TOTO launches an accessible website

30. April 2024

TOTO has focused on people and their well-being for over 100 years. This is why the international sanitary manufacturer designed a fully accessible website.

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For many, accessibility means low kerbs or Braille labels in lifts. But most people aren’t (yet) aware that unrestricted use also impacts our digital lives. It’s all the more important that people learn about it: The Act on Strengthening Accessibility (BFSG) will take effect in Germany on 28 June 2025. This requires specific products and services to be accessible to consumers – including but not limited to computers and their operating systems, cash machines, ticket machines, online shops and online reservation systems used to book appointments or hotel rooms.

“We made a conscious decision to design a website that is as user-friendly as possible, making it easily accessible to everyone,” explains TOTO’s Anja Giersiepen. This is one way TOTO shows their commitment to social responsibility and their genuine concern for the needs of people with physical or cognitive limitations.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) developed the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2 (WCAG), the main international policy for digital accessibility. TOTO Europe followed these specifications closely when updating their website. One of the four fundamental principles of the WCAG is that all information or interactions on websites must be presented to users in ways that they can perceive. Accessible websites like TOTO’s need to be easy to use and understand, as well as robust. The guidelines are divided into different levels. A is the lowest level that can be achieved without a great deal of additional effort. Level AA is the conformance level enshrined in law. It requires a reasonable amount of effort and has the greatest impact on digital accessibility. This is also the standard that TOTO Europe has followed for their website. It now includes extensive descriptions of many photos and videos, allowing blind people and people with low vision to experience the website more fully. A screen reader can read these detailed descriptions aloud, or they can also be output in Braille.

The TOTO website also has an accessibility assistant in 29 languages to help address the individual needs of every user. This small person-shaped symbol allows users to change how the page content and navigation options are displayed. There are five preconfigured profiles for people with visual impairments, dyslexia, ADHD, epilepsy and cognitive limitations. It’s also possible to individually adjust the look of the content, colours and navigation. For example, animation can be deactivated, headlines or links underlined, text enhanced for better legibility, and colours changed completely or altered to increase the contrast. Through these changes, TOTO is already in compliance with the German Act on Strengthening Accessibility and has made an important contribution to inclusive internet use.

Düsseldorf, April 2024
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TOTO brings luxury to bathroom culture, creating innovations that deliver the ultimate in design, comfort and hygiene without revealing the sophisticated technology integrated within. Japan’s leading supplier of bathroom products, TOTO develops comprehensive solutions for high-end private and public spaces around the world, including the European market since 2009. The company is shaping bathroom design with innovative sanitary ware, faucets, and, most importantly, WASHLET – selling over 70 million worldwide. TOTO’s Japanese design philosophy reflects a respect for others. It centres on people and their needs, inspiring intuitive, easy-to-use products and elegantly understated designs. TOTO shows this same respect for the environment, developing water-saving technologies that help conserve resources while pursuing its sustainability strategy in internationally recognised initiatives like Climate Group RE100 and the Science Based Targets Initiative.

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