Accessibility and Usability Evaluation of Ethiopian Airlines Website
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Date
2023-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The development of user-friendly and accessible digital platforms is crucial for the airline's success
the airline's website, as its major digital platform, serves as a means for customers to access
information, make bookings, and interact with the brand. It is critical for airlines to provide high-
quality website usability and accessibility to meet customer expectations, create business
development, and retain a competitive advantage in the market. The purpose of this study is to
evaluate the usability and accessibility of the Ethiopian Airlines website, identifying areas for
improvement and providing insights to enhance the user experience and address accessibility
challenges. To achieve this objective, a mixed-method approach is used, the study integrates an
online questionnaire, user-based testing utilizing Morae software, and automatic evaluation tools
such as Accessibility Checker, WAVE, GTmetrix, and Google Lighthouse. The participant sample
comprised 10 individuals which are members of sheba miles and who completed seven tasks using
Morae, while an online questionnaire was administered to additional 32 Ethiopian Airlines
customers who had utilized the website for flight bookings and were enrolled in the Sheba Miles
frequent flier loyalty program. The findings of the study indicate there is the need for
improvements in the website’s usability and accessibility those are significant accessibility issues
within the Ethiopian Airlines website, which hinder users with impairments to access the
information and services provided. Additionally, the research uncovers various usability concerns,
including difficulties in locating relevant information, slow page loading times, a lack of user
friendliness, navigation challenges, and decreased user satisfaction
Description
Keywords
Usability, Accessibility, WCAG, Website Evaluation, User-Centered Design