Usability and Accessibility Evaluation of Turun Raitiotie Website
Koirala, Jibika (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025120533120
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025120533120
Tiivistelmä
This thesis evaluates the usability and accessibility of the Turun Raitiotie website, a digital platform facilitating the public tramway development initiative in the city of Turku. Turun Raitiotie (Turku Tramway) is one of the largest infrastructure projects, which is designed to enhance sustainability, urban mobility, and connectivity in the city. The official website of Turunraitiotie.fi, designed as a main communication channel, provides all the information related to the project, like tramline planning, progress, updates, and community engagement.
Because of growing interest in public sector projects, this thesis topic was chosen to fulfil the increasing importance of digital communication for the huge number of users, residents, commuters, stakeholders, and international travellers. As the project progresses, the website must serve user-friendly, clear, and accessible information in different languages, mainly in Finnish, Swedish, and English.
A thorough usability evaluation identified significant problems related to visual hierarchy, navigation process, content overload, and interaction design. Aspects like oversized icons, inconsistent spacing, and repetitive features, especially the frequently showcased “Current Events” section, disrupt readability and divert users from essential content. The accessibility assessment uncovered serious WCAG 2.1 compliance issues, including absent alt text, poor color contrast, ambiguous link purposes, and challenges with keyboard navigation. These obstacles hinder perceivability and operability for users with disabilities, highlighting the urgent need for adherence to accessibility standards and ethical design principles.
User surveys and interviews further illustrated that while the website seems reliable and simple, it lacks captivating features and effective navigation. Respondents reported struggling to find essential project details such as route plans, construction updates, and summaries because of dense text, limited interactivity, and inconsistencies throughout pages. Feedback also indicated a requirement for a more engaging homepage and enhanced mobile functionality.
The results collectively emphasize the necessity for design improvement, concentrating on accessibility, clearer content organization, improved navigation, and heightened interactivity through videos, infographics, and interactive maps. Implementing these suggestions will elevate user experience, enhance inclusiveness, and aid continuous community communication. In the end, a revamped Turun Raitiotie website will build public trust, promote participation, and contribute to a more transparent and effective tramway development project.
This thesis was conducted from September to December, including the entire process of assessing the website and formulating suggestions for improvement.
Because of growing interest in public sector projects, this thesis topic was chosen to fulfil the increasing importance of digital communication for the huge number of users, residents, commuters, stakeholders, and international travellers. As the project progresses, the website must serve user-friendly, clear, and accessible information in different languages, mainly in Finnish, Swedish, and English.
A thorough usability evaluation identified significant problems related to visual hierarchy, navigation process, content overload, and interaction design. Aspects like oversized icons, inconsistent spacing, and repetitive features, especially the frequently showcased “Current Events” section, disrupt readability and divert users from essential content. The accessibility assessment uncovered serious WCAG 2.1 compliance issues, including absent alt text, poor color contrast, ambiguous link purposes, and challenges with keyboard navigation. These obstacles hinder perceivability and operability for users with disabilities, highlighting the urgent need for adherence to accessibility standards and ethical design principles.
User surveys and interviews further illustrated that while the website seems reliable and simple, it lacks captivating features and effective navigation. Respondents reported struggling to find essential project details such as route plans, construction updates, and summaries because of dense text, limited interactivity, and inconsistencies throughout pages. Feedback also indicated a requirement for a more engaging homepage and enhanced mobile functionality.
The results collectively emphasize the necessity for design improvement, concentrating on accessibility, clearer content organization, improved navigation, and heightened interactivity through videos, infographics, and interactive maps. Implementing these suggestions will elevate user experience, enhance inclusiveness, and aid continuous community communication. In the end, a revamped Turun Raitiotie website will build public trust, promote participation, and contribute to a more transparent and effective tramway development project.
This thesis was conducted from September to December, including the entire process of assessing the website and formulating suggestions for improvement.