OAR FM launches new website with accessibility focus

OAR FM has redesigned and relaunched OAR.ORG.NZ, delivering an early Christmas present for visitors to the website.

To begin the process, OAR Operations Director Domi Angelo-Laloli engaged local “accessibility champions” to review the station’s existing website, now eight years old, and establish a wish list of features that would unlock the site’s potential. Their perspectives ranged from lived experience of visual impairment to the professional expertise of an Access Consultant and Educator.

Christchurch-based Meta Digital was then tasked with site design, focusing on accessibility, discoverability and speed.

Domi says what people expect from a website has changed over time, as have the ways they are consuming media.

“We wanted the website to look good on whatever device was being used, make it easier for people to find the content they were looking for, and make sure users were discovering other shows that
might interest them.”

Meta Digital did a “great job”, he says. The result is a clean, accessible and modern website that looks beautiful on desktop and mobile devices.

Listening recommendations are available by category and language.

“There is also a lot of cool stuff happening under the hood, from enhanced Search Engine Optimisation to design and structure optimised for use with assistive technology.”

The redesign project was made possible with funding support from the ANZ Staff Foundation.

“We are hugely grateful for their support,” says Domi.

“We now have a website that delivers a better experience for a wide range of users.”