Accessibility and conformance

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated March 6, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Accessibility and Conformance

    The Yokohama release enhances accessibility features across ServiceNow products, focusing on improving conformance with WCAG 2.1 AA standards. This update benefits users relying on keyboard navigation and assistive technologies, particularly those with visual impairments.

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    Key Features

    • Usability Improvements: Expanded zoom capabilities (up to 400% reflow), enhanced text and image contrast, alternative text for images, and refined control labeling.
    • Upgraded Components: Enhanced accessibility in various Configurable Workspaces including Audit Management, Compliance Case Management, and more.
    • Voice Input for Now Assist: Optional voice-to-text input for accessing Now Assist skills.
    • Customized Keyboard Shortcuts: Over 40 new keyboard shortcuts for improved navigation and accessibility support.
    • Document Services: Generate accessible PDFs from records and lists.
    • Rich Text Editor Upgrade: Improved accessibility checker for Knowledge articles, enhancing AT user experience.
    • Text Adjust Neurodiversity Extension: Allows personalization of reading experiences for neurodivergent users by adjusting UI elements like font and spacing.

    Key Outcomes

    ServiceNow customers can expect improved usability and accessibility across platforms, leading to a more inclusive experience for all users. The availability of Accessibility Conformance Reports (ACRs) provides transparency regarding the accessibility of ServiceNow products, helping organizations comply with accessibility standards and improve user engagement.

    View a summary of accessibility updates and improvements completed for the Yokohama family release. Learn which Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) was used to create Accessibility Conformance Reports (ACRs) for ServiceNow® products and where to access them.

    Release Highlights

    Next Experience, Configurable Workspace, and Builder Improvements
    Leverage Platform and Product upgrades to strengthen WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility conformance. This release enhances usability for all users, particularly those relying on keyboard navigation, assistive technologies, or with visual impairments. Key improvements include expanded zoom capabilities (including 400% reflow), enhanced contrast of text and images, implementation of alternative text to images, and refined control labeling.
    • Platform and Products upgrades include the following Configurable Workspaces and Components:
      • Audit Management
      • Collaborative Work Management
      • Compliance Case Management
      • Configuration Management Database (CMDB)
      • Data Loss Prevention
      • Enterprise Agile Planning
      • Enterprise Asset Management
      • Project Workspace
      • Resource Management Workspace
      • Security Incident Response Workspace
      • Software Asset Management
      • Strategic Planning
      • Vendor Management Workspace
      • Workplace Central Event Planner
      • Workplace Maintenance Management
      • Workplace Move Management
    • Builders upgraded to support WCAG 2.1 Level AA:
      • Decision Table Builder
      • Flows, subflows, and actions in Workflow Studio
      • Table Builder
      • Theme Builder
      • Workspace Builder
    New features and other improvements
    • Voice Input for Now Assist- Enable an optional voice input setting for the Now Assist panel in the Now Assist Admin console. This feature gives users a voice-to-text input option to access the Now Assist skills in the panel in any supported language.
    • Customized Next Experience keyboard shortcuts- Leverage 40+ keyboard shortcuts in Next Experience or design your own at the Admin or User level setting.
    • Categorized Next Experience Keyboard shortcuts – Find keyboard shortcuts quickly and easily with new categories: Page Action, Page Navigation, Global Navigation, and General. This organization improves navigation for users who rely on keyboards, including those with mobility impairments.
    • New Next Experience keyboard shortcuts- Two new Next Experience keyboard shortcuts are available, one shortcut to open and close the Now Assist panel and another to enable voice input for Now Assist.
    • Document Services– Create and export accessible PDFs from records and lists using Document Services.
    • Rich Text Editor (TinyMCE) Upgrade for Knowledge and Service Catalog- Identify and resolve accessibility related issues in Knowledge articles via the accessibility checker.
    • Improved the experience for users of Assistive Technology (AT) by resolving potential limitations that could have prevented seamless content access, application navigation, and feature utilization.
    Now available in the ServiceNow Store:
    Text Adjust Neurodiversity Extension – Empower users with neurodivergent conditions (Dyslexia, Autism, ADHD, etc.) to personalize their reading experience. Install the Text Adjust Neurodiversity Extension (Chromium-based) to modify the webpage’s user interface (UI) by changing the font families and adjusting letter, word, and paragraph spacing. Features include the ability to:
    • Adjust the default font on a webpage with a different font family.
    • Adjust the spacing of letters, words, line height, and paragraphs on a webpage.

    Product Accessibility

    A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is a globally recognized reporting format used to evaluate the accessibility of a product or service. ServiceNow uses the international version of the VPAT to create Accessibility Conformance Reports (ACRs). ACRs are available for the currently supported ServiceNow releases.

    For a full list of available accessibility conformance reports, see Accessibility conformance reports.