The job market, technologies, and work methods have changed significantly. More businesses now lean towards low-code and no-code solutions to simplify web design and development. Companies are training their business professionals to become software developers due to a lack of resources. As a result, many websites are created by non-professionals, so-called citizen developers, using low-code and no-code tools. That raises concerns about whether such websites meet web accessibility standards. This study investigates the phenomena and spans results across three areas: the extent of compliance with accessibility guidelines (1), prevalent accessibility challenges (2), and optimal practices for accessibility enhancement (3). The research involves tasking five individuals with creating websites using different low-code and no-code tools: Wix, Webflow, WordPress.com, Weebly, and Google Sites. Then, the websites are objectively evaluated for accessibility adherence using Google Lighthouse Analytics and WCAG 2.2 criteria assessment. The results are then combined to compare the overall accessibility adherence. The research concludes that websites developed by citizen developers do not meet accessibility standards. Many websites struggle with the fundamental aspects of accessibility that are necessary for pleasant and comfortable use. To improve the situation, web developers—professionals and amateurs—should prioritise accessibility in web development and design. On the other hand, low-code and no-code platforms should try to implement accessibility features in their tools.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:hj-65477 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Edigbe, Emmanuel, Drezner, Wiktoria |
| Publisher | Jönköping University, Tekniska Högskolan |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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