To promote easy access to digital content, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) establish a series of guidelines to improve the experience for all users.
Virtual Assistant is progressively integrating the recommended model to improve accessibility for its users. The included elements are detailed below:
Language: The bot window explicitly declares the language/region, so that screen readers and accessibility tools process the text in the correct language from the start of the interaction.
⨠Navigation and focus:
⢠Logical tab order: A correct focus order (tabindex) has been implemented for all interactive elements in the window: header, buttons (minimize, close), quick replies, form inputs, text field, and submit button.
⢠Accessible form fields and âshow passwordâ button: The âeyeâ icon to show/hide the password is now reachable with Tab, activatable with Enter/Space, and the screen reader announces the status (âShow passwordâ / âHide passwordâ).
⢠âAccessibilityâ option in the Web channel CTA: enables a âSkip to chatâ link (configurable text) to allow users with screen readers (or keyboard navigation) to jump directly to the accessible CTA to open the bot. It is configured under Settings > Channels > Web > Basic > Accessibility.
Message feedback:
⢠Sender identifier in messages: When navigating between messages using the Tab key, the screen reader announces the sender, indicating whether it is âyour messageâ or âa message from the bot.â
⢠Feedback when sending a message: After sending a message, the accessibility assistant announces that âa response is expected,â eliminating any uncertainty about whether the message was sent.
⢠Feedback when receiving a message: When a response from the bot arrives, the screen reader indicates there is a ânew message,â alerting the user.
Semantics and element descriptions: The bot uses correct semantic HTML so that the screen reader can automatically identify and describe buttons, lists, and links, telling the user how to interact with each one.
Images:
⢠In Settings > Channels, for the icon, logo, and avatar elements. The text is rendered as an alt attribute in the HTML so that screen readers can read it.
⢠Handling of decorative images: images without configured alternative text automatically receive alt="", indicating to the screen reader that they should be ignored.
⢠Alt text for images: The optional âAlt textâ field (max. 100 characters) has been added to the Image and Carousel complements. The text is rendered as an alt attribute in the HTML so that content published on the web channel can be correctly interpreted by assistive technologies, such as screen readers.
Video: Two optional fields have been added to the Video complement.
⢠Video description: This field is optional. It allows you to add a brief description of the videoâs content, with a maximum limit of 100 characters. We recommend including âwhat itâs aboutâ and âwhat the user will getâ from watching it.
⢠Extended description URL: Allows you to add an optional link with a longer description. It should link to stable, accessible content in text format, not just another video. This could be, for example, a webpage or an online document.