User1st review: elevating accessibility for modern enterprises

Open the door to accessible digital content

Usesr1st web home page.
(Image: © User1st)

TechRadar Verdict

User1st offers both an automated, along with an expert driven approach to making any website more accessible to both users with disabilities, and to seniors. Advice is provided both to bring a site out of compliance up to standard, along with avoiding the issue in the future.

Pros

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    Customer service options

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    Free demo

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    DevOps integration

Cons

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    Opaque pricing for extras

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Making sure that websites and online content are accessible for people with disabilities is not just a legal obligation but also a moral duty. Companies like User1st play a vital role in helping businesses and organizations meet the requirements for web accessibility. User1st offers various services, including automated testing, training, and advice to ensure digital content is accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities. 

By leveraging its expertise in compliance, User1st helps businesses and organizations avoid expensive legal battles and boost their reputations by demonstrating their dedication to inclusivity and accessibility.

This article will delve deeper into User1st's offerings and explore its features in depth.

Features

A laptop with large print.

(Image credit: Photo by Ben Kolde on Unsplash)

User1st offers a comprehensive suite of digital accessibility services. Their services are designed to improve access for individuals with disabilities and ensure compliance with web accessibility laws. They provide several SaaS-based offerings to analyze a website for remote accessibility.

One of their most popular services is Check1st. It's a comprehensive automated web accessibility testing tool that claims to find more accessibility errors than its competitors. Check1st allows for customizable filters with labels to facilitate better project management and communication. It also has reporting functions to keep the team updated on the latest web accessibility issues, and it can be fully integrated into DevOps pipelines.

User1st Check1st helps businesses ensure their websites are accessible to people with disabilities. It does so using an automated testing platform and detailed reporting. 

The testing platform identifies accessibility barriers on your website. It checks your site against accessibility guidelines the World Wide Web Consortium (WCAG) set. After scanning, Check1st provides a comprehensive report outlining the issues found. The report prioritizes the most critical errors, making it easier to address them first.

That report doesn't just list problems; it also provides recommendations on how to fix them. This helps developers understand the necessary changes to make the site compliant.

User1st offers a free version of Check1st, which can be a good starting point for small websites. For more significant sites or those needing more in-depth support, User1st offers paid plans with additional features like ongoing monitoring and manual remediation.

In response to a lack of compliance notification or when trying to remediate a website, User1st offers the uRemediate tool. uRemediate is a powerful tool that can increase the accessibility of a website by providing a snippet (single line of code) that can be integrated into the site. The code provided will create an accessibility button that can be branded as needed and placed in a location of choice on the page. When a user visits the site and needs accommodation, they can hit the button, and the website can then be used up to WCAG 2.1 AA standards, fully compliant with the ADA. Customers can provide feedback about the accessibility, and a back-end portal generates statistics for tracking usage. It can also be configured in several different languages.

Two people at a laptop

(Image credit: Photo by KOBU Agency on Unsplash)

The uRemediate code does a comprehensive program survey that benchmarks industry standards and provides a complete analysis of gaps. It offers comparative maturity scoring and best practice guidance. In addition, User1st's accessibility experts test uRemediate with assistive tech, including JAWS (Job Access With Speech, a screen reader popular with low vision users). They perform a complete audit, with certification of accessibility fixes to the website code, suitable for showing governmental agencies in case of noncompliance issues. uRemediate indicates that it is certified to provide all the necessary fixes for web accessibility, which will provide a defense against an audit.

Furthermore, User1st provides legal, regulatory, and industry updates to maintain compliance with changing regulations. Their services are designed to be user-friendly and accessible and offer a seamless user experience. They can help businesses expand their customer base and achieve compliance with web accessibility laws.

User1st uRemediate is a subscription-based service offered by User1st that focuses on remediating accessibility issues on your website rather than just identifying them like Check1st. uRemediate uses automated tools and manual processes to fix accessibility barriers. This helps address issues efficiently while ensuring accuracy. 

With URemediate, you don’t need to install software on your end. uRemediate works through the cloud, making it easy to implement and use. It aims to help websites comply with accessibility standards like WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).

User1st offers a free light version of uRemediate with basic functionalities. Paid plans provide more features like customization options, back-end analytics, and ongoing monitoring.

Pricing

User1st offers both free and paid packages to its users. The paid packages come with a 14-day free trial period. You can choose from monthly or annual subscriptions that start at around $450 annually. The pricing structure is determined mainly by the number of users, domains, and frameworks. While some users may appreciate User1st's transparency in its pricing on its website, others may find it unclear since it doesn't include training and auditing services. 

If you have any queries regarding the pricing or packages, please feel free to contact the company for more information.

Final verdict

User1st is a well-received web accessibility company that offers two distinct pathways to increase website accessibility for people with disabilities and seniors. The first pathway is through its fully automated Check1st offering, which uses an advanced algorithm to scan websites and identify accessibility issues. The second pathway is through expert-driven uRemediate offering, which provides personalized remediation solutions for websites with more complex accessibility needs.

One of the biggest pros of User1st is its expertise in dealing with complex governmental regulations, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This means that the company's solutions comply with the latest accessibility guidelines and regulations, ensuring that websites are accessible to all users. Additionally, both Check1st and uRemediate are easy to deploy, can be customized to fit the website's unique needs, and can be translated into different languages.

However, one of User1st's cons is that the cost of either offering is opaque and can be considered expensive by some users. Some user reviews also mention that the cost and value of User1st's services are below average.

Despite these cons, User1st is worth considering, especially since it offers a free demo to try its services. The demo allows users to experience the solutions firsthand and see how they can improve website accessibility. Additionally, User1st has a dedicated support team that provides ongoing assistance and guidance to ensure that websites remain accessible to all users.

Overall, User1st is a top-notch web accessibility company that is dedicated to making the Internet a more inclusive and accessible place for everyone. Whether a small business or a large corporation, User1st's solutions can help you achieve greater accessibility and comply with ADA regulations.

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Jonas P. DeMuro

Jonas P. DeMuro is a freelance reviewer covering wireless networking hardware.

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