WCAG 2.2 AA Compliance
Introduction
Accessibility is a core quality attribute of the Flowable Platform. To validate and improve the accessibility of the product, Flowable engaged an independent, external accessibility agency to perform a formal audit of the Flowable Case Platform user interface against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, conformance level AA.
The audit covered the end-user facing screens of the Case Platform and combined automated tooling with manual expert evaluation and assistive-technology testing, including screen readers, keyboard-only navigation and screen magnification. The goal was both to assess the current level of conformance and to guide ongoing accessibility improvements to the product.
About WCAG 2.2 AA
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the internationally recognised standard for digital accessibility, published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). WCAG 2.2 is the current version of the standard and defines three conformance levels: A (minimum), AA and AAA (highest).
Level AA is the level most commonly referenced by regulation and procurement requirements — for example the European Accessibility Act together with EN 301 549 in Europe, and Section 508 in the United States. It is therefore the level Flowable targets for the Case Platform UI.
WCAG is built on four foundational principles, commonly abbreviated as POUR: content must be Perceivable, Operable, Understandable and Robust. Each principle groups together a set of success criteria that were assessed during the audit.
Main compliance areas
Perceivable
Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.
- Text alternatives — non-text content such as icons, images and icon-only buttons provides an equivalent text alternative for assistive technologies.
- Adaptable content — structure and relationships (headings, labels, reading order, form associations) are programmatically determinable, so content can be presented in different ways and reflows without loss of information when zoomed up to 400%.
- Distinguishable — colour is never used as the only means of conveying information; text meets a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 (3:1 for large text); user interface components and meaningful graphics meet a contrast ratio of at least 3:1; text can be resized up to 200% without loss of content or functionality; and content that appears on hover or focus is dismissable, hoverable and persistent.
Operable
User interface components and navigation must be operable.
- Keyboard accessible — all functionality is available from a keyboard alone, with no keyboard traps.
- Enough time — where time limits exist, users are given adequate time and, where relevant, the ability to adjust them.
- Seizures and physical reactions — no content flashes more than three times per second.
- Navigable — pages have descriptive titles, a logical focus order, and a visible focus indicator that is not obscured by other content (2.4.11); links have meaningful text; and headings and labels describe their purpose.
- Input modalities — multipoint and path-based gestures have a single-pointer alternative; functionality that uses dragging has a non-dragging alternative (2.5.7); and pointer targets are at least 24×24 CSS pixels (2.5.8).
Understandable
Information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable.
- Readable — the language of each page is programmatically set.
- Predictable — navigation and the identification of components are consistent across the application, and help mechanisms appear in a consistent location (3.2.6).
- Input assistance — form fields have clear labels and instructions; input errors are identified in text with suggestions for correction; previously entered information is auto-populated or available for selection to avoid redundant entry (3.3.7); and authentication does not rely solely on a cognitive function test (3.3.8).
Robust
Content must be robust enough to be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.
- Compatible — markup is well-formed; the name, role and value of every user interface component is exposed to assistive technologies; and status messages are announced programmatically without moving focus.
New success criteria in WCAG 2.2
WCAG 2.2 introduced additional success criteria over WCAG 2.1. The following Level A and AA criteria were part of the audit scope:
| Success criterion | Number | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) | 2.4.11 | AA |
| Dragging Movements | 2.5.7 | AA |
| Target Size (Minimum) | 2.5.8 | AA |
| Consistent Help | 3.2.6 | A |
| Redundant Entry | 3.3.7 | A |
| Accessible Authentication (Minimum) | 3.3.8 | AA |
Requesting the audit report
The full accessibility audit report — including the detailed findings and the conformance statement produced by the external agency — is available to Flowable customers on request. Please contact your Customer Success Manager (CSM) or account manager to obtain a copy.