Virtual tour accessibility is no easy task, but Barnes Creative Studios (BCS) leaped forward in competition for the recent Microsoft Inclusive Guest Innovation award taking 2nd place. 360 AG™ (360 Accessibility Generator) is our patent-pending web app that allows anyone to add accessibility and inclusion to virtual tours. BCS was “highly commended” in the category behind Centaur Robotics which is a wheelchair balancing technology.
“The Blue Badge Access Awards are the only dedicated global award scheme promoting stylish accessibility across hotels, restaurants, and other venues.” Chair of Judges Fiona Jarvis was captivated by 360 AG™ created by BCS and quickly invited the web app to compete in the prestigious Microsoft Inclusive Guest Innovation category. From The Blue Badge Awards website: “Inspiring architects, designers, staff and proprietors to higher standards, creating exceptional venues that make everyone a ‘first-class citizen’ with thoughtful, design-led accessibility.”
BCS was honored to participate as a pioneer in virtual tours and accessibility. Our first app version works with many virtual tour brands like Matterport, Kuula, iGuide, 3D Vista, and many more. The more recent 360 AG™ 2.0 works exclusively with Matterport virtual tours and is built as an official partner on their excellent infrastructure. The importance of accessibility and inclusion was the driving force behind the creation of 360 AG™.
Adding Virtual Tour Accessibility is Harder Than You Think
A lot goes into adding full accessibility to a difficult medium like a virtual tour. A technology side of the equation interacts with screen readers, but there is also a contextual side of things. The context is just as important, which is why you can’t get away with a claimed technical fix. That would be a facade of hope for a disabled user. 360 AG™ benchmarks at the WCAG 2.1 AA level and offers the needed technical connection plus the ability to add context and make virtual tours come alive for everyone.
We would be happy to help you with our simple self-service solution where we provide the technology and you generate the context, or we can do it all for you with full service.
