Accessibility Testing – What is it, How it perform, Methods & Process

In today’s digital age, where websites and web applications are the primary sources of information and services, ensuring accessibility for all users is essential. Accessibility testing, a subset of non-functional testing, aims to make the digital world more inclusive by catering to users with a variety of abilities.

In this blog post, we will discuss the concept of accessibility testing, the major reasons behind performing accessibility testing, the methods to perform accessibility testing, and the advantages of performing accessibility testing for any website in a detailed and comprehensive manner. 

Concept of Accessibility Testing

• Accessibility Testing, part of non-functional testing is a type of software testing performed to test a website or web application in order to ensure that each and every user can easily access the website or web application. Therefore, it is also known as web accessibility testing. 

• Accessibility Testing plays an important role in ensuring that the website or web application is accessible according to the compliance standards of W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and section 504 as well as section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act especially made for physically disabled people suffering from old age problems like color blindness & deafness. Therefore, it is also known as 508 compliance testing. 

Reasons To Perform Accessibility Testing

The main reasons behind performing accessibility testing for any website are as follows: –

• For people who have hearing deficiency problem. 

• For people who are facing reading difficulties problem. 

• For people who have physical disabilities like not capable of using the mouse as well as keyword and facing problems like muscle detention etc. 

• For people who have problem of visual impairments means when a person is completely blind and suffering from color blindness and poor vision abilities. 

• For people who have poor memory and not being able to recognize more complex scenarios, and learning difficulties. 

The Two Methods of Accessibility Testing

Accessibility Testing for any website or web application can be performed through two different methods as follows: –

1. Manual Accessibility Testing

The following are some of the ways to perform accessibility testing manually for any website: –

• High Contrast Modes: By using high contrast modes, we can manually test the accessibility of the website, when we turn on the high contrast mode, the content of the website gets highlighted automatically as the color of the content turns into white or yellow while the background color turns into black. 

• Font Size Adjustments: By changing the font size to large, we can manually test the accessibility of the website. 

• CSS Manipulation: By turning off the CSS (Cascading Style Sheet), we can manually test the accessibility of the website. 

• By deactivating or disabling the style of the website or web app’s page, we can manually test the accessibility, if the content of the website is properly lined up or not. 

2. Automated Accessibility Testing

The following are some of the tools that are commonly used to perform accessibility testing through automation for any website: –

• HERA – One of the most popularly used tool to perform accessibility testing of a website through automation. Being open-source, it is used to test the accessibility of web pages according to the compliance standards of W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines in order to find accessibility issues on the pages of the website. 

• WAVE – Another popularly used tool to perform accessibility testing of a website through automation. Being open-source, it is a web accessibility tool that automatically tests the web page of the website in several phases of accessibility to make content given at the website more accessible to those people who are physically challenged. 

• Accessibility Wallet – Another popularly used tool to perform accessibility testing of a website through automation. Basically, it is a scripting tool which is used to test the accessibility of web pages of the website besides the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guideline Agreement. 

Advantages of Accessibility Testing  

The following are some of the advantages of performing accessibility testing for any website: –

• Enhanced User Experience: By catering to a broader audience, including those with disabilities, websites can improve user satisfaction and engagement.
• SEO Benefits: Accessible websites are often more SEO-friendly, as search engines prioritize content that is accessible and well-structured.
• Legal Safeguarding: Adhering to accessibility standards protects organizations from potential legal challenges related to non-compliance.

• It is performed to avoid legal implications as many countries have made it mandatory that websites should meet the accessibility requirements as per the compliance standards of W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.  

• It is performed for accurate search results which can make search engines like Google to hunt out websites more easily as search engines will search for text while looking up the content. 

• It is performed for better user experience especially for users who are physically challenged can easily access the website’s navigation, text clarity, appearance and other features. 

The Process of Accessibility Testing

The process of accessibility testing can be broken down into several key steps:

1. Understanding Accessibility Standards

Before embarking on accessibility testing, it is critical to familiarize oneself with the applicable accessibility requirements, along with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These suggestions offer a framework for making digital content material more accessible to a wider range of human beings with disabilities.

2. Conducting an Initial Review

A preliminary assessment of the digital product is generally performed to become aware of any apparent accessibility issues. This might contain a cursory exam of the website or utility to assess its navigability, clarity, and the presence of textual content for photos.

3. Using Automated Testing Tools

Several automated tools are available that may help identify accessibility problems. These devices can scan websites and programs to test for common accessibility issues, consisting of lacking alt textual content for pictures, inadequate shade evaluation, and lacking form labels.

4. Manual Testing

While automatic equipment is beneficial, it can’t catch all accessibility issues. Therefore, manual testing is also vital. This involves people, including those with disabilities, using the internet site or software to discover any limitations that won’t be obvious through automatic trying out on their own.

5. Creating an Accessibility Report

Once testing is finished, an accessibility report is normally created. This report outlines any problems found in the course of the testing and gives hints for the way these issues may be addressed to improve the accessibility of the virtual product.

Conclusion

Accessibility testing is not only a checkbox for compliance; it’s a reflection of an organization’s commitment to inclusivity and ethical obligation. By integrating accessibility testing into the development lifecycle, businesses can make certain their digital offerings aren’t only legally compliant but additionally universally accessible, fostering a more inclusive digital world.

Let’s embody accessibility testing as a cornerstone of net improvement, paving the way for a digital environment that welcomes anybody, irrespective of their abilities.

So in the end, it can be said that, as the influence of digital media is increasing day by day, websites and digital applications have become inevitable in areas such as education, healthcare, entertainment, banking, insurance, etc.  Hence, accessibility testing is a methodology explaining how easily one can navigate, access, and understand web content. 

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