Financial Services
Accessibility barriers can make it easier to bank in-person.
When we talked to members of the disability community about their experiences with online banking and investment sites, several noted that accessibility barriers can make it hard to manage their accounts online — forcing them to rely on in-person services or the help of friends, family, and even strangers.
In fact, accessibility barriers are one of the reasons that just 37% of households with a disability used online or mobile as their primary method to access their account, compared with 62% of households with no disability (National Disability InstituteOpens in a new tab).
“For banking, both personally and for work, the first step is always evaluating the accessibility of their online portals. And if a company is consistently unwilling to improve things, then it’s kind of like ‘Nope, this isn’t going to work.’”
TJ Olsen | AudioEye A11iance Member and QA Tester
EXPERT AUDITS
Breaking down the most significant barriers on the top finance sites.
After reviewing the top financial services sites, our expert testers noted that keyboard accessibility issues made it hard for screen reader users to navigate around pop-up windows (such as promotional offers) or access information about account policies or perks.
On average, our testers found another 10 accessibility barriers across the pages tested, which included account pages and ATM/branch locators — including three consistent barriers that impacted their ability to sign up for or manage accounts.
1. Pop-up windows could not be closed using keyboard commands.
Our experts noted multiple pop-up windows that could not be closed with a keyboard — meaning assistive technology users could get trapped inside the pop-up with no way to return to the main page content.
WCAG Criteria: 2.1.1: KeyboardOpens in a new tab
Disabilities Affected: Visual, Mobility
2. Missing skip links made site navigation difficult for screen reader users.
Our experts noted many pages were missing a “skip to main” link, which enables screen reader users to jump past a bunch of unwanted links (such as primary navigation links) and get to the main content on a page.
WCAG Criteria: 2.4.1: Bypass BlocksOpens in a new tab
Disabilities Affected: Visual
3. Keyboard accessibility issues prevented users from accessing key information.
Our experts encountered several “accordion” elements (i.e., FAQ entries that can be expanded or collapsed by clicking a button) that did not respond to keyboard commands, which prevented screen reader users from accessing key information.
WCAG Criteria: 4.1.2: Name, Role, ValueOpens in a new tab
Disabilities Affected: Visual, Cognitive
“A lot of times, there aren’t any steps to take to [maintain financial privacy]. You just have to accept that you’re about to give it up, because something you need to do isn’t optional.”
Chris Preiman | AudioEye A11iance Member & Internet Security Professional
AUTOMATED SCAN RESULTS
Most common issues, financial services sites.
Our automated scan revealed a number of significant accessibility issues on financial services sites, with the most frequent offenders being issues related to site navigation and filling out forms.
62% of pages on financial services sites had at least one link that did not clearly state where it would take users.
For people with visual and cognitive disabilities, clear, descriptive link text is a critical part of being able to navigate websites.
WCAG Success Criteria: 2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context)Opens in a new tab
Disabilities Affected: Visual, Cognitive
37% of pages on financial services sites had at least one button that did not clearly state where it would take users.
For people with visual and cognitive disabilities, clear, descriptive buttons is a critical part of being able to navigate websites.
WCAG Success Criteria: 2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context)Opens in a new tab
Disabilities Affected: Visual, Cognitive
40% of pages on financial services sites with a form had at least one field that was not labeled.
Without descriptive field labels, it can be difficult for people with visual and cognitive impairments to sign up for an account or upload their personal information.
WCAG Success Criteria: 3.3.2: Labels or InstructionsOpens in a new tab
Disabilities Affected: Visual, Cognitive
Get expert insight into the accessibility of your top pages and customer portals.
Uncover accessibility barriers that are making it hard for people with disabilities to manage their online banking needs with an expert audit of your site.
