After being one of low-code software platform OutSystems’ longest-tenured partners in Australia, Melbourne-headquartered Kiandra landed the opportunity to develop a new online job platform aimed for candidates with disabilities.
Called The Field, the platform was co-developed with Get Skilled Access (GSA), an organisation founded by Australian tennis great Dylan Alcott, and has also received funding from the government.
Speaking to CRN, Kiandra co-founder and managing director Cameron Brookes said the company has been an OutSystems partner for some five years and has become one of its stronger Australian partners.
“When the opportunity came up to [OutSystems] for The Field, they pointed them in our direction and we were able to win that project and hopefully partner with them for years to come,” Brookes said.
“I think it's a strong [vendor] partner ecosystem that's probably leading us to having quite a few wins in that space and obviously winning some of the global awards.”
Kiandra was also awarded the 2022 OutSystems Innovation Award earlier this month, in recognition of its work with shipping company Monson for a custom-built shipping agency application built on OutSystems’ platform.
“We've always seen the value of being a strong partner with our vendors and it's not about the trophies but it's about building a strong brand with them,” Brookes added.
GSA engaged Kiandra to make The Field a disability-led, designed, delivered and maintained online job platform to help connect people with disabilities to employers.
Kiandra used the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Level AA, as a benchmark for the platform’s overall accessibility, with testing and user feedback contributing further adjustments. The Field catered to five different disability groups, including those deaf or hard of hearing, blind or low vision, and with limited use of arms or hand mobility and intellectual disability.
Brookes said Kiandra worked closely with The Field’s internal team, which not only live with a disability themselves, but are also aware of the challenges in that job market.
“We did a lot of internal professional training around accessibility and understanding how to build sites that cater for the disability sector, working with their subject matter experts on The Field’s design, the functionality and the way it was going to work, in conjunction with our team, so there was a really strong collaboration over what was the last six months,” he said.
“They worked from our offices a bunch of the time and we're really trying to integrate them into the way we work and, and help them develop an understanding of the technical side, but learning what their requirements are going to be. And once again, that's why it's presented as a site that’s designed by and built by people with a disability and it's for that disability sector.”
Kiandra Co-Founder Martin Cooperwaite said partnering with GSA to deliver the Field was both a privilege and also a unique challenge, as the platform needed to be accessible to different disabilities in a way other sites hadn’t properly addressed before.
“Building software for accessibility at this level is about putting the people we represent first. The Field must support a range of user access needs while at the same time being accessible to those who would be maintaining the system in the long term. Kiandra leveraged the low-code platform OutSystems to support both objectives, as it is easily customisable for those maintaining the system,” Cooperwaite said.
“Our goal for the Field is to provide the closest digital experience possible for everyone, so those with disability can have equal access to digital employment tools. To achieve this, our users needed to be considered at every stage of the build, and feedback was a crucial element of this. Ongoing feedback and upgrades will ensure we continue to represent those with a disability, to showcase their strengths and abilities so they can reach employers like never before.”
In the announcement, GSA founder Dylan Alcott said, “One in four Australians are estimated to have a disability, that’s around 4.4 million people – only 53 per cent of people with disability are participating in the labour force, a rate that hasn’t changed since 2003.
“We wanted to create a job site that was more than simply connecting candidates with disability to employers. We wanted a site that would level the employment exchange by prioritising accessibility features and inclusive functionality to improve the recruitment experience.
“The Field will enable job seekers to have the power to choose how they showcase their personal brand to employers through their profile, showcasing their skills, experience and accessibility requirements in the way they like to choose.”
-1.jpg&w=100&c=1&s=0)
.png&w=100&c=1&s=0)
