[Eliminating the Information Gap for People with Disabilities] Ayumi Radically Overhauls Barrier-Free Information Site 'Furatto.'
Ayumi completely renewed its barrier-free information site 'Furatto.' to help over 45 million people requiring accessibility info. Key improvements focus on searchability, web accessibility, and design based on user feedback.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 8, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 8, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 20:34 (298h 3m after Collected)
■ Background: The 'Information Gap' Faced by Over 40 Million People with Disabilities
In Japan, more than 45 million people—including 9.65 million people with disabilities and over 36 million elderly people—require barrier-free information. However, even when trying to research barrier-free accommodations at destinations or travel spots in advance, there are still many cases where individuals cannot reach the necessary information.
*Reference: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Disabilities Health and Welfare Division 'Recent Trends in the Field of Disability Welfare'; Statistics Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications 'Elderly Persons in Japan from a Statistical Perspective'; Statistics Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications 'Number of Children in Japan'
Users of 'Furatto.', operated by Ayumi, have also shared the following feedback:
'Because there is no text-to-speech function, the articles are difficult for me to read as I am visually impaired.'
'I shared the article with my grandmother, but she mentioned that the text was hard to see.'
'Even though I found the information I wanted, the article loaded so slowly that I gave up reading it.'
In order to respond to these voices from the people directly involved, Ayumi decided to implement a radical overhaul of the site.
(Before site overhaul)
[Top page before site overhaul]
(After site overhaul)
[Top page after site overhaul]
■ Overview of the Overhaul: Revamped Across Three Axes: Searchability, Accessibility, and Design
In this update, the site was completely renewed focusing on the top three areas of improvement requested by users:
1. Drastic Improvement in Searchability
- Significantly improved the accuracy of keyword search, category search, and tag search.
- Implemented filtered search tailored to user purposes (e.g., Eating, Watching, Staying, Sightseeing).
In Japan, more than 45 million people—including 9.65 million people with disabilities and over 36 million elderly people—require barrier-free information. However, even when trying to research barrier-free accommodations at destinations or travel spots in advance, there are still many cases where individuals cannot reach the necessary information.
*Reference: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Disabilities Health and Welfare Division 'Recent Trends in the Field of Disability Welfare'; Statistics Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications 'Elderly Persons in Japan from a Statistical Perspective'; Statistics Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications 'Number of Children in Japan'
Users of 'Furatto.', operated by Ayumi, have also shared the following feedback:
'Because there is no text-to-speech function, the articles are difficult for me to read as I am visually impaired.'
'I shared the article with my grandmother, but she mentioned that the text was hard to see.'
'Even though I found the information I wanted, the article loaded so slowly that I gave up reading it.'
In order to respond to these voices from the people directly involved, Ayumi decided to implement a radical overhaul of the site.
(Before site overhaul)
[Top page before site overhaul]
(After site overhaul)
[Top page after site overhaul]
■ Overview of the Overhaul: Revamped Across Three Axes: Searchability, Accessibility, and Design
In this update, the site was completely renewed focusing on the top three areas of improvement requested by users:
1. Drastic Improvement in Searchability
- Significantly improved the accuracy of keyword search, category search, and tag search.
- Implemented filtered search tailored to user purposes (e.g., Eating, Watching, Staying, Sightseeing).