Launch of the web accessibility service 'UniWeb'

2023/12/06

Kiva Corporation (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Kota Nojiri; hereinafter referred to as Kiva) has launched 'Uniweb,' a service that meets all web accessibility standards, to provide equal websites for all people (https://hellouniweb.comStarted offering the service). With just one line of code added, anyone can easily implement it.

 

◾️Background of Service Launch

With the spread of the internet, websites have become crucial sources of information for the elderly and people with disabilities, just as they are for able-bodied individuals. However, if information providers do not appropriately consider web accessibility, significant problems arise where the elderly and disabled cannot obtain information from websites or carry out online procedures, leading to substantial disadvantages in social life. In situations where necessary information is not delivered during disasters, there can be a life-threatening crisis. By ensuring web accessibility, more than 4.28 million people (Note 1) in Japan, including those with disabilities, the elderly, and those with color vision deficiencies, can access information and utilize digital services through the web.

With the yearly spread of digital technology, the provision of services through websites has become commonplace, leading to an increased necessity to create sites that consider web accessibility. Furthermore, starting in April 2024, even private companies will be required to provide reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities upon request, making it essential for all people, including those with disabilities and the elderly, to have a smooth environment to access the information and services provided on the web.

However, the terms 'accessibility' and 'web accessibility' have not yet fully established themselves in Japanese. Many people are unfamiliar with these terms, and they are not widely aware of their meanings, methods of improvement, or the effects they have. As a result, for someone who has never encountered these terms, it can be challenging to find any clues if they are told to 'improve web accessibility.' Web accessibility guidelines themselves are often specialized documents that are difficult to understand correctly, requiring time to become able to make suitable judgments.

At Kiva, we resonate with the Digital Agency's vision of 'no one left behind, creating a user-friendly digital society' (Note 2), and hence we have developed and provided 'Uniweb' to ensure that anyone can easily implement web accessibility. We believe that accommodating web accessibility will enhance usability and improve user satisfaction, and we aim to achieve a more essential ease of use.

 

*1 From the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare 'Overview of the Difficulties in Life Survey 2016'

*2 Digital Agency Web Accessibility Implementation Guidebook
https://www.digital.go.jp/resources/introduction-to-web-accessibility-guidebook

 

◾️What is Web Accessibility?

It is not a special accommodation only for the disabled or elderly, but anyone can be in the same situation as a disabled person.

• Temporary injury or illness (e.g., car accident with arm in cast and unable to use arm, eye disease with eye patch and blindness, etc.)
• Age-related changes
• Age-related vision loss (presbyopia, lens changes (yellowish, dark, blurred vision, etc.))
• Eye diseases common in middle-aged and older adults (cataracts, glaucoma, etc.)
  *About half of the patients in their late 70s have cataracts with yellowing changes.
• Age-related hearing loss
• Foreign travelers (if a foreigner who does not understand Japanese is struck by an earthquake while traveling, can he/she obtain evacuation information, etc.)

Reference: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Accessibility of Websites, etc. Required of Public Organizations
https://www.soumu.go.jp/main_content/000543284.pdf

 

◾️Decision-Making Site

 

◾️Comment from Nojiri, President of Kiva Corporation

Through communication with many e-commerce operators and end-users via the guaranteed service 'proteger', we have realized that people with visual impairments and the elderly find it difficult to obtain information from websites. With the desire to provide equal websites and services for all individuals with disabilities, we decided to develop and release 'Universal Web'. We will strive for product development and operation toward a society where many people can correctly understand the information provided on the web.

 

◾️About UniWeb

UniWeb provides web accessibility features "on the day of deployment" by simply adding a single line of code to all web services.

In order to achieve equal website services for all, we want to put users in various situations, such as those with visual impairments or those who temporarily lose the use of their hands due to injury, in a position to understand correct information through various uses such as voice reading and contrast changes.

 

◾️ Kiva Corporation

Representative: President Kouta Nojiri
Location: 3-12-5 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo +SHIFT TSUKIJI 7F
URL :https://kiva.co.jp/
Business :
・Development and operation of the reliable purchase guarantee service 'proteger' (https://hi.helloproteger.com/）
・Development and operation of web accessibility service 'Uniweb' (https://hellouniweb.com）