Commitment to accessibility
Accessibility is a top priority for us and we are always striving to ensure that our platform follows the highest accessibility standards and best practices. We do this, for instance, by making sure that all questionnaire elements have been coded accordingly, and that screen readers and other assistive technology can help respondents in filling out questionnaires.
We view developing an accessible Maptionnaire service as a process, as there is always room for improvement. Accessibility standards and assistive web technologies are constantly changing, and as such we cannot always ensure that we have been able to build everything in a way that would guarantee the best experience. We are, however, committed to the process and want to remove accessibility barriers wherever possible. We therefore welcome all feedback and suggestions for improvement (please send them to support@maptionnaire.com).
Guidelines and standards
Maptionnaire follows the W3C standard and practices for developing web services. Maptionnaire follows the EU Accessibility Directive and commits to implementing level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG2.1) developed by the W3C.
Exceptions and level of accessibility
Background maps and other web-based map services are not compatible with assistive technology. Due to this map-based parts of Maptionnaire are inherently incompatible with certain accessibility tools such as screen readers. This is an issue that we at Maptionnaire unfortunately cannot work around, and for this reason, the EU Accessibility Directive and the Finnish Act on the Provision of Digital Services explicitly exempt map-based web services.
Maptionnaire aims to make the non-map related parts of the service accessible within the guidelines and standards outlined above. In particular, questionnaire pages and elements should be available to screen readers, and questionnaires should support keyboard-based navigation, including maps where possible. Maptionnaire service features are customizable and clients can inadvertently produce poorly accessible styles. To mitigate this, we ensure proper default values and provide suitable color palettes.
What YOU can do to improve the accessibility of your surveys and pages
While it is our responsibility to make sure that Maptionnaire as a platform is compatible with accessibility guidelines and best practices, it is your responsibility to make sure that the content that you bring to the platform is accessible. Here are some tips:
- Add alternative descriptions to images in Materials. This is a short description of the image for those using screen readers.
- Never use color as the sole method for communicating information. For example, when denoting different items on a map, include labels in addition to color.
- Check that images and maps have enough contrast.
- Make it possible for respondents to answer a map question in writing or by sending a voice message.
- Use images, icons and pictograms to communicate ideas. For example, each multiple choice option can feature an image in addition to text. This can make it easier for respondents to understand exactly what you mean.
- Vary text sizes, itemize and use text effects like bolding or cursive to make texts easier to take in. For more info on this topic, see Headings, text and text effects
- Keep it simple. Reading maps, let alone digital maps, is never equally easy for everyone. Don't make it more difficult by featuring multiple complex map layers unless they are absolutely vital and you can be sure that they will be understood by your respondents. Instead, focus on what is essential.