TY - GEN
T1 - Web Accessibility Evaluation in Ecuadorian Private Banking
T2 - 9th Ecuador Technical Chapters Meeting, ETCM 2025
AU - Araujo, Elking
AU - Maldonado-Garcés, Verónica
AU - Gonzalez-Maldonado, Caridad
AU - Arias, Jose Gerardo Acosta
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 IEEE.
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - Web accessibility in Ecuador's digital banking sector remains a critical yet underexplored issue. This study evaluates the accessibility of 23 private bank websites operating in Ecuador, using the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 as a reference framework. Given the growing reliance on digital financial services, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this research aims to identify compliance gaps and barriers affecting users with disabilities. A two-phase automated evaluation was conducted using TAW and Skynet Technologies tools. Results reveal that the majority of websites fail to meet even intermediate accessibility standards, particularly at WCAG levels AA and AAA. While a few banks demonstrate relatively high compliance, most exhibit significant shortcomings, especially in robustness and alternative text usage. These findings highlight the urgent need for policy and design interventions to promote inclusive digital banking experiences.
AB - Web accessibility in Ecuador's digital banking sector remains a critical yet underexplored issue. This study evaluates the accessibility of 23 private bank websites operating in Ecuador, using the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 as a reference framework. Given the growing reliance on digital financial services, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this research aims to identify compliance gaps and barriers affecting users with disabilities. A two-phase automated evaluation was conducted using TAW and Skynet Technologies tools. Results reveal that the majority of websites fail to meet even intermediate accessibility standards, particularly at WCAG levels AA and AAA. While a few banks demonstrate relatively high compliance, most exhibit significant shortcomings, especially in robustness and alternative text usage. These findings highlight the urgent need for policy and design interventions to promote inclusive digital banking experiences.
KW - Automated Accessibility Tools
KW - Digital Banking Accessibility
KW - Financial Institutions
KW - Inclusive Design
KW - WCAG
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105032512859
U2 - 10.1109/ETCM67548.2025.11304516
DO - 10.1109/ETCM67548.2025.11304516
M3 - Contribución a la conferencia
AN - SCOPUS:105032512859
T3 - ETCM 2025 - 9th Ecuador Technical Chapters Meeting
BT - ETCM 2025 - 9th Ecuador Technical Chapters Meeting
PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Y2 - 21 October 2025 through 24 October 2025
ER -