Application and Web design

IBM offers full life cycle application and Web design consulting engagements that could be employed in your enterprise's development initiatives. IBM recommends that you incorporate accessibility requirements into Web projects as early in the life cycle as possible. By doing so, your organization can decrease risks associated with non-compliance and help improve the usability of your Web sites and Web applications.

IBM has extensive expertise and knowledge of the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and U.S. Section 508 standards: two main standards referred to in state and local government policies. IBM leverages this expertise collaboratively with you to develop deliverables that document the Web site or Web application's accessibility requirements and produce specifications that help contribute to a compliant solution. If IBM is performing testing of the application, IBM will test the Web site or Web application at appropriate stages of the life cycle. You can also engage IBM to perform a subset of this service can be offered to help address the "repair" of non-compliant existing Web sites or Web applications.

• Can help integrate accessibility and usability into your Web sites and Web applications for your customers, constituents and employees, including people with disabilities, aging and multicultural populations.
• Can help your organization address requirements in state and local government laws and regulations.

The size of an application and Web design consulting engagement varies, depending on a number of factors. In general, a good rule of thumb is to estimate between 15-20% of the total estimated hours on a project to include services such as the following:

• Use of the IBM User-Centered Design Approach, part of IBM's Global Services Method
• Definition of functional, usability and non-functional requirements
• Development of work products to support accessibility standards-compliant design including (but not limited to): Usability Design & Evaluation Plan, User Profiles/Scenarios, Use Case Models, User Interface (UI) Prototype, UI Design Specs, Early Usability Evaluation, Usability Test Plan and Report
• Incorporation of portal accessibility design techniques based on IBM's w3 intranet accessibility features
• Development of style guides, templates, media and text content to support usability and accessibility
• Selection of accessibility testing tools and methods; performance of accessibility tests on development, test and production code using testing tools and manual testing – including functions provided by third parties
• Creation of training and user support strategies and materials

IBM has a relationship with Hamer Enterprises, which offers a variety of products to support state and local government. These products can be integrated into WebSphere portals.