Making IT Good for SocietyThe Power of the TestersSIGiST Conference Summer 2016: workshop write up

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The background

Throughout the day we heard various stories and examples of how inaccessible software has a massive impact on the everyday lives of users with disabilities; and by that we mean both the people who use, or are affected by, the service.

From doctors, to hill farmers, to manual workers expecting a weekly wage payment – we are all affected in different ways by technology and the service it

provides or enables.

This falls directly into the BCS Capability Challenge – helping those in information and technology build a digital world for real people. We want to make a difference by working together to stimulate thinking, debate and action.

“Ask not what BCS can do for you but what together, as BCS members, we can do to Make IT Good for Society”

www.bcs.org/goodforsociety

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The discussion

We posed two questions:

What can the software testing community do to have the biggest impact on digital accessibility?

What can this community do to bring that about?

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This is what we learned

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Influence

White paper

Influence Decision Makers

Legislation not being implemented e.g. you can’t ignore legislation in other

professions

BCS Code of Conduct

Help enforce DDA

compliance

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Awareness

Resources

Raise Awareness

Children & schools – talk to kids, excite them about the diversity so the generation

becomes aware

Awards for accessible websites

People need to know &

understand

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Young people

Get more kids with disability into testing

e.g. TV Raman Schools & education

Get testing & accessibility into younger levels in schools

University projects – provide training

material in software testing

Curriculum – does GCSE or A-level curriculum include testing?

Go into schools and

explain

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Development teams & testers

Include accessibility at strategy level

Teams should…, we

should….

Inform the BAs/product owners about importance of usability so it’s planned in

earlier

Call in a 3rd party/specialist

earlier if needed, not at go-live

Perform usability testing earlier in the development

cycle, not at the end

Advocate & educate at design & architecture stages – testers get

involved earlier Experience life as a blind person to give meaning to everyday issues

Compassion – if your how would you feel if friends/family had a disability and ad to use this

software?

Bring your daughter to work day = future engineer; bring your granny to work day =

current system user

Online video to show developers

Accessibility shouldn’t be a non-functional requirement.

It should: •Be part of base product•Be part of functional requirements•Not be extra effort or budget•Be included as standard in test plan•Be signed off by wider users

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So what next?

You can• Come on the journey with us and keep going with this topic…

• Use this workshop as a basis for change, start something new, do something differently…

• Contribute to the challenge thinking

• Run your own BCS voices event (coming in the autumn)

• Talk to us capability@bcs.uk

• Visit www.bcs.org/goodforsociety

We will• Review the notes and consider what BCS HQ might introduce, lead on as part of the

Capability challenge• Use your inputs to feed into the challenge• Keep you informed via the website• Support you and promote the Making IT Good for Society initiatives you might launch