Andrew Power – Chief Revenue Officer of Vially (formally IA Labs)
In a world where digital accessibility is increasingly crucial, Vially (formerly IA Labs), has been at the forefront of driving change. With a mission to make the world more inclusive through technology, Vially has developed a platform that automates digital accessibility across design, development, and maintenance phases. As a key figure in this innovative company, Andrew Power has overseen significant transformations, including a recent rebranding effort with Kooba, which aimed to create a visual brand that embodies openness, professionalism, and global reach. In this interview, we delve into Andrew’s vision for Vially, the challenges of rebranding, and the broader implications of digital accessibility in today’s tech landscape.
- As a pioneering spin-out from Vision Ireland, how has your company’s technological and strategic approach transformed since your founding in 2021?
We will always be a user-centric company. The purpose of Vially is to help people have equal access to the digital world and we’ve always believed that technology was the best way to achieve that. That will never change.
What has changed is our use of AI. Our platform has evolved dramatically since its inception to leverage rapidly evolving technology. We’re using AI to deliver digital accessibility at scale, at all points, from design BAU. It’s helping us to solve complex problems that have so far been beyond automation.
- Could you walk us through the strategic thinking behind transitioning from IA Labs to Vially? How does the new brand name encapsulate your organisation’s core mission and vision?
We wanted a brand that was more inclusive and better reflected our mission of making the world digitally accessible.
The name Vially comes from the Latin “Via” meaning way or journey and “a11y” which is the developer shorthand for accessibility.
Accessibility is a journey, and our name reflects that. We want to support anyone who needs it in making a more inclusive world through accessible digital experiences.
That and we were sick of being called “AI Labs!”
- Would you elaborate on Vially’s methodology for conducting comprehensive website and app accessibility audits, and how you support organisations in achieving robust WCAG compliance?
We take a user-focused approach to traverse the web content using assistive technology and either automated or manual we audit using WCAG guidelines. These are globally accepted standards for accessible design.
A report is produced listing the particular WCAG Success Criteria that have failed across the web content. We list every single issue we found that must be remediated to no longer fail.
We then support organisations in understanding, interpreting and remediating their digital assets based on these issues. Our platform enables them to design and develop new components and assets so that they’re accessible from day one.
- From your extensive experience, what are the most prevalent digital accessibility barriers you consistently identify during your comprehensive audits?
Websites not being set up in the correct order or with correct focus order for assistive technology like screen readers or keyboard-only users
Alternatives for non-text content – Basically description on images. Colour contrast issues, that sort of thing. Often it’s a few issues repeated many times across sites or
apps that cause the issues, and simple things like these can mean a user isn’t able to navigate or engage with the website or app at all.
- How does Vially’s AI-powered solution differentiate itself from traditional manual accessibility assessment approaches?
There are several benefits to the Vially Insight platform vs manual testing. The ability to apply accessibility at scale across large and complex organisations. The ability to “shift left” with accessibility, building it onto the development and design phase for digital products; and the centralising and maintaing digital accessibility knowledge within a software platform, meaning you’re not prey to knowledge drain as your organisation changes.
Ultimately, it’s the expertise of the people in Vially that make this possible. We’re taking the knowledge and skills of the few and putting it into the hands of the many.
- Could you share some success stories demonstrating how Vially’s interventions have materially improved a client’s digital accessibility infrastructure?
We’re lucky enough to work with hundreds of local and global companies, but I’m always delighted to highlight Dublin Bus for the incredible work they’ve done to build digital accessibility into everything they do.
1 in 4 people with a disability don’t use public transportation because they don’t find it accessible, and one of the hurdles is accessing information to understand if their needs are met before embarking. Being connected to the world is vital for us all. It’s great to see a focus on removing barriers to transport from all perspectives.
- With the EU Accessibility Act’s imminent implementation, how is Vially strategically positioning itself to support businesses in navigating these complex new regulatory requirements?
We have numerous team members serving on the standards committee at EU level, including our amazing Head of Accessibility, Adela Buliman. We’re continually engaging and lobbying Irish and EU legislators and regulators to have the most up to date details on enforcement, support and implementation.
Through Visions Ireland and our global network of disability charities, we’re aware of the global patterns, regulations, and grass roots needs of people.
All of this knowledge and expertise directly feeds our platform for businesses to use to become digitally accessible, and stay that way.
- What significant challenges have you encountered in raising digital accessibility awareness amongst Irish and UK businesses?
We’ve been shouting about digital accessibility for years now, and for a long time it was the thing that got set aside to meet development costs or timelines. It’s also not well understood, and it gets very complex when applied to huge organisations like banks, with multiple complex digital assets and systems.
The biggest challenge has always been awareness, but with the EAA coming in 2025, its becoming a hot topic. Once people know about it, they’re always keen to support the journey to digital accessibility. But it takes. A lot of conversations sometimes to get there!
- How does Vially collaborate with disability advocacy networks to enhance your service offerings and broader societal impact?
We’re part of Vision Ireland. Through their advocacy groups, and our wider network in Ireland and globally, we’re lucky to have continual feedback from the disability community to ensure we’re delivering services and technology that works for them and with them.
We have team members with life experiences from sight loss and colour blindness, to neurodivergence and their feedback is invaluable.
We’re also very excited to announce that we’re setting up a paid internship program at Vially to train people with disabilities to become accessibility professionals.
The employment rate for people with disabilities in Ireland is shockingly low. We hope we can provide skills they can leverage into employment, and we’re also training up the next generation of accessibility advocates!
- What advice would you offer to organisations beginning their digital accessibility journey?
Just get started. Audit your website, your app. Pick one if it’s daunting and see how it stacks up. Auditing is the best way to understand where you are on the journey and from there you can gather momentum to make the changes needed to be more accessible.