How Travel Hands Impressed Its Users with an Accessible Website

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VIP World platform assisted Travel Hands to research with a diverse pool of people with disabilities. Travel Hands could research with a partially sighted active traveller in London and test their website with a completely blind advanced techie.

About Travel Hands:

Travel Hands is a service that aims at making travelling accessible for visually impaired people (VIP). It connects VIP users - who place journey requests similar to Uber - with the nearest trained volunteers who accompany and guide the VIP towards their requested destinations. 

This service is currently functioning in London and has just celebrated its one-year anniversary with remarkable success.

For more information, visit www.travelhands.co.uk

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Web accessibility with VIP World Platform:

Travel Hands used the VIP World platform to find Screen Reader and Magnification software users to make their website fully accessible and easy to use. The accessibility expert from Travel Hands conducted Moderated sessions (directly with user participants) by selecting 4 user participants to test the website on:

  1. Windows Desktop - using NVDA for Windows and Magnification Assistive tool
  2. MacBook Desktop - using Voiceover and Magnification Assistive tool
  3. Android Smartphone - using inbuilt Talkback Assistive Technology
  4. iPhone and iPad - using inbuilt Voiceover Assistive Technology 

The user participant’s technical skills ranged according to Novice (1), Average (2), and Advanced (1). 

Outcome:

The tests identified issues falling under the scope of WCAG 2.1 guidelines as well as concerns related to the user convenience in accessing information and navigating through the website. 

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User Research and Feedback on the Service 

Travel Hands needed to test the operations of its service with a diverse pool of Visually Impaired People to verify their primary assumptions. The User Researcher was interested in the following personas:

  1. London based, partially sighted, middle-aged (30 to 45 yrs old), male/ female. 
  2. London based, completely blind, middle-aged (30 to 45 yrs old), male/ female.
  3. London based, partially sighted, 60+ yrs old, female, frequent traveller with public services with or without assistance.
  4. London based, completely blind from birth, 18- 30 yrs old, male/ female, independent traveller with public services.

Outcome:

The user research sessions enabled to design the service offering keeping in mind partially sighted and completely blind individuals. Additionally, research gave insights considering an active independent traveller in one end to an individual dependent on others for regular travel in the city. 

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