CSR in the OKI Group Improvement of Customer Satisfaction
Expanding Application Range of Universal Design Technology
The OKI Group's Approach to Universal Design
The OKI Group defines universal design as the achievement of a high level of usability (basic user-friendliness) and accessibility (considerations for elderly people and people with disabilities) in products and services so that all customers can use them properly, effectively and satisfactorily.
The OKI Group's efforts to enhance usability and accessibility are based on four concepts. First, products must have interfaces that are easy to understand. Second, mental and physical stress on users must be minimized. Third, there must be choices of operating procedures. Fourth, products must be designed in a friendly and attractive package. In order to promote universal design, OKI established a cross-functional organization called the Ergonomics Committee. The committee conducts verification tests and collects opinions from users which help shape products and services.
Universal Design Intended for the Use of as Many People as Possible
Establishment of Human Interface Design Department
Operability verification of printers
OKI Data, a leading manufacturer of business-use printers and multifunctional printers, established Human Interface Design Department in April 2012. While the functions of its products have become increasingly complex, small businesses and individuals now constitute a significant part of their users. Consequently, the company is now asked to realize greater user-friendliness that allows people with little knowledge of IT to make full use of its products, and produce a truly easy-to-understand manual. The new department is comprised of two teams, one examines and creates manuals, and the other focuses on operability and design. It aims at establishing global operability with integrity in cooperation with the Operability Committee, an organization whose members are from different functional departments such as Design, Sales, and CS Promotion. Based on the OKI Group's concept of universal design, the department also pursues the improvement of accessibility by reflecting considerations for different types of challenged people including elderly people and people with impaired color vision.
Enhancing Accessibility of Website
OKI has made utmost efforts to build truly accessible websites in conformity with JIS standards and other International standards by emphasizing the importance of accessibility in the company's guidelines for websites since 2002. As part of such efforts, in October 2011, OKI renewed the opening page and the pages for corporate information of its website to make them conform with JIS X 8341-3:2010(*1), a new JIS standard to ensure web accessibility to elderly and challenged people. The new JIS standard includes a section to test the accessibility of each web page and rank it in three levels (A, AA and AAA). The above renewed pages were evaluated to partly meet the requirements of the AA level. OKI will continue to increase the number of web pages in conformity with the standard.
- *1: JIS X 8341-3:2010
Guidelines for older persons and persons with disabilities-Information and communications equipment, software and services-Part 3: Web content. It is a standard about accessibility launched in June, 2004 as part of the the Japan Industrial Standards. It was revised later in August 2010.
