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Investigation of COVID-19 Vaccine Information Websites across Europe and Asia Using Automated Accessibility Protocols

Author

Listed:
  • Jinat Ara

    (Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Systems, University of Pannonia, Egyetem u. 10, 8200 Veszprem, Hungary)

  • Cecilia Sik-Lanyi

    (Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Systems, University of Pannonia, Egyetem u. 10, 8200 Veszprem, Hungary)

Abstract

Websites content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) ensure that websites should be perceivable, understandable, navigable, and interactive. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the importance of accessible websites and online content grew throughout the world. Therefore, in this study, we examined COVID-19-related official government websites. This research covered 21 government websites, with 13 websites from European countries and 8 websites from Asian countries, to evaluate their accessibility following WCAG 2.0 and WCAG 2.1 guidelines. The overall goal of this study was to identify the frequent accessibility problems that might help the website owners to identify the shortcomings of their websites. The target websites were evaluated in two steps: in step-1, evaluation was performed through four automatic web accessibility testing tools such as Mauve++, Nibbler, WAVE, and WEB accessibility tools; in step-2, evaluation went through human observation, such as system usability testing and expert testing. The automatic evaluation results showed that few of the websites were accessible; a significant number of websites were not accessible for people with disabilities. In addition, system usability testing found some complexity in website organization, short explanations, and outdated information. The expert testing suggested improving the color of the websites, organization of links, buttons, and font size. This study might be helpful for associated authorities to improve the quality of the websites in the future.

Suggested Citation

  • Jinat Ara & Cecilia Sik-Lanyi, 2022. "Investigation of COVID-19 Vaccine Information Websites across Europe and Asia Using Automated Accessibility Protocols," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-45, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:5:p:2867-:d:761859
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Aroon Chande & Seolha Lee & Mallory Harris & Quan Nguyen & Stephen J. Beckett & Troy Hilley & Clio Andris & Joshua S. Weitz, 2020. "Real-time, interactive website for US-county-level COVID-19 event risk assessment," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 4(12), pages 1313-1319, December.
    2. Alexandro Pinto & Luciana Sepúlveda Köptcke & Renata David & Hannah Kuper, 2021. "A National Accessibility Audit of Primary Health Care Facilities in Brazil—Are People with Disabilities Being Denied Their Right to Health?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-11, March.
    3. Marian PADURE & Costin PRIBEANU, 2020. "Comparing Six Free Accessibility Evaluation Tools," Informatica Economica, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 24(1), pages 15-25.
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    Cited by:

    1. Domenica Ramírez-Saltos & Patricia Acosta-Vargas & Gloria Acosta-Vargas & Marco Santórum & Mayra Carrion-Toro & Manuel Ayala-Chauvin & Esteban Ortiz-Prado & Verónica Maldonado-Garcés & Mario González-, 2023. "Enhancing Sustainability through Accessible Health Platforms: A Scoping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-38, November.

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