Accessibility services
Accessibility encompasses digital environments designed for all. We serve online retailers and private and public sector designers in various stages of accessibility implementation.
Avaava is pioneering accessibility services in Finland.
Accessibility services
Accessibility encompasses digital environments designed for all. We serve online retailers and private and public sector designers in various stages of accessibility implementation.
Avaava is pioneering accessibility services in Finland.
Avaava has been engaged in improvement of the accessibility of public, private, and third sector digital services ever since 2016.
Avaava has plenty of experience in evaluating and developing various digitalservices, such as:
- Websites and online stores
- Online services
- Digital learning environments
- Mobile apps
- Digital files, documents and forms
- Self-service terminals
We also offer consultation development teams on accessible solutions in different stages of their projects. Our experts have coached customers in numerous courses related to accessibility. We help clients find the best ways to make good services for everyone.
Where to start?
How to proceed with accessibility issues? Are my websites not accessible? Don’t know where to start?
Book a free meeting with an Avaava accessibility expert. During the meeting, our expert will perform a quick accessibility check on your service’s homepage or other key functionality and tell you how Avaava can help improve accessibility. The meeting lasts 15 minutes.
Accessibility audits and statements
Within the framework of Avaava’s audits, accessibility is evaluated from the user’s perspective. As a result, the customer acquires an understanding of the actual practical problems and is capable of targeting accessibility fixes so that they genuinely improve everyone’s user experiences.
Audit findings are documented clearly using examples. The audit includes a consultative feedback session where accessibility problems can be reviewed together with, for example, the product or service owner and the development team or external system supplier.
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Auditing, accessibility statements and a report with improvement suggestions
A large auditing package including:
- Accessibility auditing on a desktop and mobile devices
- An accessibility statement in 1–3 languages (fi, en, sv)
- A report that lists all parts in need of fixing and suggests ways of improvement
- A final presentation meeting (1,5–2 h)
The scope and price of auditing is negotiated with the client.
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Auditing and a report with improvement suggestions
A smaller auditing package including:
- Accessibility auditing on a desktop and mobile devices
- A report that lists all parts in need of fixing and suggests ways of improvement
- A final presentation meeting (1,5–2 h)
- Accessibility statement as a bonus option
The scope and price of auditing is negotiated with the client.
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Updating your accessibility statement
Does your service already have an accessibility statement in need of updating?
Avaava’s experts test the current state of your service and update your accessibility statement.
The scope and price of auditing is negotiated with the client.
Accessibility consultations
- UI developers
- software developers or
- service designers.
Co-operation with the accessibility expert also increases your development team’s expertise.
Avaava’s accessibility experts can also be hired as consultants based on an agency worker’s contract. In this case, the expert is at the customer’s disposal for the agreed number of hours per week, with either a continuous or fixed-term contract.
Accessibility courses
Avaava’s experts offer ready-made training contents, or the training can be tailored to the customer’s exact needs. The training can be arranged, for example, in the format of efficient lectures, practical workshops, quick information sessions, or open clinics ready to provide assistance with resolution of any accessibility problems.
Examples of training courses offered by Avaava:
- Accessible web content and social media
- Accessible documents and forms
- Accessibility in graphic and UX design, as well as Adobe InDesign
- Technical accessibility requirements for web service developers
- Accessibility testing and evaluation
- Accessibility of mobile applications
- Accessibility in digital service procurement and development projects
Avaava Academy
We also offer ready-made courses in a portal called Avaava Academy! Explore our course catalogue and choose the course or lecture that suits your schedule and your preferred training method. Our course events are hands-on and we employ a wide range of methods. The content of our course events is prepared by professionals and is up to date and easy to take in. Our coaches are certified and experienced specialists.
Accessible files
Did you know that accessibility standards also concern files such as PDF, Word and PowerPoint documents? Avaava’s experts help you fixing and making your files accessible.
We can help with:
- Creating PDF forms from scratch or fixing them to make them accessible
- Fixing the accessibility of PDF documents such as reports, brochures and manuals
- Fixing PowerPoint documents and creating accessible presentation templates
- Fixing Word files and creating accessible templates
- Creating accessible Excel templates (e.g. accessible graphs and tables)
Accessible PDF
Accessibility of PDF forms
In order to ensure accessibility of PDF forms, two key aspects should be taken into consideration: cognitive and technical accessibility.
The goal of cognitive accessibility is a form that’s as simple and easy to use as possible. With many forms, the main idea is still to make a tabular form which is as compact as possible. The reason may be to save paper. However, the clarity and accessibility of such a form can be problematic.
Another important aspect of PDF forms is technical accessibility. It is important to define alt text for images and tooltips for form fields and to consider how to code or mark different form fields and links so that they are also understood by assistive technology programs.
Practical help from Avaava
Avaava is happy to help and design clear, accessible and visually fresh forms, even from scratch. Avaava’s experts have designed, created and edited hundreds of PDF forms and documents to make them accessible. We make professional file corrections and always ensure the user experience of the files with a screen reader.
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PDF files and forms
We make accessibility corrections to files and forms, or design accessible forms from scratch. We make WCAG and PDF/UA compliant PDF documents and usable files.
The scope and price of the work is negotiated with the client.
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Accessibility fixes to Word, PowerPoint and Excel files
We make individual Word, PowerPoint and Excel documents and templates accessible, making it easier for organizations to produce proper documents.
The scope and price of auditing is negotiated with the client.
If you need help making your files accessible, please contact myynti@avaava.fi.
Design and usability services
A usable and accessible web service allows all users to function smoothly and independently. This means that the service is clear, understandable and easy to navigate regardless of the user’s skills, devices or possible functional limitations.
A well-designed accessibility design takes into account visual, cognitive, motor and technical usability. Avava’s experts ensure that digital services meet not only the WCAG 2.1 and WCAG 2.2 criteria, but also actual usability and user experience. Technical accessibility alone is not enough – the web service must also be logical and easy to use.
Accessibility assessment and development
Avaava assesses accessibility not only based on WCAG criteria, but also conducts user testing where the functionality and usability of the service are verified with real users. We use experts by personal experience and different user groups to assess how smoothly and intuitively the service works for different users.
Good accessibility design benefits all users, not just those with special needs. Avaava helps companies and organizations build digital environments that are genuinely easy to use, equal and accessible to everyone.
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User testing and design reviews
We conduct usability and user testing of services. We also user test with special groups, which allows us to test the accessibility of the service with real users.
We either review the user interface plan together with the development team, or prepare a written report on the observations raised from the prototype/views.
The scope and price of the work is negotiated with the client.
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Accessible user interface design
We make UX/UI updates to a service that has already been published or is under development. The new plan takes ease of use and accessibility into account above all. The plans are also supported by precise specifications for the implementation of new components/solutions so that they are as accessible as possible. New UI plans and prototypes are prepared with Figma.
The scope and price of the work is negotiated with the client.
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Designing an inclusive customer experience
We help our clients create a holistic, inclusive customer experience across all channels they encounter. By analyzing services for accessibility and developing measures to address these, we create equal services for everyone!
The scope and price of the work is negotiated with the client.
Do you want to ensure that your digital service is truly accessible and easy to use? Contact Avava’s experts and ask more: myynti@avaava.fi.