The Forrester Wave™: Digital Accessibility Platforms, Q4 2023

Digital Accessibility Platforms Vendor Product Comparisons 2023

Key features and pros and cons of top Digital Accessibility Platforms products:

Deque Systems - Leaders

Pros:

Top-notch tools for designers, developers, and testers with features that auto-annotate designs, flag issues while developers code, use AI to detect more issues automatically, and expedite manual work with intelligent guided testing
Strong embedded learning and role-specific learning paths
Superior vision for 100% of accessibility development, testing, and fixing to be done with zero specialized accessibility knowledge
Measured approach to deploying AI while staying true to 'no false positives' manifesto
Model example of community engagement with open source contributions, free axe browser extension, annual axe-con conference, and contributions to W3C and IAAP
Strong services to support organizations in embedding accessibility

Cons:

Lacks a unified platform experience and needs to focus on integrating its offerings
Roadmap lacks the transparency of other companies in the evaluation

Level Access - Leaders

Pros:

Only vendor to earn all superior or on-par scores for its current offering
Unified and strong platform UX with top marks for unified platform criteria
Platform particularly strong in policy configuration, embedded learning, program analytics, and usability
Ease of integrating with other systems, including bidirectional Jira integration
Detailed roadmap includes plans to expand key enterprise capabilities around security and access, program governance, and integrations
Strong partner ecosystem positioning vendor well to deliver on end-to-end client needs
Impressive number of new features launched in 2023 including Figma plug-in and enhanced user management
Willingness to listen to and innovate around customer needs

Cons:

Needs to improve tooling for experience makers (designers, developers, content authors)
Doesn't boast recent innovations in AI like some competitors

AudioEye - Contenders

Pros:

One of only two vendors to earn a top score for remediation support with a remediation platform that enables automatic accessibility fixes and fixes coded by experts
Differentiated A11iance community composed of 80-plus people with disabilities
Strong ability to keep companies compliant with finger on the pulse of the legal landscape
Compelling vision for 'digital accessibility at scale' that blends technology and expertise with automation playing a key role

Cons:

Virtually no tools for experience makers to catch accessibility issues early
Limited overall program reporting functionality
Rest of offering lags beyond remediation capabilities
Needs to step up offering to be future vendor of choice for proactive accessibility approaches
Lacks customer community today

Crownpeak - Contenders

Pros:

Excels at enabling organizations to create accessible content through prebuilt integrations to several CMS systems
Extensive readability checks that go beyond what WCAG requires
Ability to create custom content rules to test against
Partner-first approach with strong agency, ISV, and OEM partnerships
Responsive to customer requests
Good value for the cost

Cons:

Lack of tools for roles like designers, developers, testers, and central accessibility team
Weak on strategy with undifferentiated vision
Outsize reliance on manual testing relative to other vendors
Long road to achieve 'use AI everywhere' vision and remain competitive
Gaps in platform's embedded education with need for more 'layman's terms' explanations

Evinced - Strong Performers

Pros:

Robust tooling for designers, developers, and testers with focus on strong UX
Uses AI to detect more issues and generate more specific remediation suggestions than typical tools
Only top score for mobile testing thanks to mobile flow analyzer tool that is easy to set up and understand for nontechnical users
Differentiated vision centered on 'prevention' - getting great tools into hands of designers and developers
Partnership with Microsoft's GitHub Copilot to improve accessibility of code suggestions
Strong focus on innovation with significant R&D investments
Receptiveness to customer ideas

Cons:

Platform lacks ability for users to make detailed policy configurations
No embedded learning to help users understand how people with disabilities are impacted by issues
Decision to offer literally no supporting services with limited partnerships
Will hurt ability to win over large enterprises looking for one-stop-shop partner

Siteimprove - Strong Performers

Pros:

Most extensive library of policies for users to add and customize, covering areas like readability and inclusive language
Many prebuilt integrations with enterprise CMS platforms
Outstanding reporting functionality enabling creation of executive-ready reports on compliance of specific properties
Excels in integrating with content author workflows
Strong customer community with online forum, customer meetups, monthly challenges, and peer connects
Significant contributions to shaping future of WCAG testing methods through chairing ACT Rules Community Group
Easy to use platform

Cons:

Weak in tooling for developers and testers
Lacks strong innovation strategy
Limited extensive support services around accessibility specifically
Laser-focused on marketing personas but lacks support for other roles

TPGi - Contenders

Pros:

Strong capabilities for monitoring, reporting, and tracking progress toward compliance
Easy for users to view issue trends over time
Useful 'test initiatives' feature to set and track progress against improvement goals
Clear and transparent platform pricing published on website based on user seats and API usage
Robust services portfolio offering complete solution for companies wanting tech and consulting
Unique opportunity to engage blind and low-vision community as part of Vispero (JAWS Connect feature)
Non-aggressive sales approach
Great value for the cost

Cons:

User experience is lacking and will present challenges for users who aren't accessibility experts
Slow approach to innovation - described as 'fast follower' slower to integrate technologies like AI
Undifferentiated product vision of being a 'solutions provider'
Lacks concrete roadmap or proof points of how Vispero relationship will benefit clients

UsableNet - Strong Performers

Pros:

Strong capabilities for automated and manual testing, policy configuration, and preproduction testing with end users
Only platform that allows users to request and configure a user test directly from the platform with robust, easy-to-consume reports
Ability to serve companies at all stages of maturity from outsourcing to in-house practices
Top marks for transparent and flexible pricing with willingness to create custom licensing structures
Strong portfolio of legal services including demand letter reviews and litigation support
Stable and robust offering

Cons:

Lack of functionality for native mobile app testing
Limited program analytics
Dated platform UI that needs UX improvements
Platform can make it challenging to distill many issues into component-based view for action
Lacks definition in product roadmap relative to other vendors

FAQs

Q: Which vendors are Leaders in 2023?

A: Deque Systems, Level Access

Q: What does "Leader" mean in Forrester Wave terms?

A: Leaders in the Forrester Wave for Digital Accessibility Platforms demonstrate strong current offerings and strategy. They have comprehensive platforms with superior capabilities across tools for experience makers (designers, developers, content authors), testing, remediation, monitoring and reporting, and overall platform functionality. Leaders show clear vision for enabling accessibility at scale, have solid roadmaps balancing innovation with addressing product gaps, maintain strong partner ecosystems, and demonstrate commitment to the accessibility community. They serve enterprise customers looking to embed accessibility throughout the software development lifecycle and provide both technology and services to support organizational accessibility maturity.

Q: How do I interpret a Forrester Wave?

A: https://www.forrester.com/policies/forrester-wave-methodology/

Report:

Top Vendor Products for Digital Accessibility Platforms in 2023

Digital Accessibility Platforms Vendor Product Comparisons 2023

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FAQs

Q: Which vendors are Leaders in 2023?

Q: What does "Leader" mean in Forrester Wave terms?

Q: How do I interpret a Forrester Wave?

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