Meet Dean. Dean is a member of our group of usability test participants.
Participants, like Dean, will conduct several tasks, whilst under observation, and will give feedback on their experience. With this invaluable information, we can make recommendations to help you improve the user journey on your website.
Although manual and automated testing can uncover several issues, it’s always best to conduct a usability study to highlight problems with content, structure or design.
We asked Dean to tell us a bit about himself, the assistive technologies he uses and what makes a good and bad website.
Tell us a little bit about yourself
Hello! My name is Dean Chaffer and I’m a disabled music fan from the northeast of England. I love travelling to different venues and watching live music. You never know who you might discover on a rainy Tuesday evening in February.
Tell us about your disability, neurodivergence, or vision impairment
I have cerebral palsy which affects my legs. I use crutches to get around as well as a wheelchair.
Do you use any assistive technologies when using computers?
I have a wireless mouse that I find really useful when booking gig tickets online. But nothing that would be classed as assistive technology.
What makes a bad website?
Not having the venue access information visible on the website. If you would like me to come and visit your venue, please tell me a bit more about the access. Consider the access needs of as many people as possible. Make sure it’s easy to find and the information is clear. Don’t overwhelm me with lots of information. Choose your colours carefully and make sure I can read the content.
What makes a good website?
One with a virtual Google Map to explore and pictures of the venue information which I might need for the future. Online booking for people with access needs is really useful. When a bit of thought has gone into the layout and design it is excellent.
Is there one thing that every website could do that would make your life easier?
In terms of booking tickets, it would be really useful to standardise accessibility pricing. Lately, I have found when using some websites it can be cheaper if I take my wheelchair and then transfer directly into a seat. Having a standard price for accessibility tickets would mean I would be able to choose what mobility aid to take with me.
Get in touch
If you are looking to conduct inclusive usability testing on your organisation’s website, or you are interested in taking part in inclusive website usability studies please get in touch by emailing us on [email protected].