Bupa, the UK's medical insurer and private healthcare company is making strides towards greater digital inclusivity for its 45 million-strong customer base. The company is not solely concerned with meeting compliance standards but is actively pushing to foster an environment of accessibility and inclusivity across its entire digital footprint.

By partnering with Nexer Digital, an agency renowned for its expertise in human-centred research, design, and development, Bupa is committed to delivering digital services that are accessible to all and meet the forthcoming requirements of the European Accessibility Act, which will come into effect in 2025.

Bupa kicked off this initiative by commissioning Nexer to conduct an expansive accessibility audit, focusing on its website's search function. The audit reviewed 36 key web pages and evaluated compliance with the WCAG 2.2 guidelines. This process highlighted 418 areas of potential improvement, ranging from simple form labels and mobile functionality to more complex issues such as colour contrast.

This audit served as the catalyst for devising and delivering a comprehensive array of accessibility training programmes for Bupa's staff. The training spanned online workshops, in-person sessions, and targeted role-based training, and it concluded with a pop-up accessibility lab involving participation from the executive team. It was designed to embed the ethos of accessibility and raise awareness across the whole organisation.

The collaboration between Bupa and Nexer has extended to include inclusive usability testing for a multitude of digital services in a bid to enhance the user experience. Backed by Bupa's user research team, this process has identified further areas for improvement and equipped Bupa's team with the knowledge and expertise necessary to carry out future usability tests independently.

Shaun Gomm, Commercial Director at Nexer Digital, commented on the partnership: "By empowering Bupa's teams with the tools and knowledge they need, we are laying the groundwork for a more accessible and inclusive digital experience for its customers. The initiative has garnered support at the highest levels of Bupa, with increased executive buy-in and sustained commitment to accessibility efforts."

"By embedding accessibility awareness across multi-disciplinary teams, the collaboration aims to ensure ongoing progress and prioritises the diverse needs of Bupa's user base," said Gomm. 

Richard Cohen, Head of Digital Propositions at Bupa, noted the critical role of advocacy and education: "The biggest learning is that without advocacy and education, there is little awareness across our teams of the problems that need to be solved. By working with Nexer we have now managed to give accessibility a seat at the Executive table."

Both companies appear to be firmly committed to this ongoing endeavour, which is envisaged as a way to ensure continuous progress in addressing user accessibility. Indeed, it is clear that this collaborative initiative prioritises the diverse sets of needs across Bupa's expansive user base, a commendable goal in an increasingly digitised world.