Toyota Customer Website Adopts Tools to Improve Accessibility
Toyota’s goal of providing mobility for all is not confined to developing new vehicles and services, it also focuses on helping provide clear and easily accessible information. Accessibility is the driving principle behind changes to Toyota’s UK customer website, toyota.co.uk, that make it easier to read and use for people with a range of vision and cognitive impairments.
Toyota (GB) has introduced a new accessibility menu, located in the bottom right corner of each web page. One click opens up a full menu of options to adjust the way the content is presented, such as font, text size and alignment and line, letter and word spacing.
The display can also be changed for contrast and brightness and presented in monochrome rather than full colour, including images. A screen mask tool creates a focused reading band across the page, or a zoom tool can be used to enlarge the content. A choice of cursor type and size makes for easier navigation.
In addition, there are tools for underlining headings, highlighting key parts of the text and web links and text description of images.
Alternatively, pre-defined profiles can be applied: the pages can be optimised for people with visual difficulties, specifically achromatopsia and presbyopia, or with dyslexia. There is also a setting to suit users who prefer a modified font design and larger text size, or higher screen brightness to make reading less tiring.
The user can save their preferences so that the web pages will automatically be presented in their preferred format when opened.
Stuart Sanders, Toyota (GB) Communications and Product Director, said: “Globally, Toyota wants to ensure no one is left behind as we develop our business to deliver mobility for all, a message reinforced by our Olympic Paralympics sponsorship. We have applied our customer-first approach to look at how we can make it easier for people to use our customer website, an increasingly important resource as more of our services become available online. The new accessibility tool has been designed by specialists to provide multiple ways of adapting the text and images to suit a wide range of user requirements. We’re confident it will make it easier for many people to obtain the information and services they need.”
Following its introduction at Toyota.co.uk, the tool is being prepared for future use on other Toyota (GB) websites.
ENDS
