The dpivision.com Ltd Weblog

By Iain Laing, The Journal.

A fast-growing company has broken new ground in web accessibility with the launch of its advanced online shop for customers with disabilities. Newcastle’s Division is launching its Tradingeye Shop, a software product for web developers and retailers to build online shops and shopping carts which meet laws protecting the needs of people with disabilities.

The new product’s potential customers are more than 12% of the population and have a disposable income of more than £50bn.

The company said the software offered a major step forward for developers to make products and services fully accessible to those who cannot navigate what in many cases is a highly inaccessible high street for their shopping.

The launch of Tradingeye marks yet another milestone for Dpivision.com which was launched in 2003 by Wladimir Baranoff-Rossine.

Wladimir, project manager at dpivision.com, said: “We feel it is important that the internet is accessible to all and are proud to be leading the way in this area. The new PHP version of Tradingeye makes it much easier for e-commerce companies to make sure their websites are fully accessible to disabled users, as well as making them easier to use for everyone else.

“We have set the benchmark for standards in this area and would love to see the day when the 80% of UK websites which do not meet the guidelines are brought up to date.”

Within a couple of weeks of its launch, Tradingeye PHP has already sold to e-tailers as far away as Australia, New Zealand and the US.

It has also been heralded as a benchmark in accessible shopping carts by one of the world’s most respected web developers, Andy Clarke – creative director of Stuff and Nonsense and regular contributor to industry trade publication .Net.

Mr Clarke said: “Finally designers and developers have what they want: a standards-based, highly accessible and professional e-commerce solution that has fewer limitations than anything we have seen so far. Tradingeye came to my attention again after being highly recommended by a number of my friends and colleagues. The flexibility of its templates, as well as the developers’ keenness to work with the standards community to continue to improve them, impressed me.

“Added to this the sheer depth of their product and its ability to already integrate with Sage and Act!, both popular business packages, piqued my interest.

“The new PHP version of Tradingeye gives designers and developers what they’ve been crying out for: a standards-based, highly accessible and professional e-commerce solution that has fewer limitations than anything that we have seen so far.”

Dpvision expanded into a 900sq ft attic studio in Pink Lane last January and recently appointed two more staff, taking its team to six.

The new products are fully compliant with the UK Disability Discrimination Act and reach Level 3 (AAA) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) accessibility guidelines.

The company is a member of Codeworks Connect, the trade association for the North-East’s digital industries.

By Guy Anderson, The Journal

A web development company is looking to double sales over the next two years after developing an online shopping system which has been adopted by the Armenian government.

Dpivision – launched in 2003 on Newcastle’s Pink Lane – expects to double turnover by 2007 on the back of Tradingeye Shop.

The software product allows developers to produce online retail sites and internet “shopping trolleys.”

Armenia’s Ministry of Justice has adopted the product for its Prison Art Foundation, while other contracts have been secured from India to Italy.

Said Wladimir Baranoff-Rossine, project manager of Dpivision, “We are proud to be leading the way to make the internet a more accessible place.

“Tradingeye represents a new benchmark in web accessibility and judging by the feedback we have received, it looks certain to hit the mark with web designers throughout the world.

“The take-up to date has been very encouraging. The Armenian ministry contacted us after discovering the product through a Google search.”

Tradingeye meets UK Disability Discrimination Act legislation by being compatible with “screen reader” systems which translate visual images for blind and partially sighted users. It can also be adapted to a large text format.

Dpivision’s aim is to help online retailers tap into the 12% of the UK market who are disabled, and their £50bn per annum disposable income.

Jim Byrne, founder of the Guild of Accessible Web Designers, said: “Dpivision are to be applauded for demonstrating that an e-commerce website can look great and be accessible.

“They have clearly put a lot of work and effort into trying to ensure potential customers are not locked out from the online shopping experience – which is a lesson for other vendors in the market.

Dpivision is a member of Codeworks Connect, the trade association for the North-East’s digital industries.