Summary
Key results
Compliance of services and applications with WCAG guidelines
Improved accessibility of services for people with disabilities
Strict regulatory requirements for digital accessibility
The banking sector is subject to regulatory requirements related to inclusivity and digital accessibility, resulting, among others, from applicable legal regulations such as the Payment Accounts Directive (PAD). For an institution of the scale of PKO Bank Polski, this means the need to ensure high accessibility standards across dozens of services and applications used by millions of customers.
In practice, meeting these regulatory requirements is based on applying the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) – an international standard defining the principles for designing digital services and applications in a way that is accessible to all users, including people with disabilities. This means, for example, that a blind person can use a service with the support of a screen reader, a partially sighted person can enlarge text and use appropriate contrast, a person not using a mouse can navigate the website using a keyboard, and content, forms, and buttons are understandable, predictable, and function correctly.
Lack of compliance with WCAG guidelines carried regulatory and legal risk. At the same time, the scale and complexity of the bank’s digital ecosystem required a methodical, structured approach that would not be limited to isolated fixes, but would enable planning further actions in the area of compliance.
In response to regulatory risks, the bank decided to cooperate with Sii Poland, which combines WCAG digital accessibility audits with UX and technological competencies, as well as sector experience in banking.
A comprehensive accessibility audit and compliance roadmap
The objective of the activities was to reliably verify the compliance of PKO Bank Polski’s digital channels with WCAG requirements and to design a realistic path for adapting them to applicable regulations.
The Sii Poland team – consisting of certified WCAG auditors, UX/UI experts, and developers – conducted an accessibility audit of the bank’s services and applications, combining expert analysis with a practical technological approach.
The scope of work included:
- A digital accessibility audit in accordance with WCAG guidelines
- Identification of functional, visual, and technological non-compliances
- Assessment of the impact of identified barriers on users, including people with disabilities
- Preparation of detailed audit reports
- Design of a remediation roadmap, taking into account the bank’s business and regulatory priorities
As a result, the bank received clear, structured recommendations that could be safely implemented within the existing digital ecosystem.
Regulatory compliance and real inclusivity at enterprise scale
The conducted audit enabled PKO Bank Polski to confirm the compliance of its key digital products with applicable accessibility regulations and WCAG standards. The bank gained full visibility into risk areas and a structured plan for further actions, reducing legal risk related to the accessibility of digital services.
By implementing the recommendations, the bank opened its services to a broader group of users, including people with various functional limitations, while significantly improving the overall user experience across key digital channels. Cooperation with Sii’s interdisciplinary team made it possible to combine legal requirements with a practical UX and technology-driven approach, ensuring a consistent and scalable approach to accessibility within the existing digital ecosystem.
KEY RESULTS
- Verified compliance of services and applications with WCAG guidelines
- Identified and categorized regulatory risks within the digital ecosystem
- Clear guidelines for adapting products to accessibility requirements
- Improved accessibility of banking services for people with disabilities
- Enhanced user experience quality across key digital channels