WCAG and Digital Inclusion

Did you know that 70% of government websites are inaccessible to vision-impaired users, and many others suffer from poor navigation and hard-to-find content? This widespread issue frustrates citizens and hinders their ability to access essential services. However, it doesn’t have to be this way.

As showcased by Promet Source at DrupalCon Atlanta 2025, the City of Rochester’s website, redesigned by Promet Source, transformed its outdated platform through human-centered design, creating a user-friendly model for municipalities aiming to deliver better online services and enhance community engagement.

Does your city or county website truly serve your citizens, making it easy for them to find information, access services, and engage with local government? Or is it often a source of frustration, with confusing navigation and hard-to-find content? Many government websites fall into the latter category. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The City of Rochester faced similar challenges with its outdated and difficult-to-use website. By prioritizing human-centered design during their redesign process, they transformed their digital front door into a valuable resource for the community, offering powerful lessons for other municipalities.

Diagnosis: What Wasn’t Working?

Before the redesign, Rochester’s website suffered from common ailments plaguing many government digital platforms:

• Poor Navigation: Menus often reflected the city’s internal departmental structure, not the tasks citizens were actually trying to accomplish.
• Ineffective Search: The search function was unreliable, failing to return relevant results and frustrating users seeking specific information.
• Outdated Design and Technology: The look and feel were dated, and the underlying technology hindered performance and flexibility.
• Difficult Content Management: City staff struggled with a cumbersome backend system, making timely updates a challenge.

The impact was clear: citizens struggled to find what they needed, leading to increased calls to city hall and decreased satisfaction. Staff wasted valuable time battling the content management system instead of focusing on delivering quality information.

The Prescription: A Human-Centered Redesign Process

Rochester’s success stemmed from a fundamental shift in approach: putting the needs of citizens and staff at the center of the design process from the very beginning. This involved several key strategies:

• Deep User Research: The project team invested time in understanding who used the site and why. They identified top user tasks, pain points, and information needs.
• Modern, User-Friendly Interface: A clean, intuitive design was developed to improve visual appeal and ease of use across devices.
• Component-Based Design: Building the site with reusable components (using Drupal) ensured visual consistency, streamlined future updates, and increased development efficiency.
• Task-Oriented Navigation: Website navigation was completely restructured based on user research, focusing on the services and information citizens seek most often.
• Robust, Intelligent Search: The search function was significantly upgraded, incorporating features like synonym recognition to deliver more accurate and helpful results.
• Improved Content Editing Experience: The backend was simplified, empowering non-technical staff to manage and update content more easily and efficiently.
• Integrated Accessibility: Accessibility wasn’t an afterthought; it was woven into the design and development process to ensure the site was usable by people of all abilities. This is crucial, as 16% of the world’s population has some kind of disability, making accessibility a key factor in serving all citizens.

The Results: A Measurable Transformation

The commitment to a human-centered approach paid off significantly. The new City of Rochester website delivered tangible results:

• Increased Usage and Satisfaction: Analytics showed higher engagement, and user feedback turned overwhelmingly positive.
• Easier Task Completion: Citizens could find information and access services much more quickly and easily.
• Improved Public Perception: A modern, user-friendly website reflected positively on the city government itself.
• Streamlined Staff Workflow: Content updates became faster and less burdensome for city employees.

Key Takeaways for Your Agency’s Next Project

The City of Rochester’s experience offers valuable blueprints for any government agency planning a website redesign:

• Invest in Upfront User Research: Don’t guess what your citizens need—ask them! Understand their goals and pain points before you start designing.
• Design Navigation & Search Around Citizen Needs: Structure your site based on how users look for information, not based on your internal org chart. A powerful search is essential.
• Embrace Modern, Flexible Technology: Platforms like Drupal, combined with component-based design, offer the flexibility and scalability needed for today’s digital demands.
• Don’t Forget the Content Editor Experience: Empowering your staff with easy-to-use tools is crucial for keeping website content fresh and accurate.

How BlueMelon Enables Citizen-Centric Design

Achieving results like Rochester’s requires expertise in user experience (UX) design, modern web development (including platforms like Drupal), and a deep understanding of government needs. At BlueMelon, our "Smart Governance" solutions are built on these principles. We partner with government organizations to conduct user research, design intuitive interfaces, build robust and accessible platforms, and ensure your team is equipped for success.

Conclusion: Build the Website Your Citizens Deserve

The City of Rochester’s successful redesign demonstrates that creating effective, user-friendly government websites is achievable. By shifting the focus from internal structures to citizen needs and embracing human-centered design principles, municipalities can deliver digital services that truly serve their communities. It’s an investment that pays dividends in citizen satisfaction, staff efficiency, and public trust.

True digital inclusion in government services goes beyond mere accessibility compliance—it's about creating online spaces that are genuinely usable by everyone. By embracing holistic, people-centered strategies and leveraging Drupal’s flexible accessibility features, agencies can deliver digital experiences that are intuitive, equitable, and welcoming for all users—far surpassing basic checklist approaches.

Genuine digital inclusion for government digital services requires more than just ticking accessibility checkboxes such as WCAG or Section 508. Community voices are crucial, and moving beyond a compliance-only mindset means championing approaches that prioritize real people. Usability should be integrated from the start, inclusive design established as a core value, and ongoing testing conducted with a diverse mix of users. Drupal excels as a top CMS for government, empowering teams to create digital spaces that are welcoming to all — advancing digital fairness far beyond baseline checks.

Equity for Every Citizen and Ability

Every individual, regardless of ability, deserves seamless and dignified access to government information and services online — the core of next-gen public service. Standards like WCAG and Section 508 set a technical baseline, but “checking the box” rarely guarantees open digital doors for all. The WebAIM Million Report (Feb 2025) revealed 94.8% of homepages had WCAG 2 failures, averaging 51 errors each. This underscores how focusing on people, not just policies, remains vital.

While compliance is the starting point, real inclusion requires a deeper cultural and strategic transformation. Moving beyond technical lists enables a holistic, human-centered approach to accessibility. This should be a collective rallying cry for the community.

The Pitfalls of Just Checking the Boxes

When “Compliant” Still Fails People

• WCAG Advances: Standards including WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 introduced mobile and cognitive accessibility improvements, navigation, and color contrast requirements. However, a compliance-only approach easily devolves into a checklist mentality, missing the primary goal—actual usability and a positive experience for all users.
• Real World Gaps: Despite following technical guidelines, many sites fall into the “technically compliant, practically unusable” trap. For example, Scope’s 2020 UK study found 60% of local authority homepages were inaccessible because of confusing layouts, poor navigation, and unreadable content—indicating user needs were neglected.

Why Do Compliance Checklists Fail So Many?

• Cognitive and Learning Disabilities: While WCAG 2.2 introduces new solutions, checklists rarely address the importance of clear messaging, easy navigation, and minimal cognitive load—essential for complex government content.
• Usability Barriers & ARIA Misuse: Automated accessibility tools may overlook significant issues, especially for users relying on assistive technology. The WebAIM Million Report indicated that pages with ARIA had twice as many errors as those without, emphasizing the risks of meeting specs without community input.
• “Technically Compliant, Practically Unusable” Spiral: Focusing only on audits can result in technically correct sites that frustrate and exclude users—offering a false sense of security while the real community misses out.

Holistic Accessibility: Drupal-Powered, People-Driven

Unlocking true digital inclusion with Drupal involves a holistic, community-built approach where:

1. Technical Compliance: Meeting standards such as WCAG 2.2 and Section 508 establishes a solid technical foundation.
2. Deep Usability: Ensuring that everyone can easily and effectively use the site, validated through real community experiences.
3. Inclusive Design Principles: Designing proactively for varied user needs, backgrounds, and contexts.
4. People-Centered Processes: Incorporating user research, co-design, and continuous usability testing with community involvement.

Drupal’s flexible core enables teams to address diverse user realities, supporting dignity and equal opportunity beyond just clean code. UX research and direct user testing provide unique insights into lived experiences that automated tools cannot replicate.

Strategy to Action: Making Holistic Inclusion Happen with Drupal

• Nurture an “Accessibility-First” Culture: Embed accessibility at every level—leadership, policy, design, content, and technology.
• Bake in Accessibility Early (Drupal’s Strength):
  • Drupal Core: Provides semantic HTML, WAI-ARIA roles, audio alerts, keyboard navigation, accessible fieldsets, and error handling by default.
  • Accessible Themes: Core themes like Olivero feature strong color contrast, navigation, and responsive layouts, while community themes like Zen and Genesis expand options.
• Champion Clarity and Simplicity: Prioritize plain language, straightforward navigation, and clean layouts for accessibility and cognitive ease.
  • Drupal’s Editor Experience: Configure editors to supply image alt text and encourage plain language writing.
  • Reduce Cognitive Load: Use modules like Webform for step-by-step interfaces and Layout Builder for logical, predictable page flows.
• Empower Teams: Promote inclusive design knowledge and use of Drupal’s accessibility features through continuous learning.
• Default to Testing with Diverse Users: Maintain frequent usability checks with community feedback, leveraging Drupal’s flexibility for continuous improvement.
• Unleash Drupal’s Accessibility Toolbox:
  • Top Modules: Real-time editor checks (Editoria11y, Sa11y), user interface boosters, accessible forms, AI alt text, contrast helpers, ARIA landmarks, and CKEditor add-ons.
  • eGov Tools and Themes: Specialized themes and tools for government, like GovCMS and Access Hub, support global agencies.
• SEO Meets Accessibility: Drupal’s accessible markup, default alt text, friendly URLs, fast page speed, and readability boost both search performance and meaningful reach.

Compliance-Only vs. Holistic, Drupal-Driven Accessibility

• Compliance-Focused (e.g., WCAG-Only)
  • Goal: Tick legal/technical boxes and avoid lawsuits.
  • Process: Reactive, late-stage fixes adhering to checklists.
  • User Involvement: Minimal, relying mostly on automated tools.
  • Scope: Primarily technical WCAG targets.
  • Cognitive Accessibility: Basic readability and some navigation.
  • Outcomes: Results in compliant sites that may remain difficult or exclusive for many users.
  • Drupal’s Role: Core features for basic WCAG compliance and modules for audit support.
• Holistic, Human-Centered (Powered by Drupal)
  • Goal: Real usability, trust, and inclusivity for all.
  • Process: Proactive and continuous, with accessibility integrated from day one.
  • User Involvement: Extensive, incorporating co-design and deep user testing facilitated by Drupal’s flexibility.
  • Scope: Covers technical, usability, emotional, and community-driven factors.
  • Cognitive Accessibility: Focus on clarity, flow, and broad understanding through user testing.
  • Outcomes: Truly usable, trusted solutions that empower every community member.
  • Drupal’s Role: Core, modules, and custom development support advanced accessibility and user experience for diverse users.

BlueMelon’s Community-First Approach to Digital Accessibility With Drupal

BlueMelon lays digital inclusion as the foundation for “Smart Governance.” The Drupal eGov Solution Pack supports agencies in building digital platforms and services that are genuinely intuitive, empowering, and welcoming for all. Drupal’s foundation—semantic markup, strict WCAG support, accessible themes like Olivero, and hundreds of modules—is just the beginning. BlueMelon incorporates automated and manual testing, persona mapping, and inclusive methods from the outset, making accessibility a continuous practice. By leveraging Drupal, teams connect, build trust, and create meaningful impact for every online user.

Digital Service Equity: The Drupal Social Advantage

Accessibility compliance should be treated as a foundation, not a finish line. Government teams pursuing true digital equity must step beyond compliance, embracing a people-centered approach powered by Drupal’s robust accessibility features. Building experiences that unite communities—where every voice matters—upholds trust and sets a higher standard for digital inclusion. Rising ADA lawsuits (4,280 federal Title III ADA cases in early 2024) reveal the urgency, but true progress lies in trust, democracy, and continuous development. Drupal empowers agencies to raise the digital inclusion bar together and reach new community heights.