Compete with Usability and Accessibility - Standardisation as a means to reach new markets or increased market shares

Purpose and goal

Overall aim: to investigate whether standards of usability and accessibility can be used to provide organizations with competitive advantages. For this to happen, it should be handled as a market strategic issue at management level. How management in different organizations handles standards as a competition issue. The project has mapped standards of usability and accessibility that can be seen as a quality that creates benefits for the organization that follows them. The project has also described how an organization can work with standards and increase its competence in the field.

Expected results and effects

Through the project, we can establish that there are appropriate standards that describe proposals for processes that can be used. At the same time, we can note that it is difficult to get the management´s commitment to the issue. It is not obvious in the organizations to link accessibility / usability to quality / sustainability / human rights. We note that few businesses are at a high maturity level in terms of usability and accessibility. There is a position to take for anyone who wants to be a market leader in accessibility within each product and service segment.

Planned approach and implementation

A compilation of the standards that are applicable to achieve usability and accessibility, both in products and processes. Examples and case studies from the business community and the public sector on successful (and possibly less successful) uses of standards to achieve usability and accessibility. A training package linked to how standards of usability and accessibility can be a competitive advantage A description of future development opportunities and research needs