Intranet Accessibility Audit

It covers the page-level checks most likely to affect employees using screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, or low-vision settings. The template walks through page identification, text alternatives, contrast, keyboard operability, and headings/forms. It is designed for intranet pages such as HR forms, policy pages, dashboards, and internal knowledge articles. If you need a broader program review, pair it with a sitewide accessibility audit or remediation tracker.

Run it before publishing new pages, after major redesigns, and whenever templates or components change. For high-traffic intranet areas like HR, benefits, and IT self-service, many teams also review on a recurring cadence such as quarterly or semiannually. The right frequency depends on how often content changes and how much the page relies on custom UI. A repeatable cadence helps catch regressions before employees report them.

A trained content owner, accessibility reviewer, QA analyst, or compliance team member can complete it, provided they know how to test keyboard access and recognize WCAG failures. For pages with custom widgets or forms, involve the product owner or developer who can fix code-level issues. If your organization has an accessibility lead or an external consultant, they can validate the findings and severity. The template works best when the inspector can both observe the issue and assign it to the right owner.

Yes, it is structured around common WCAG 2.2 AA checks such as text alternatives, contrast, focus visibility, keyboard access, and semantic headings. It is also useful for documenting issues that affect assistive technology even when the failure is caused by a design pattern rather than a single page. The template does not replace a formal conformance assessment, but it gives you a practical audit record. If you need legal review, use it alongside your organization’s accessibility policy and counsel guidance.

Common findings include missing alt text on informative images, low-contrast text in banners or callouts, and custom buttons that do not work with the keyboard. Teams also miss heading levels that skip from H1 to H3, unlabeled form fields, and error messages that are not tied to the field they describe. Another frequent issue is focus being hidden behind sticky headers or modals. These are the kinds of defects that frustrate users and are easy to document with this template.

Yes, and you should. Add page types that matter in your environment, such as policy pages, knowledge base articles, employee forms, or dashboard widgets. You can also tailor the checklist to your design system components, such as accordions, tabs, date pickers, or modal dialogs. Customizing the scope makes the audit faster and helps reviewers use the same language as your developers.

Ad hoc checks usually catch obvious issues but miss repeatable documentation, severity, and ownership. This template gives you a consistent inspection path, so the same page is reviewed the same way every time. That makes it easier to trend recurring defects and prioritize fixes across teams. It also creates a cleaner handoff from reviewer to developer or content owner.

Record each deficiency with enough detail for remediation, including the page, element, issue type, and expected fix. Then assign owners, due dates, and retest status so the audit becomes actionable rather than just descriptive. If the page is customer-facing or tied to employee self-service, prioritize critical barriers like keyboard traps, missing labels, and unreadable contrast. Retest after fixes to confirm the issue is resolved and no new barriers were introduced.