Enabling accessibility for visually impaired panellists

Key takeaways:

• YouGov redesigned its entire widget library and common components in 2022 to ensure surveys are accessible to members with visual or hearing impairments
• Visually impaired panellists have been directly engaged to provide feedback, helping to identify accessibility issues missed in testing and improve the overall survey experience
• Ensuring accessibility is not just about inclusion - it is essential to capturing accurate, representative data that reflects the full diversity of the public

Every day, more than 200,000 YouGov panellists globally share their opinions with us. In order for our research to reflect how the public sees the world, it is vital that we enable everyone to contribute their opinions and perspectives.

Why accessibility matters for data quality

A major part of this is ensuring that the technology platforms our members interact with are inclusive and accessible to all. Failing to do so can act as a barrier to participation and compromise the quality of our data.

A good example of our efforts to ensure accessibility in order to deliver accuracy is the work we do to enable those with visual impairments to take our surveys. In the UK alone, there are an estimated 2 million people with significant sight loss. This is a sizeable population and it’s important that our research accurately reflects the reality of people in this group.

Redesigning our technology for inclusive access

To this end, we have undertaken significant work to make sure we engage our visually impaired panellists. Our entire widget library and common components were redesigned in 2022 to ensure they are accessible for all members – including those who are visually or hearing impaired.

Learning directly from visually impaired panellists

We have also directly engaged visually impaired panellists so that we can make surveys fully accessible to them. The invaluable feedback they have provided includes:

• Flagging inaccessibility in surveys which was not picked up in testing
• Making us aware of features in our member websites and apps that could be improved which is then fed back to our developers
• Providing content and input to help us educate our clients about inclusive survey design, adding real-life experience and human context to the discussions
• Supporting bringing accessibility and panellist experience to life for YouGov colleagues – including visually impaired members contributing to a webinar with panel members

Continuing to improve

Of course, everything we do is a work in progress and we continue to engage with the community to better understand how we can improve the survey experience for them and, in doing so, ensure the quality of our data.

Photo: Getty