Launching of the “Quiz” application aimed at raising awareness and educating about rights of users of electronic communications services and about Internet accessibility

The application was developed as a result of cooperation between HAKOM and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER) of the University of Zagreb within the framework of the research project “Looking into the future 2020”. The application is primarily aimed at informing and educating end users of electronic communications services about their user rights and obstacles faced by disabled persons when using those services and about the manner of overcoming those obstacles by means of appropriate design. 
 
ZAGREB, 25 March 2016 – A new application, “Quiz”, was launched on the website of the Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industries (HAKOM).The application was developed as a result of cooperation between HAKOM and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER) of the University of Zagreb within the framework of the research project “Looking into the future 2020”. The application is primarily aimed at informing users, in particular disabled persons, about their consumer rights in the world of network technologies and at raising awareness about obstacles faced by disabled persons when using these services. The Electronic Communications Act envisages that users of services, including disabled persons, should be able to benefit in the best possible manner from the selection of tariffs and quality of service.  
 
Therefore, HAKOM, as an independent national regulatory authority, makes sure that operators who are universal service providers, as well as all other operators, within the framework of their technical abilities, abide by their obligation to ensure access to public communications services by all disabled persons, appropriate equipment adjusted to special needs of persons with hearing and visual impairments or limited motor skills, the ability to receive subscription contracts and invoices by alternative means, access to customer service and to specially trained employees for disabled persons and access to emergency services for people with hearing impairments. The application is also aimed at developers and designers of applications with a view to raising their awareness about obstacles faced by disabled people and ways of eliminating those obstacles by appropriate design. A website design that a user without a disability finds appealing may represent an insuperable obstacle to a disabled user that prevents him from receiving everyday news about the world, weather or from communicating with other people. Accessibility is a manner of ensuring access and use of contents of a website by all users, regardless of their abilities. Accessible design enables all users, in particular the elderly and disabled persons, to view, understand, manage and interactively use web content.
 
By launching the “Quiz” users test their knowledge about general rights of users of electronic communications services and, in particular, about rights of disabled persons.  While taking the quiz a user may turn on simulations of motoric, visual and cognitive disabilities and thus gain an insight into how website is seen by a disabled person. The screen shows a description of a disability and guidelines for web designers on how to implement the accessible websites and eliminate obstacles for users with the mentioned disabilities. The Quiz also offers the use of a black and white design for all websites which produces the greatest contrast between the background and the text, the ability to increase font size, the use of sound effects and it is adjusted for use on small mobile devices.
 

ABOUT HAKOM: HAKOM (www.hakom.hr) - Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industries – ensures preconditions for a fair market competition, stable growth and environment for innovations in the electronic communications and postal services market. HAKOM protects users’ interests and the possibility of choice among various communications and postal services at affordable prices, defines sustainable competitive conditions for operators and service providers under fair conditions for return on investment, and provides support to economic growth, public services and the quality of life in the Republic of Croatia by using modern technologies. HAKOM’ strategic goals are: to promote regulation of the electronic communications and postal services market, to support growth of investments and innovations in the electronic communications and postal services market, to provide efficient use of limited resources, to accelerate the growth of broadband products and services, to provide affordable offers of communications and postal services, to provide protection and informing of users, to build an efficient and comprehensive information system, to define and implement efficient processes, and to acquire multi-disciplinary competencies in market regulation.