An inclusive e-commerce website to make mobility accessible to all

THE NEED

A redesigned website for an inclusive and optimised experience

STIB wanted to create a new website with several key objectives:

• Make the site accessible to all types of traveller.
• Meet customer expectations and increase passenger satisfaction by providing a fluid, intuitive, high-performance and attractive user experience.
• Integrate an online purchase path, offering an additional service compared with the old site.

OUR APPROACH

Prioritised accessibility from the start

From the beginning of the project, an ‘Accessibility by Design’ approach was adopted, enabling accessibility to be integrated at every stage of the design process. The prototype screens were designed to ensure clear and intuitive navigation, applying the WCAG 2.2 guidelines (adapted contrasts, optimised line spacing, clear spaces, double validation, clear content, etc). In the code, accessibility has also been applied to make the visual content understandable and accessible to people with disabilities.

User testing played a key role as well, with a large representative panel including people with disabilities. This feedback enabled every detail of the design to be fine-tuned to meet everyone's needs. 

The creation of an accessible design system from the outset was also an important part of the website's accessibility, ensuring consistency and ease of use over the long term. Each component has been designed to be modular and compliant with accessibility standards, ensuring a seamless experience for all users.

In order to meet the WCAG accessibility standards, the STIB and its partners were closely accompanied by Anysurfer, an organisation specialising in digital accessibility certification. They rigorously tested each new feature, making it possible to quickly identify and adjust any areas for improvement, as well as ensuring that each screen, interface or feature was optimised for maximum accessibility. The design system itself was subjected to an in-depth audit, with excellent results.

An optimised e-commerce experience

To meet passengers' needs, e-commerce flows were simplified and harmonised with those of the mobile application. This process required an in-depth understanding of the specificities of the ticketing business and close collaboration with STIB teams to ensure a perfect match between technical and operational requirements.

 

Continuous collaboration

The project was built through agile collaboration between all the stakeholders in the form of a 3-week sprint. Each feature was rigorously thought through, tested, adjusted and developed to achieve optimum quality.

THE RESULT

A truly inclusive site

This collaboration has resulted in a site that offers :

• An accessible experience for all travellers. The STIB website is fully certified accessible with the Anysurfer label and WCAG 2.2 AA compliant! A first for a public transport operator in Belgium!
• Intuitive, straightforward navigation, with coherent, customised paths between the web and mobile platforms
• Successful integration of e-commerce functionalities, simplifying the complexity of flows
• Simplified, sustainable, more modern and secure architecture.