Accessibility benefits everyone – here’s how the OneCX Program is making it a priority on nsw.gov.au
The OneCX Program is transforming the digital experience of NSW Government and providing a seamless experience to meet the diverse needs of over 8 million customers.
The program is building nsw.gov.au as the one place for customers to source information from NSW Government. In bringing together content from over 450 agency websites, we are working to increase the accessibility of content and meet evolving web accessibility guidelines. We aim to reach the widest audience possible and deliver an inclusive, world-class experience.
What is accessibility?
An accessible website is one where any user, no matter their ability, can access the same content, features and functions. Accessibility can assist people with reading and understanding information, as well as navigating, interacting with and contributing to the website.
There are many elements to making a website accessible. These include reading age, font sizes, colour contrast, alternative image text, video captions and error identification, to name a few.
The OneCX Program considers these elements of accessibility when reviewing, designing and migrating content to nsw.gov.au. This helps to ensure all customers can access information, when they need it.
Why accessibility is critical
With a focus on customer-centricity, the OneCX Program uses data-driven insights to help identify pain points and inform content on the website. The 2021 census revealed that 1 in 3 people (2.52 million) in NSW have a long-term health condition, disability, and/or need assistance with core activities. It also reported nearly 1.5 million people (7.2%) have an education level of year 9 or below, and 31.5% of people in NSW speak a language other than English at home.
Accessibility is critical if we want to engage with our broad and diverse audience and provide an inclusive customer experience.
Information on our website should be accessible to all, including:
- people with disability
- people with English as a second language or who have low literacy
- people who have limited access to the internet, such as slow connections.
How the OneCX Program is making accessibility a priority
nsw.gov.au is inclusive by design and aims to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at an AA level. The OneCX Program team is committed to providing a website that is accessible to everyone, regardless of technology or ability.
Accessibility is everyone’s responsibility, and with that we take a multi-layered team approach when building and maintaining the website:
- page designs are responsive and adjust to common device screen sizes
- content is tested on assistive devices and software such as screen readers and magnifiers
- search and navigation options are keyboard accessible across the site
- online forms aim to be keyboard accessible
- the text size is adjustable using your browser or keyboard (Ctrl and + or – keys or ⌘ and + or – keys)
- colour is limited to reduce contrast issues.
We provide training to digital practitioners across all of Government, to include topic areas such as WCAG fundamentals as well as practical tips and processes to ensure web pages and web content is as accessible as possible.
How we measure accessibility
The OneCX Program seeks to continuously improve and remediate accessibility across the website. We take a multi-faceted approach to check and measure the accessibility of content on nsw.gov.au. The website is scanned for issues at regular intervals and compared against industry benchmarks.
In 2022 we conducted an independent accessibility audit to ensure agency pages migrated as part of the OneCX Program worked in a practical sense. As of 16 November 2022, nsw.gov.au received a Statement of Accessibility and a score of 84%. This sits above the industry benchmark of 82.9%.
Looking ahead
Our accessibility requirements will continue to evolve to ensure we meet the needs of all customers. This year, we are excited to introduce an integrated accessibility checker on our website. Content creators will receive immediate recommendations on accessibility when building pages. This live check functionality will help to further improve accessibility and the overall customer experience on nsw.gov.au.
Visit the OneCX Program hub for content guidance and the Digital Service Toolkit to learn more about creating an inclusive and accessible user experience.
Have existing content you’d like to ensure is accessible? Refer to the simple accessibility checklist for a quick health check.
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