URGENT: Webchat accessibility errors for EU clients
Hi Voiceflow team,
I’m reaching out on behalf of our company with an urgent request regarding accessibility compliance of the Voiceflow webchat widget.
We’ve built multiple chatbot solutions on Voiceflow for government and public sector clients in the Czech Republic (EU). These projects must comply with WCAG 2.2 and the European Accessibility Act, which becomes enforceable at the end of June 2025. Non-compliance may result in major penalties (hundreds of thousands USD).
After a detailed accessibility audit, we found critical issues: 1. Missing
Pavel from HypeDigitaly
hypedigitaly.ai
After a detailed accessibility audit, we found critical issues: 1. Missing
aria-label / title attributes on many buttons (microphone, close chat, scroll-to-bottom).
2. Some titles like “Open chat agent” / "Close chat agent" are hardcoded in English with no localization option.
3. The chat input field has only a placeholder, no <label>
4. SVGs and images lack alt or accessibility attributes.
These issues break screen reader support and other assistive tech. We currently serve over 10 government projects, and without fixes, we will be forced to stop using the widget entirely, threatening our operations.
We noticed some recent progress (e.g., title attributes appearing for open/close chat) — great start. But the widget remains non-compliant in its current form, and we urge you to prioritize accessibility fixes ASAP.
Happy to share screenshots more or reports if needed. We truly want to continue building on Voiceflow.
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Best regards,Pavel from HypeDigitaly
hypedigitaly.ai
6 Replies
Hi Pavel,
Thank you for the detailed report—we understand how critical accessibility compliance is, especially for government and public sector projects in the EU.
A few key points regarding the current Voiceflow webchat widget:
• Some interactive elements (such as the microphone, close chat, and scroll-to-bottom buttons) are missing appropriate aria‑labels/title attributes.
• Certain texts (e.g. “Open chat agent”/“Close chat agent”) are hardcoded in English without an option for localization.
• The chat input uses only a placeholder without a proper label element, and SVGs/images lack alt or accessibility attributes. While we’ve made some progress (for example, adding title attributes to open/close buttons), we know there’s more to be done to fully comply with WCAG 2.2 and meet the European Accessibility Act requirements. Our team is actively reviewing these issues and working on enhancements for future updates. In the meantime, you might consider implementing a custom, client‑side workaround—such as using a post‑load JavaScript or extension to inject the necessary accessibility attributes into the webchat’s DOM. Please note that this approach isn’t officially supported and may require updates if the widget’s internal structure changes. We appreciate your feedback and understand the urgency of these modifications for your projects. If you’d like to explore custom solutions or hear how others have approached similar challenges, the Discord community can be a helpful resource for sharing tips and ideas. For more information on customizing the webchat, please check out the Voiceflow documentation:
https://docs.voiceflow.com Thanks again for your thorough feedback—we’re committed to improving the accessibility of our widget.
• Certain texts (e.g. “Open chat agent”/“Close chat agent”) are hardcoded in English without an option for localization.
• The chat input uses only a placeholder without a proper label element, and SVGs/images lack alt or accessibility attributes. While we’ve made some progress (for example, adding title attributes to open/close buttons), we know there’s more to be done to fully comply with WCAG 2.2 and meet the European Accessibility Act requirements. Our team is actively reviewing these issues and working on enhancements for future updates. In the meantime, you might consider implementing a custom, client‑side workaround—such as using a post‑load JavaScript or extension to inject the necessary accessibility attributes into the webchat’s DOM. Please note that this approach isn’t officially supported and may require updates if the widget’s internal structure changes. We appreciate your feedback and understand the urgency of these modifications for your projects. If you’d like to explore custom solutions or hear how others have approached similar challenges, the Discord community can be a helpful resource for sharing tips and ideas. For more information on customizing the webchat, please check out the Voiceflow documentation:
https://docs.voiceflow.com Thanks again for your thorough feedback—we’re committed to improving the accessibility of our widget.
dont know if this solution is possible ? @bamelement @Daniel
@Braden (Voiceflow CEO) people are frequently talking about EU compliance on voiceflow, i believe that’s something voiceflow should work on.
FYI the team is aware of this and looking into a fix! TY for flagging
Thank you
yes please ...