Chatbot Accessibility Guidance: A Review and Way Forward

Abstract

Chatbots are an increasingly popular way to deliver and support online services. These services must be accessible for people with disabilities; however, it is not yet clear how to extend existing guidance on web content accessibility to chatbots. Researchers and developers from different sectors are producing recommendations by a variety of methods. This paper surveys existing chatbot accessibility guidance. We found seventeen different sources yielding 157 unique recommendations for creating an accessible chatbot experience, which we organized into five categories: content, user interface, integration with other web content, developer process and training, and testing. We identify and discuss trends, themes, and opportunities to refine these recommendations. We believe that there is a need to further refine and expand the recommendations presented in this paper to facilitate the creation of accessible chatbots. Through our analysis, we intend to guide future research, inform the development of materials for designing, developing, and evaluating chatbots; and promote a shared understanding of how chatbots can deliver a successful experience for all users.