What is accessiBe?
accessiBe is an AI-powered solution that provides users with easier accessibility whilst on the web. It uses smart, new technology to automatically transform a website into a fully compliant and easily navigable page, allowing you to adjust and optimise certain features specialised to your needs.
How do I use it?
When you’re on Asda Mobile, you’ll notice a new pink icon showing a white cog in the bottom left corner. Click on this and you’ll be presented with accessiBe’s accessibility features.
To get started you can simply toggle on the most appropriate pre-built profile, which will automatically adjust the website to suit your needs. If you wish for something more bespoke, you can mix and match its features to build the right look for you. If you’re not happy with the changes you’ve made, there’s a ‘reset settings’ button to get things back to how they were.
How does it work?
accessiBe uses two different applications that are each responsible for monitoring and adjusting separate elements on a webpage. The accessibility interface manages the design side of the website, while the AI technology handles the more complicated aspects like screen-reader and keyboard navigation for those with visual or motor impairments.
After installation, the programme will scan and analyse a website to apply the necessary adjustments on top of the existing interface. accessiBe rescans the website every day, keeping content, widgets, and other features updated to meet the ‘Web Content Accessibility Guidelines’ established by the World Wide Web Consortium. These rules ensure that websites are accessible for people with disabilities, such as visual impairments, motor impairments, colour blindness and epilepsy.
When activated, accessiBe works overtop of the existing webpage, so the overall design and performance of the website won’t change, but a set of tools will be made available to make it easier to use.
How can accessiBe help you?
If you suffer from any visual, auditory or motor impairments, then accessiBe can be used to make your experience on the internet more enjoyable and accessible.
You can adjust the website’s design and interface to suit your individual requirements, which will completely personalise the experience to aid you. The programme was developed alongside people with disabilities, so you can rest assured that the tools are worthwhile and efficient.
What features are available?
accessiBe brings with it a whole range of features that can be altered and applied to the website to meet your needs:
- Font - you can change the font size, the font type, adjust the spacing between words, alter the alignment on the page, and change line heights
- Colours - you can select different colour palettes to make the webpage easier to visualise, such as dark or light mode, or inverted or monochrome. You can also swap the colour schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds. This can be helpful for people with dyslexia, as both background and word colour can play a role in how easy it is to read content
- Animations - if you have epilepsy, you can halt all animations with one click, stopping flashing videos and GIFs from disrupting your viewing experience
- Content highlighting - you can emphasise certain elements, like links, titles, and important information by highlighting parts of the page
- Audio - you have the option of muting all videos that play automatically whilst on a website. This can be helpful for people who use hearing devices
- Cognitive disorders - accessiBe includes a search engine linking directly to Wikipedia and Wiktionary to help in deciphering the meanings of phrases, initials, and slang
- Cursor - you can change the colour of the cursor and its size
- Viewing - you can view the webpage in printing mode and access a virtual keyboard for easier typing
What if I don’t want or need accessiBe?
The AI solution is designed for people who struggle to see or type on screens, but it will only become available once it’s activated. It won’t automatically be present or installed on the web page unless you manually do it, so if you don’t want or need accessiBe, that’s fine - nothing will change for you.
Resources
If you’re looking for a new device to aid with your sight, hearing or motor skills, we have compiled a list of smartphones designed to help.
If you have any questions about this new feature, don’t hesitate to contact us on our website, by phone, or on Twitter.
