Dyson AU-NZ

Project Overview

In Australia, the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 requires digital services to be non-discriminatory. Since the Maguire v. SOCOG (2000) ruling, WCAG 2.1 AA has been recognized as the de facto legal benchmark. For the public sector and ICT procurement, compliance with AS EN 301 549 and the Digital Service Standard makes WCAG conformance explicitly mandatory.

In New Zealand, the Web Accessibility Standard is compulsory for government agencies: it currently requires WCAG 2.1 AA, moving to WCAG 2.2 AA in March 2025. While the private sector is not directly bound by this standard, the Human Rights Act 1993 and the Bill of Rights Act 1990 mean that inaccessible websites may still be considered discriminatory.

Dyson has committed to aligning its digital platforms with international and local accessibility requirements. In practice, this means adopting WCAG 2.1 AA (and moving toward WCAG 2.2 AA) as the baseline for design and development across its Australian and New Zealand websites. The company’s goal is not only legal compliance but also ensuring that people with disabilities can explore, compare, and purchase products with equal ease. By embedding accessibility into its digital roadmap, Dyson demonstrates its commitment to inclusive innovation and to meeting the high regulatory expectations set by both markets.

Background & Scope

• Sites audited: Dyson AU site and NZ subdomain or localized site
• Pages / flows covered:
  • Homepage / promotional banners / hero carousels
  • Product listing (search + filter) pages
  • Product detail pages
  • Cart / checkout (address, shipping, payment)
  • Help / support / warranty pages
  • Global UI components: header, footer, modals, navigation
• Standards used: WCAG 2.1 (AA) as of 2020, ARIA Authoring Practices circa 2020
• Methods: Heuristic analysis, automated tools, color contrast checking, checklist table.

WCAG 2.1 — Commonly Audited Success Criteria

Level A (baseline)

1. Text alternatives — all meaningful images/icons have descriptive alt; decorative ones marked with alt="".
2. Captions — prerecorded video/audio has captions or transcripts.
3. Semantic structure — headings, lists, tables used correctly; logical reading order.
4. Keyboard access — every interactive element usable with keyboard; no keyboard traps.
5. Focus order — focus moves logically and predictably.
6. Form labels — inputs have programmatically associated labels; errors are identified in text.
7. Skip links / landmarks — mechanism to bypass repeated navigation.
8. Language — primary page language defined with lang attribute.
9. No flashing content — avoid seizures by preventing rapid flashing.
10. Consistent behavior — navigation and controls behave predictably across pages.

Level AA (most common additional checks)

1. Color contrast — text vs. background contrast ratio at least 4.5:1 (normal text) and 3:1 (large text).
2. Resize text — content remains usable when zoomed up to 200%.
3. Responsive reflow — content does not require two-dimensional scrolling at 320px width (mobile).
4. Alt for live media — live captions for real-time video/audio.
5. Visible focus — clear focus indicator for all interactive elements.
6. Headings & labels — are descriptive and meaningful (not just “click here”).
7. Consistent navigation — repeated menus/components are presented in the same relative order across pages.
8. Consistent identification — icons/controls with the same function are identified consistently.
9. Error suggestions — when form errors occur, users are given clear suggestions to fix them.
10. Status messages — important updates (e.g., “item added to cart”) are programmatically announced via role="status" or role="alert".

Recommendations

• Ensure all form fields have explicit <label> or accessible naming. Avoid relying on placeholders as the only label.
• Audit all interactive components (filter panels, dropdowns, sliders, carousels) to ensure keyboard operability (Tab, Shift+Tab, arrow keys if appropriate).
• Re-evaluate all text over images or banners, especially promotional overlays, using contrast tools to enforce ≥ 4.5:1 for regular text, ≥ 3:1 for larger text.
• Reinstate or enhance visible focus styles — e.g. clear outlines, box shadows. Do not rely on color only; add shape, border, or other visual cues.
• Improve alt text for product imagery to include meaningful product and context detail (e.g. variant, model).
• Decorative images should use alt="" and be ignored by assistive tech.
• Check heading hierarchy for logical structure (e.g. <h1> on page title, <h2> on major sections).