An accessibility and experience audit tells you where real people get stuck on your website or product, and exactly what to fix first. I test against WCAG 2.2 AA by hand, with a keyboard and a screen reader, and review usability at the same time, so you get one prioritised plan rather than a long list of scanner warnings.

What an accessibility and experience audit is

It’s an independent, expert review of your key pages and journeys against two things: the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at level AA, and recognised usability principles. Accessibility and usability problems often have the same cause, such as unclear labels, confusing forms or inconsistent navigation, so I review them together.

Automated tools are a useful start, but they only catch part of the picture. They can’t tell you whether a form makes sense to someone using a screen reader, whether the focus order is logical, or whether an error message actually helps. That needs a person working through the journeys the way your customers do.

Who it’s for

  • Businesses selling to customers in the EU who need to understand where they stand under the European Accessibility Act.
  • Teams supplying the public sector, or bidding for contracts that ask for WCAG 2.2 AA.
  • Financial services, health and other regulated sectors, where clarity and inclusion are part of treating customers fairly.
  • Product teams after a redesign or a period of fast growth, when the experience has drifted and nobody is sure what’s broken.
  • Anyone who has had a complaint or a failed automated scan and wants a clear, practical next step.

What’s included

  • WCAG 2.2 AA review of your key templates and journeys, such as sign-up, checkout, quote or contact.
  • Keyboard and screen-reader testing, working through each journey without a mouse.
  • Usability heuristics review, covering navigation, content, forms, feedback and consistency.
  • Prioritised findings, each with a severity, the WCAG criterion it relates to, and clear fix guidance your designers and developers can act on.
  • A playback session with your team to walk through the findings and agree what to fix first.

How it works

1. Assess. We agree which pages and journeys matter most to your customers and your business. I then review and test them by hand.

2. Report. Not every issue deserves the same attention. I turn the findings into a roadmap ranked by customer impact, business value and effort, so you know what to fix first and what can wait.

3. Improve. If you want help putting things right, I can work alongside your team to redesign the problem screens, update components and check the fixes.

Results

  • 20 days average from audit to delivery.
  • 28% average increase in conversion after Experience Optimisation.
  • 100% of clients say the process worked and would choose Layer2 again.

For DDCAP Group, a three-week engagement on their ETHOS platform found over 200 usability findings. We then made targeted improvements and redesigned key screens rather than rebuilding the platform. Read the DDCAP case study.

Questions people ask

What’s the difference between an automated scan and a manual audit?

An automated scan checks your code for issues a machine can detect, like missing alt text or low colour contrast. A manual audit adds a person testing real journeys with a keyboard and a screen reader. It finds the problems that stop people completing tasks, which scanners often miss.

Which standard do you test against?

WCAG 2.2 at level AA. It’s the current version of the guidelines and the level most UK and EU requirements point to.

Does the European Accessibility Act affect UK businesses?

It can. The Act has applied since June 2025 to certain products and services sold to consumers in the EU, including online shops, banking services and e-books, wherever the business is based. If you sell into the EU, an audit is a sensible way to see where you stand. This isn’t legal advice, so check your specific obligations with a legal adviser.

How long does an audit take?

It depends on how many pages and journeys are in scope. We agree the scope and timeline before any work starts. Across my Experience Optimisation work, the average from audit to delivery is 20 days.

How much does it cost?

The price depends on the size and complexity of what we review. After a short call, I’ll give you a clear scope and quote before any work begins.

Can you fix the issues as well as find them?

Yes. I can redesign problem screens and components and work with your developers on the fixes. Or, if your team prefers to do it themselves, the findings are written so they can.

Do you only work in Dorset?

No. I’m based in Gillingham, Dorset and work with clients across the UK.

Next step

Tell me which website or product you’d like reviewed and what’s worrying you about it. Get in touch and I’ll reply within 1 working day.