The Competence Center Youth Check (KomJC) is an independent specialist agency with unique expertise in Germany for the systematic assessment of the impact of legislation from the perspective of young people. It raises awareness of youth-friendly legislation by conducting youth checks on all legislative proposals by the federal government.

Founded in 2017, the KomJC is a project of the German Research Institute for Public Administration (FÖV) and works on an interdisciplinary basis with experts from the fields of political science, social sciences, and law. Since 2023, it has been funded on a long-term basis by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth (BMFSFJ) and supports the federal government’s youth strategy as part of its independent youth policy.

Many target groups, clear accessibility requirements

The Youth Check Competence Center operates two websites for different target groups. The website jugend-check.de is aimed at employees in federal ministries, members of the Bundestag, international and regional institutions, and young people interested in politics. In contrast, mein.jugend-check.de is aimed specifically at young people in Germany.

In accordance with the requirements of the European Accessibility Act (EAA) and the Barrier-Free Accessibility Act (BFSG), the KomJC is obliged to design the website to be barrier-free. The implementation was therefore carried out in accordance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) and the Barrier-Free Information Technology Ordinance (BITV 2.0). Special attention was paid to intuitive and accessible filtering of the various youth checks in order to make access to the content as easy and user-friendly as possible. The particular challenge here was: How can we present the various design stages of the youth checks in a comprehensible way?

Accessible according to BITV 2.0 and WCAG 2.1? Of course!

The BITV requires that information technology offerings, applications, and services be designed to be accessible. This means that they must be usable by all people without restriction. This is based on the four principles of accessibility: perceivability, operability, understandability, and robustness.

Perceivability

The principle of perceivability ensures that functions and information are presented in such a way that they can be perceived by all users. A central aspect of this is the so-called two-channel principle, in which information is made accessible via two different sensory channels. When relaunching the KomJC website, we developed the following:

Screen readers: Users are able to hear all information instead of reading it.
Adjustable font sizes: Font sizes can be scaled to offer the optimal size for everyone.
Optimal contrast ratios: All content is easily perceptible on any background.
Provision of alternative texts: Media content is passed on to assistive technologies (e.g., screen readers).
Provision in German sign language.

Usability

A website must be designed in such a way that everyone can interact with it without difficulty. In the context of the KomJC, this means the following:

Keyboard usability: All functions of the website are accessible and usable without a mouse.
Button size: All buttons, filters, and links are sufficiently large.

Comprehensibility

It is crucial to use clear and simple language and, where necessary, to provide explanations for technical terms, unusual expressions, or abbreviations. This also includes ensuring the predictability of the user interface by guaranteeing consistent presentation and navigation. We do this as follows:

Offers in easy language: A linguistically simplified version that serves as an aid to understanding the original texts.
Explanation of technical terms: through tooltips on mein.jugend-check.de
Clarity and consistency: The navigation and operation of the website must be clear and predictable so that all users can find their way around.

Robustness

Robustness refers to the high compatibility of the content provided with the web browsers used, as well as with assistive technologies such as screen readers. This means that standards must be adhered to when creating content, such as correct syntax and consistent use of HTML, to ensure error-free use on different devices and with different assistive technologies.

Haven't seen enough yet?

Feel free to browse the entire KomJC website and discover their great work!

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Intuitive filtering of youth checks

How can we present the various stages of the youth checks in a comprehensible way? How can we structure the various departments of the different legislative periods in a meaningful way? And above all: How can we present everything in a way that is clear at first glance? The answer: With lots of ideas, lots of discussions, and lots of questioning of the content.

Simplified content for young people: mein.jugend-check.de

mein.jugend-check.de is based on the design of jugend-check.de and has been adapted in line with the corporate design. However, the focus is on content that has been prepared in a way that is understandable to people who are not familiar with the subject matter. The aim was to explain the complex topics of the youth check clearly and simply so that they are also accessible to people without specialist knowledge. This adaptation makes the site not only visually appealing, but also inclusive and user-friendly in terms of content.