Development of inclusive web applications: a systematic literature review
Original Article
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33936/riemat.v10i2.7691Keywords:
web accessibility, inclusive development, wcag, best practicesAbstract
Building accessible web applications allows users to significantly improve their usability of web pages in an intuitive way without making them difficult to use. This research aimed to identify gaps and limitations in studies on web accessibility through a systematic literature review of publications from 2019 to 2024, Rigorous inclusion criteria were applied, using multiple search strings across indexed scientific databases. In the initial phase, 1,022 studies were identified, of which 141 (13.79%) met the established criteria. Consecutively, 40 articles were selected, corresponding to 28.37%, for the study. Of these, 52.5% were in English and 47.5% in Spanish. The literature review revealed that they addressed the following topics: web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG), International regulations, accessibility assessment tolls, and testing with users with some type of disability. Among all the studies, accessibility guidelines (WCAG) stood out as the main topic, accounting for 80% of all the documents reviewed. Among accessibility evaluation tools, Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool (WAVE) (32.56%), Test de Accessibly web (TAW) (23.26%), and Achecker (18.60%) were the most used, with other tools accounting for (25.58%) of the total analyzed. The gaps identified in the literature reveal limited involvement of people with disabilities in web accessibility testing, insufficient technical training in accessibility among developers, and a lack of accountability from companies that design and develop web applications. These findings highlight the need for comprehensive guidelines that integrate technical standards and participatory strategies to achieve effective and inclusive web accessibility.
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