In our latest blog, find out what good digital accessibility means to Delivery Manager, Emma Marmion, and what she’s learned since joining HeX Productions.
What does good digital accessibility mean to you personally?
Before joining HeX, I didn’t know anything about website development or digital accessibility. It’s not something I ever really thought about. Naively, I (along with many other people I’m sure) didn’t think about the struggles people may face if they’re unable to use a mouse for instance. Everyone should have the same opportunity to view digital content, whether it be on a website, app, news article, blog or video.
Are there any items of assistive technology that you use in everyday life?
I never have the volume up on my phone, so, I prefer to watch videos with captions or subtitles on them. If I’m scrolling through Instagram and a video starts to play without captions, I will usually not watch it, rather than turning the sound on. I’m not sure if this is just a subconscious thing, as it really annoys me if people sit in a public place with their phone on full volume, without caring about how this affects other people.
What are the most common reasons HeX is approached to help with accessibility?
We get multiple requests for website accessibility audit testing throughout the year. A lot of our clients approach us for website design and development, as they want their platforms to be accessible from the start, rather than having to fix errors down the line; which is something we certainly champion.
We also get a lot of requests for accessibility training. These knowledge building sessions can be for clients who have had a website build or redesign, to ensure their content stays accessible into the future. Alternatively, some people want to learn how to assess the accessibility of their own platform, or simply want general accessibility awareness training to help to change people’s mindsets. Just learning the basics with simple changes to fonts, colours, and writing styles can make a big difference, without people realising how much.
Can you explain a little about your role at HeX and how it helps towards building an inclusive online world?
I’m HeX’s Delivery Manager. I am responsible for planning our projects, managing resource availability within the team, and ensuring everyone knows what they’re doing each week.
Even though I am not the one completing the tasks that our team carry out each day, which help so many people, I have learned a lot about small inclusive changes that people can easily make. By sitting in on our training sessions and being part of a project from the start, means the whole team gets involved.
What makes you most proud about your position at HeX?
Even helping just one person have a better online experience, means we’ve done our job properly.
