An Analytical Approach to Accessibility and Usability Evaluation of Nigerian Airlines Websites

In the present globalized world, online access to information and service irrespective of location and time have become the order of the day. A major gateway to online information and services in any corporate or government organization is the website. Thus, websites accessibility and usability across different organizations is gaining interest among researchers and practitioners. This study focuses on evaluating the level of accessibility and usability of websites of major airlines in the civil aviation industry in Nigeria for the purpose of ascertaining their level of compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. In achieving the aim of the study, different automated tools such as the A-Checker tool, European Internet Inclusion Initiative (EIII) e-accessibility tool, WAVE web accessibility evaluation tool (WAVE), Functional Accessibility Evaluation Tool and Mobile Friendly Test were used in the study. In addition, heuristic method was used for the usability testing. Based on the various tests conducted, majority of the websites show known problems (KP) and high failure in terms of xhtml conformance with the stipulated guidelines. Findings from the coding and design tests reveal an average performance while the websites’ implementation tests and mobile friendly tests were not satisfactory. The usability evaluation reveals that most of the websites do not have functional and required usability tools expected from commercial airlines. In practical terms, this study provides pointer to stakeholders in the civil aviation industry in Nigeria on the importance of ensuring that websites deployed facilitate seamless interaction with customers and enable service delivery without constraints.

Author(s): Ishaq Oyebisi Oyefolahan, Abdulkarim Musa Onuja and Hussaini Abubakar Zubairu

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