Applause Survey Highlights Gaps in Digital Accessibility Expertise and QA Processes
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Applause, the world leader in digital quality and crowdsourced testing, released the results of its fifth annual State of Digital Quality in Accessibility survey, revealing growing awareness and adoption of inclusive design practices ahead of the European Accessibility Act (EAA) deadline in June, as well as interest in adopting AI's accessibility-related capabilities. The survey of 1,500+ developers, engineers and QA, UX and legal professionals also found gaps in relevant expertise and QA processes that would help ensure optimal experiences for all users.
"Organizations are creating dedicated teams to help ensure digital experiences are inclusive – but unless they have access to testing experts and end users with disabilities for feedback, it will be a significant challenge achieving this goal.' Bob Farrell
Despite a growing commitment to digital accessibility, organizations still lack the resources for continuous, independent testing. Many are turning to AI-driven solutions to supplement internal efforts, but additional investment, including in external expertise and support, is needed to bridge the gap. The survey also revealed that not enough AI and generative AI (Gen AI) developers are seeking input from diverse user groups, including people with disabilities (PWD) – a critical oversight that risks reinforcing bias and limiting the inclusive potential of these technologies.
Key findings:
Digital accessibility awareness has grown steadily over the past four years and is considered an important priority for most organizations.
84% of respondents said that digital accessibility is a top priority (47%) or important priority (37%) for their company. Fewer than 6% consider it a low priority or not a priority at all.
80% have a person or group at their organization responsible for ensuring products are accessible – up from 52% in 2022. And, 86% of them are employing inclusive design principles at the planning stage.
Teams are more educated on the topic of digital accessibility, with knowledge ticking upward for the past four years, most notably in the areas of 'advanced' and 'basic' understanding. This year, nearly three-quarters of respondents rated their current understanding as 'intermediate' (36%), 'advanced' (30%) or 'expert' (8%).
Despite the increase in awareness, gaps in digital accessibility expertise and QA processes are apparent.
Even with dedicated roles and teams overseeing accessibility efforts, 68% of respondents still reported that they lack the expertise and resources to test for accessibility independently, on an ongoing basis.
Only one-third of respondents said they directly engage PWD in digital accessibility efforts. And, half of organizations testing AI and Gen AI products are not including underrepresented viewpoints including those of PWD, contributing to biased results.
48% do not have or do not know if they have processes in place to stop the release of inaccessible features into production.
There is excitement around AI-powered accessibility and automated tools.
47% of respondents said AI currently provides significant value to accessibility testing, while another 37% believe it will in the next two years.
59% of respondents indicated that they use or plan to use automated tools, which can help identify up to 40% of accessibility issues.
40% of respondents plan to use AI to solve accessibility issues within their organization – while 31% don't know if they'll use AI in this way.
'Our latest survey reveals an increasingly inclusive mindset among the software development community,' said Bob Farrell, Vice President, Solution Delivery & Accessibility, Applause. 'Organizations want to optimize digital experiences for all users – not just check the compliance box, though the upcoming EAA deadline is certainly on their radar. Organizations are creating dedicated teams to help ensure digital experiences are inclusive – but unless they have access to testing experts and end users with disabilities for feedback, it will be a significant challenge achieving this goal.'
Additional findings:
For the fourth consecutive year, inclusion tops the list of accessibility conformance motivators.
When asked to rank the reasons to achieve conformance, 45% of respondents ranked 'improving usability for all users' highest. Other motivators, in descending order of importance, include: 'building positive public perception' (25%), 'gaining/maintaining marketshare' (16%), 'improving SEO' (8%) and 'avoiding litigation' (5%).
Development teams are shifting left, with 77% of developers addressing accessibility at the earliest stages of the SDLC – an increase of 6% since 2023.
But, mistakes still slip into production. The top issues cited by users include videos lacking captions (32%), website incompatibility with screen readers (30%) and error alerts that are not descriptive (27%).
Organizations are aligning with new and upcoming standards, including the EAA.
94% are preparing for the EAA by the June 28, 2025 deadline versus only 58% in 2024.
54% of respondents reported their company meets WCAG 2.2 standards – a 24% increase since 2022.
70% of respondents know their WCAG 2.2 status, versus 58% last year.
'At one time, our clients' main call for accessibility was 'Let's ensure compliance. We don't want to get sued.' And now, they are recognizing that by engaging accessibility experts and people with disabilities to review and test their applications, they open their businesses up to new potential customers around the world,' continued Farrell. 'They want to give all customers an amazing experience that lives up to their high standards for digital quality – ensuring usability for all.'
The Accessibility Survey is part of the State of Digital Quality content series from Applause – an extension of 15+ years of helping global organizations achieve and deliver accessible and inclusive experiences to their customers. Based on in-depth analysis of testing platform data, survey results and interviews with customers and internal experts, the report provides guidance on how organizations can build and grow programs that enable optimal, inclusive digital experiences for all users, regardless of disability status.
Additional resources:
About Applause
Applause is the world leader in digital quality – built by innovators, powered by people and dedicated to the comprehensive digital testing and feedback needs of our global enterprise customers. Our fully managed solutions harness a powerful combination of community-based testing and advanced technology to ensure organizations can move quickly to release apps, devices and experiences that are consistently functional, intuitive and inclusive in any market. Our experts steward customers through the entire testing process, from strategy through execution, at every stage of the software development lifecycle. And, we seamlessly supplement existing resources, providing actionable, real-time insights that drive customer retention and revenue. With specialties including accessibility, AI and payment testing, we're proud to be an essential partner to the most innovative names in the digital economy, as we work together to ensure technology works for everyone, everywhere. Learn more at www.applause.com
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