

different uh point of

view so first of all why accessibility

and uh I changed my answer to this

question over years uh when I started

working with with web and and with

accessibility the answer for me was very

simple we need to make it accessible

because it's important for all we are

making our like our life and life of

others better the world will be better

with accessible

web uh it is somehow correct answer but

the problem is that when we are talking

about web and especially about

e-commerce we are talking about business

it's not done for fun it's done for

business so every e-commerce should

bring money and just making something

good for the World is Not Enough To to

make it uh a viable solution for a

business so actually we really do talk

about accessibility and I can really see

so many of you

here just because it's a

low it's a low in some of the countries

it's already something

uh on the market for a few years like in

us we have American with Disabilities

Act for about 5 years that actually

bring some serious uh Financial uh fines

for not being accessible and we are

talking about commercial sites we have a

dedicated low here in UK and we will

have a low coming in European Union so

right now if we like it or not there has

to be a place in the budget for building

accessibility and the big question when

we are talking about accessib ility over

years was that it's expensive that why I

should pay more for for accessibility

and and today we will try to look at

that from a different

perspective why we should think about it

as a just another process not something

extra so low this is number one we have

to think about it because there are some

regulations and there are smaller or

bigger but but fines yeah like we if we

if our if our e-commerce is not

accessible we are risking uh some uh

Financial consequences uh but of course

the first

answer that that that I was talking

about it's still it's still something

important that we should that we should

think about that people with different

disabilities are a huge group of our

customers and if we are not if we are

not building the solution that will uh

that will attract this group we are just

losing money so of course it's a low

that's number one for many if we like it

or not but this is also a very

important group of our customers because

when we think about how internet changed

our life uh in terms of people with

different disabilities it actually made

even bigger change for some people who

were

just you know their disabilities didn't

allow them to leave their home uh or

take any any normal job access to the

internet it open door to normal life so

if we think about it those people who

were treated before as uh I would say uh

just a person who is financed by the by

the society right now those people can

earn money and be a buyer can be just a

regular customer they can they can live

normal life so this is why accessibility

is even is even more important but

outside of the of the legal part outside

of the number of potential uh customers

that uh that we can deliver our services

or products to uh it's really it's

really important to think about

accessibility as a as a way to make also

all the solutions more uh usable

uh all of us sometimes are disabled like

uh a very simple thing when when we just

uh try to use any mobile uh any mobile

site on any site on mobile in a bright

sun it's really hard to use it if if

it's if it's built the right way with

the with the proper contrast uh with the

proper font size or with the proper

distances between different elements so

when we think when we think about that

we can see that accessibility in in

e-commerce can actually be a huge

benefit for every

user and uh the last one and actually uh

year after year it's becoming my

favorite unfortunately that we are aging

and uh people who are building internet

as a as a young people who are just

thinking how to conquer the world I

right now 10 20 30 or even more years

older and when we are getting older if

we like it or not we are getting less

fit and it's about our

uh about different aspects of our life

so this is this is a very interesting

statistic and uh that's from That's from

the Polish market uh but it's it's more

or less similar across the Europe this

is just the newest report I I could find

it shows how

the percentage of people the older age

is increasing in the number of total

buyers online so it's it's it's just

that our society is is aging so if we

want to keep delivering our service we

have to think about this aging uh aging

uh customers group

so those those few aspects are super

important when we are talking to some

decision makers why accessibility needs

any attention why it needs any funding

or any time uh in in our budgets or or

plans and here is the is the most

important uh the most important element

does it have to be expensive for years

accessibility meant

mostly expensive audit and rebuilding

everything from scratch so it was it was

really expensive the audit is itself was

expensive and the whole operation of

course of building uh many solutions

from scratch uh and destroying some of

the previous solutions they were built

for years it was really a nightmare for

everyone for every product owner uh who

was supposed to uh make their their

product

accessible and there is one solution for

that and solution for that is building

an accessibility culture in every

organization ation and this is this is

the the accessibility culture should be

built in the solution provider

organization but also should be built

inside

every um every e-commerce every business

organization because the simple the

simple things like understanding they

help build access become accessibility

the part of everything what we do and

why it's so important because

accessibility is not only uh about

guidelines and about front-end coding

accessibility is about many aspects of

our online and offline offline business

so the first step to building the proper

the proper accessibility culture is

understanding why everyone in the

organization should understand the the

basic the the principles of

accessibility

there are different different uh like a

parts of every of every Pro of every

project and if we skip one of them

accessibility is getting much more

difficult because let's let's look at

let's look like at this at this circle

that we start with some content we do

some analyzis what to do with this

content uh we build the proper uh user

experience the user Journey just to go

through all those informations then we

design a beautiful user interface uh so

it all looks pretty and uh we build

it then we have to maintain it somehow

we have to always analyze and verify the

quality and then we go back to create

more content and build new features Etc

and we can if if simply we just look at

that and we see that we that any of

those elements

will not have a basic knowledge about

accessibility it make life and work much

harder for all others because if we

don't start with the proper

accessibility approach to the content

with the content creation and idea how

to how to maintain it later how to add

more content in an accessible way it's

much harder for people to plan its

position in the whole

structure and if we if we don't if we

don't think about accessibility aspects

when designing customer

Journey it breaks everything and it

makes it impossible later to to

code if we don't think about

accessibility when

designing even the best coder who is

super skilled in accessibility practices

will not build a really accessible uh

solution uh so everything here is

important and then we are going to

development and if we have a beautiful

design and great uh user journey and

amazing content but we have developers

who don't care about

accessibility uh guidelines then again

we had a great plan but there's no

implementation and uh the same in

maintenance accessibility is not a

oneoff activity it's a process so it's

we start it and then we keep going

because every e-commerce is a is a

it's like a a living organism so it

needs it needs constant changes and all

those changes has to be has to be done

with accessibility in mind if we if we

forget about accessibility one week two

weeks of updating new products or new

content we are losing accessibility of

the website so starting with

understanding including everyone in the

organization to understand Basics why

accessibility is important and then

keeping this process and of course the

the the begning begning of that may be

may be difficult because we need to

bring attention of different people to

to accessibility and to to understand

why it's important and just to just to

be realistic for many people especially

like no for for like I can focus on

developers because I used to be a

developer and it's definitely less sexy

to think about accessibility guidelines

than about the new framework we can use

so if we are going to spend some time

usually we spend time on new

technologies not how to make something

you know more accessible so it is hard

at the very beginning but this is the

key to make

accessibility really common because if

it if it will generate extra costs it

will never be a common task so to to

make everything accessible we need to

make sure that uh building designing

creating with

accessibility is just a normal thing

like when we are thinking about coding

we think about coding standards if we

are using tabs or spaces or how we place

different parts of the code this is

exactly the same that we use some common

techniques from the guidelines and that

should go through regular Q&A and if

it's not really fulfilling those

requirements it's not following

guidelines it goes back it goes back as

as a regular bu not not something extra

and this is the only

way to just avoid expensive audits

because right now audit is a number one

uh tool to to see if we are accessible

but audit means that actually there was

something really wrong before that we

forgot about everything that is simple

uh

accessibility accessibility for for

websites for e-commerce is simple this

is really not a rocket science most of

the most of the software right now is

more or less ready for accessibility and

what we need to do is to not to break it

just to follow the guidelines to keep

building it following the uh the the the

good practices and we can forget about

Audits and because audits in every field

they are be they are a problem like we

order an audit we pay a lot of money for

that and then usually if someone made an

audit they try to show that they deserve

the money so they make the audit as big

as possible and then we get this huge

book of different uh

recommendations and nobody

has the big problem with uh with audits

so if we have to do the audit it's

usually because we have a problem or

there is some some other immediate

action that needs to be taken but it's

really not the best idea so the most

important is to start early with

education uh just spend

couple hours every month or maybe um

invest in some online courses for

everyone in the company that's really

important that that slide I showed you

before that accessibility is not only

about developers and it's like if we

talking about developers it's not only

about front-end developers even if

backend developers don't touch this

customer facing part they should

understand why accessibility is

important and what are principles of of

accessibility uh we have guidelines the

guidelines are pretty straightforward

they are they are not really telling us

exactly what to do but they are telling

us what we want to achieve and that

there may be different ways and we may

be creative but knowing

WC is something that at least summary

should be known to everyone and uh one

of the most important groups are also

decision makers because if if we want to

dedicate some time for accessibility

even for the training we need to show

the business case why we should do it we

should do that even if it's not that

expensive it should be placed somewhere

uh somewhere in budget and when we are

talking about uh actual work and

avoiding uh those expensive audits later

there are more and more

tools uh that can be helpful during the

development process and this is this is

just just few of them

uh that can be used but starting from

the from the designing we have uh we

have already tons of plugins for to

figma that can that can help us design

the right uh The Right Stuff following

the the good good accessibility practice

uh where it when it comes to coding we

have more and more plugins using

different machine learning Solutions uh

to analyze our code and just help us uh

fix those simple issues at the very

begning so we don't have to fix them

when it's on on production and actually

not not

accessible and uh many of them they are

of course paid as a as a as a service

but there are also a bunch of tools that

are free that we can use as an open

source we can we can modify them we can

contribute and uh uh that's also like

based on uh axd tools they really

released a pretty cool open- Source

library and uh that that was the the

start of the idea that we did at snow do

uh we built an

accessibility uh tool for developers and

agencies uh that can help analyzing our

websites during the development process

so it's it's really easy like uh during

in this tool we can we can combine both

automated and manual test

to make accessibility a smooth process

that during the development we just

don't have to waste extra time and every

tester or QA specialist can become an

accessibility specialist so from the

very beginning of my uh adventure with

uh Magento I believed in open source I

believed in so in so-called competition

so collaboration and and competition and

I think that this is a great example

that to make internet accessible and to

make it a

reasonable uh tool in e-commerce

something that is not expensive that

just a part of normal process that

collaboration is needed uh and that's

why also we released uh a huge part of

that uh tool that you can actually use

you can play with it you can contribute

as an open source uh so it's not like an

out-of-the-box solution but it's

something that you can use you can

launch that application and you can also

modify it to your to your own needs so I

also encourage you to

first talk about accessibility in your

organization this is number one people

have to understand that it exists and

it's not only low it's not only the

legal part but this is just something

that makes it better for your for your

users for your customers so discuss it

internally in your organizations spend

some time to make it

part of your everyday process of

Designing coding decision making and uh

if you have time uh think about

accessibility as something that is

really worth contributing because this

is this that's that's something that

always will have some lower lower

priority in business so if we can

contribute if we can share and actually

take the accessibility to the higher

level together that's only better and uh

I think that's it for today so if you

have any questions about that like you

know that 20 minutes is just to really

touch the tip of the iceberg I didn't

really uh Deep dive deeper into any

details of accessibility principles

whatever but I assume that you know it

or it's so easy to find it on in million

sources that that really my my point was

to tell you one thing talk about

accessibility in your organizations it

will make the whole accessibility

building process much easier easier and

cheaper thank you very much