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Re: The cost of accessibility

for

From: Simius Puer
Date: Oct 5, 2010 4:51AM

Define "hi folks" ...just kidding ;]

Seriously though, I know what you are asking and I'd have to agree that
estimating anything more than a rough ball-park % is almost impossible to
put a generic figure on such a task.

To be honest, to try to be any more precise than this seems to me both a
little dangerous and also a bit pointless (I can already hear a million
accountants screaming at me!).

"Dangerous" because if you have accountants running part of the show (as is
impossible to avoid with Government websites) then exceeding an estimate can
prove problematic - anyone who has been in this situation knows what I'm
talking about.

"Pointless" because one major part of proper accessibility testing (as
opposed to using the tick-box approach) is real-user testing - and this can
throw up all manner of problems, some of which can be quick-fixes whilst
others may impact more need more serious remedial efforts. This alone
prevents any accurate estimations...but in addition to that there are a few
questions that need to be asked and a few assumptions challenged.

+ Overheads vs Explicit Costs +

If you have a "fully-skilled, fully-experienced team at your disposal" then
much of your cost is already hidden. These people are at the core of any
successful accessibility efforts. The more experienced they are the less
unexpected problems you will face alone the way. So whilst an experienced
team will increase your overheads they should decrease your project-specific
costs. Try measuring that with any success ;]

+ Cost vs Investment +

Why do people always talk about the "cost" of accessibility? This in itself
is very damaging as it infers something that is spent for no reason or
return. Accessibility should be considered an "investment". For eCommerce
sites this can come through removing barriers, brand building/loyalty and
even simply just better SEO (more on that below) - all providing returns
which in themselves are impossible to quantify with any major accuracy.
Even on non-eCommerce sites this is true as these sites are often there to
provide services and information in a manner which is more cost effective
than other methods - thus the more people you can reach by this manner saves
budget elsewhere. And as with any technological development you may not see
your return right away as it can take for your market (commercial or
otherwise) to accept, trust and adapt to using your new distribution
channel.

+ Compartmentalising Costs and Return +

How do you separate accessibility costs from others involved in the
development of a new website? And indeed, how do you measure the return? I
mentioned before that accessibility impacts on SEO - many of the practices
that improve one improve the other (I'm talking white-hat not black-hat SEO
here of course!). I won't re-cover this point in depth in this thread but
just ask yourself how you would allocate the costs? For example, if you
caption videos are you doing it for accessibility or SEO? Where do you
allocate the cost...or more precisely put, the "investment"?

+ What Level of Accessibility +

Now, this is dangerous territory indeed. Any true champion of accessibility
will tell you that you can not simply use the tick-box approach. Meeting
any set standard is measurable but does it genuinely mean your website is
accessible? No. Sadly this makes measurement, and thus the associated
costs, pretty elusive.

Every element of accessibility you add in has associated costs and, as I
have pointed out, associated benefits. However, the reality is also that
there are diminishing returns on any accessibility efforts (just as with any
other area of investment). If you try to measure each aspect on a
case-by-case basis you will end up spending more on justifying each point
than just getting it done. An accountant can not make the call as to where
to draw a line - only an experienced professional with a good understanding
of the target market can do this, and even then it really is more of a
judgment call (and yes, sometimes professionals to need to make these!).

Depending on which country/countries you are operating in and the
legislation in place there you may already have a baseline to aim for...but
anyone aiming for the "minimum" should probably not be involved in
accessibility in the first place.


Your question still remains and is perfectly valid, but I think it may need
to evolve a little depending on exactly what it is you want to achieve with
your study. If it is simply a case of getting a ballpark % figure then I
think your 2-5% is a reasonable rule-of-thumb. Personally though I don't
see much value in that approach and I think you need to wrestle with the
accountants to get them to understand the bigger impact of accessibility and
to stop treating it as something that needs to be costed as an individual
item.

Disclaimer: No accountants were harmed in the writing of this email ;]