Viafoura is deeply committed to ensuring our products are accessible to all users. Our dedication to creating universally usable experiences is core to our approach to product development. This commitment to ensuring quality experiences for all users, makes accessibility a priority from the very beginning of our design process.
Introducing Our Accessibility Expert: Farhan Jiwani!
Central to our accessibility efforts is Farhan Jiwani, a Senior Front End Engineer, and accessibility subject matter expert at Viafoura. With over a decade of experience in accessibility, Farhan’s passion began when one of his former clients, a Bank, made accessibility a priority years ago. This experience spurred his desire to make communication universally accessible.
“I started off my dev career because I wanted to write really cool code, now I stay because I want to build a world that is as accessible as possible & reaches as many people as possible,” says Farhan.
Our approach to accessibility begins at the first stage of the design process. Farhan works closely with our design team to integrate accessibility considerations into our products. By introducing these considerations early on, we keep accessibility at the forefront throughout the product development cycle.
When asked what gives him satisfaction at work, Farhan responded: “Making the world better, just by making Viafoura better”.
Prioritizing Accessibility as a Key Objective
For us, accessibility is not an add-on, it’s a strategic goal. By including accessibility in our core OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), we keep it central to our product development process, which helps to keep our tools compliant with WCAG 2.1 AA standards as well a regional legislative requirements such as the AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act).
Recognizing Achievement: Viafoura Accessibility Audit
Recently, we partnered with the wonderful team at Fable Tech Labs to conduct our annual accessibility audit. The results were remarkable! The audit involved testing our platform with 20 diverse accessibility users, including those who rely on screen readers, screen magnification, and alternative navigation methods. 100% of these users scored Viafoura’s tools as Easy to Use and Satisfies Accessibility Guidelines.
Key areas of the audit, such as Conversation Flow, Profile Login Flow, and Engagement Starter, were rigorously tested and passed without any significant issues. Testers appreciated the clear heading structure, high contrast notification bell, and well-spaced fonts that increased readability for low vision users.
One tester noted, ““The heading structure was very straightforward and easy to navigate. Each of the headings took me directly to the sections I was looking for, and the elements under the comment section were easy to learn how to interact with.” a testament to our focus on accessible design.
Looking Forward with Viafoura Accessibility
Our aim is to keep pushing the boundaries of disability-inclusive design and elevate the standards for accessibility. Our next objective is to restructure coding conventions to meet the highest accessibility standards, enhancing the developer experience and allowing for quicker updates and improvements.
With Farhan’s expertise and the commitment of our entire team, we strive to keep setting new benchmarks in inclusive product design.
