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Freie Hansestadt Bremen

Continuous Improvement of Accessibility for the Website “Persons of Single Contact”

Anyone who wants to launch an economic project in a federal state as a company or a service provider has to read many regulations and obtain permits. In order to speed up the necessary procedures, the federal states are offering the “single point of contact” in implementation of the EU Services Directive, a website that serves as an intermediary and information portal. All permits and forms for entrepreneurial activities can be found here. The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen also provides this service on a central website. In order to be able to reach all people with the service, T-Systems MMS was commissioned to conduct an accessibility check.


Benefit for our Customer


Checkmark for the benefit of our customers

Compliance with legal requirements regarding accessibility

Checkmark for the benefit of our customers

Greater reach of the offer through inclusion

Checkmark for the benefit of our customers

Time savings in implementation thanks to specific recommendations for action

Christian Cohrs, Central IT-Management of Hansestadt Bremen (the Hanseatic City of Bremen)

"We were very satisfied with the entire process – with the consultation before signing the contract, 
the information chain during the process and, in particular, with the detailed test report."


Reference at a Glance


Task

Task

Evaluation of the website with regard to accessibility

Solution

Solution

Preparation of expert opinions and action plan for the optimization of the website

Benefits

Result

Expert opinion based on the tests followed by recommendations for development and design to optimize accessibility

  • Requirements

    A single point of contact to reach everyone

    The authorities of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen are legally obliged to pay attention to accessibility when designing their digital services. According to the Barrier-Free Accessibility Act, companies will also have to face up to this issue in the future. Almost 13 million people in Germany live with an officially recognised disability. Many are employed, work in companies or are self-employed. They should also be able to use the services of the single point of contact – inclusion applies at all levels.

    Users have completely different requirements for a website, depending on the nature and degree of their limitations. This also brings with it different challenges for the developers, which are not always easy to implement. For example, people who use a screen reader to read the content of a website are dependent on image descriptions. However, these must then be recorded in the content management system. And that’s just one of many possible barriers.

    Developers can find countless resources on the Internet that provide information about accessibility. Because of the many different needs of the user groups, there is a risk of confusion. In order to gain a better overview of the accessibility of the “one-stop contact”, T-Systems MMS was commissioned to review and design measures.

  • Solution

    Tests for all needs of all user groups

    The experts at T-Systems MMS have subjected the appearance of the single point of contact to a structured test. In doing so, the team takes the perspective of all different user groups and examines the website for potential barriers and display and usage problems.

    The basis for the examination is an extensive catalogue of criteria that reflects the divergent needs of users with limitations. The contents, buttons, menus and forms are checked for their visibility, comprehensibility and usability. This should be done in the same way as the “Single Point of Contact” presents itself to the circles of people. The results are recorded and evaluated with a points system. The end result is an assessment of how barrier-free the website already is and how far the potential path for developers and designers still is to obtain the certificate of accessibility.

  • Benefit

    Expert opinion with concrete planning of measures

    The report prepared by T-Systems MMS points to existing barriers in the design and programming of the website. However, it is not limited to the general evaluation. Identified problems are explained comprehensively and related tips for the solution are given. This is an important help for development and design teams, which are able to implement improvement measures more quickly and progress more quickly overall. In this way, the action plan can be optimally integrated into day-to-day business and project planning.

    In this way, the city of Bremen will not only be able to close any remaining gaps on the path to compliance with statutory regulations more quickly. In addition, the risk of possible complaints or conciliation procedures is reduced. And thanks to the inclusion, there is also a greater potential reach of the offer as a whole.

About the Customer

As a central contact and service point for companies in Bremen and Bremerhaven, the “one-stop contact” (EA or EAP for short) is available. All procedures and formalities necessary for the establishment and operation of a business can be carried out here. For example, it supports companies and business start-ups, provides information on the requirements and forms required for starting and pursuing a business activity, provides contact details for the competent authorities and authorities as well as supporting associations and organisations, and provides experts and networks on issues related to business start-ups, land, real estate and subsidies. The Point of Single Contact is located in the Bremen Business Service.


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