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Bank of Canada

Traditionally, Bank of Canada has made payments accessible by supplying bank notes to Canadians. To inform the development of new policies, they needed to understand accessibility requirements for electronic and digital payment methods.

This case study is available to download in PDF format here.

Open led the research and development of a cognitively accessible voice payment system prototype. Open then facilitated  accessibility and usability testing by persons with cognitive disabilities.The project also included scientific literature reviews.

You can learn more about our solution by reading this article published by the University of Ottawa.

The Problem

Nearly 4 million Canadians face cognitive challenges that impact their ability to navigate digital payments, among other things. To inform future policy development, Bank of Canada’s fintech research team required expertise in inclusive research and cognitive accessibility, and the validation of neurodivergent persons.

The Solution

To establish a robust set of conclusions upon which policies could be developed, Open developed a cognitively accessible voice payment system prototype. We tested the prototype with a group of 30 Accessibility Advisors with a range of cognitive abilities and lived experience to inform usability decisions. Our work also included a critical review of evidence, documenting functional requirements.

Services provided:

  • Inclusive Research & Development
  • Accessibility & Usability Testing

The Outcome

Open’s work informed the Bank of Canada’s paper, Digital Payments: A Framework for Inclusive Design, which also adopts the definition of cognitive disability developed by Open’s leadership team. The new framework offers a blueprint for policymakers, practitioners, and developers on how to design digital payment solutions that are accessible and usable for persons of all cognitive abilities.

”Working with OPEN was invaluable in designing a voice-based payment system that meets the needs of people with cognitive disabilities. Their insights and use of both data and lived experience helped ensure users could make successful payments with minimal assistance.”

~ Dinis Cabral, PDG, JLG Health Solutions

Testimonials

We have been working with Open for over a year and it has been a pleasure; Open offers a professional, fast, efficient, detailed, and conscientious path to engaging neurodiverse communities as advisors for corporate related accessibility projects.

Nadia Hamilton, CEO, Magnusmode

We work with Open in order to develop a cognitively accessible medication management application. They provided us with a wealth of expertise regarding cognitive disabilities and accessibility while ensuring we received input directly from persons with cognitive disabilities.

Dinis Cabral, CEO, JLG Health Solutions

It is always a pleasure to work with you and your students! They were quite remarkable throughout the process. They were available, accessible and certainly their report today was spot on.

Caroline Granger, Director, Valor & Solutions

Our work with Open has led to meaningful improvements in accessibility. Their process identified unintentional barriers in our materials, and the revisions have made our resources more effective for individuals with diverse cognitive needs.

Lynn Martin, PhD, Professor, Department of Health Sciences, Lakehead University

Thank you for helping make SCERN a success! Based on your feedback, we have made a number of improvements.

Christopher Macdonald Hewitt, Ph.D.