User1st, a provider of web accessibility solutions for testing, remediation, monitoring, and compliance, launched the Check1st™ automated accessibility testing platform.
“COVID-19 has had tremendous impacts on e-commerce growth as well as the need for government and health officials to provide accessible information. Our new and improved Check1st platform empowers organizations to take control of their accessibility to provide equitable services to people with disabilities and achieve optimal accessibility compliance,” said CEO of User1st Amihai Miron.
Check1st detects barriers and errors, and guides remediation efforts. Designed for content managers, developers, and website administrators, Check1st tests a website’s most critical user paths to flag web content and applications that are inaccessible to people with disabilities. With each web accessibility issue identified, it provides an explanation of the accessibility guideline that is being violated and links to guidelines for fixing the issue.
Check1st provides best-in-class and holistic tracking of an organization’s accessibility posture. The accessibility testing platform integrates with DevOps pipelines, is scalable for any size business, and provides a robust platform which allows users to scan, filters, manage, and report in a variety of ways with reliable results and easy to digest information. Regression and A/B testing reports allow organizations to demonstrate their accessibility progress, providing extra protections from accessibility lawsuits.
The majority of private organization and many government websites are not accessible to people with disabilities. This poses an exponential challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic when so many people in vulnerable populations, such as senior citizens, veterans, and people with disabilities who have other health issues, are reliant on website access for essential goods, services, and information.
Website accessibility is more than just a legal and ethical issues—it is a major business opportunity, and websites that are accessible to people with disabilities have been proven to increase both revenue and brand loyalty. Best practices in web accessibility also overlap with other best practices such as mobile web design and search engine optimization (SEO). In fact, websites with accessible content may have better search results, reduced maintenance costs, and increased audience reach.
An accessible website can be delivered and maintained with a robust and complete testing platform. With this new testing platform, User1st sets the standard for automated testing. User1st also provides manual testing services to augment or completely outsource an organization’s efforts so they can achieve ADA and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA compliance.
Check1st allows for flexible pricing options. Annual subscriptions of uTester are available in packages of scans. In addition, User1st may offer special rates for organizations that provide essential goods and services via digital assets to ensure access during COVID-19.
