How To Implement An Accessible Testing Strategy For Your Website Or Application?

In the fast-paced digital world, we all use websites, applications, or other digital solutions to carry out various tasks and access services. However, in a world where we preach about inclusivity, we must remember that people with special needs also have access to digital products.

Therefore, many countries have set rules and regulations to ensure all websites and mobile applications are accessible to every person, including people with disabilities.

Accessibility testing services ensure no barriers prevent users from interacting or accessing websites. So, if you are a services provider or own a business, you will definitely have a website.

Have you considered whether your website is accessible to individuals with disabilities? If not, then you can hire a website and mobile app testing company to make your website accessible to everyone, even those with disabilities.

This blog will explain how to conduct accessibility testing to create better digital experiences for all users.

Step-By-Step Process To Accessibility Testing Services:

Review Accessibility Standards And Guidelines:

The first phase is to understand the standards and guidelines for the software you are going to test for accessibility. Accessibility guidelines change region-wise, such as WCAG or the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Familiarizing yourself with these standards and policies will help you ensure that your testing is comprehensive and accurate.

Prepare The Test Environment:

Before beginning the testing process, QA testers set up the test environment by installing accessibility testing software, setting up assistive technology, and configuring testing devices. This ensures that they can test your website or application on a variety of devices and platforms, including desktop computers, mobile devices, and different web browsers.

Conduct Manual Testing:

A company offering software testing services conducts manual testing by reviewing web pages, applications, or documents to identify accessibility issues. Using assistive technology such as screen readers, voice recognition software, and keyboard-only navigation, they test for accessibility issues such as keyboard accessibility, alt text for images, video and audio transcripts or captions, and color contrast.

Perform Automated Testing:

In addition to manual testing, you can use software tools to perform automated testing to scan web pages or applications for accessibility issues. These tools can quickly and easily find accessibility errors that can affect the performance of your website in the market.

Evaluate The Results:

Once manual and automated testing is completed, you can evaluate the results. You need to identify and prioritize accessibility defects on the website as per the severity and impact. QA tester can fix some issues easily, while more severe problems may require significant change.

Fix The Issues:

Once you have identified all the possible accessibility issues, you can start fixing them. You can conduct various methods to do the same, such as updating code, adding alt text to images, or changing the color scheme. However, you must prioritize the most severe issues for fixing and ensure to test the fixes thoroughly.

Retest:

Once you have mitigated the accessibility errors in the website, you must retest it to ensure that the changes have been effective. Retesting is necessary because sometimes bug-fixing can also raise new errors that you must address accordingly.

Document And Report:

After you are done with all of the processes, it is time to document and report on the accessibility testing progress and results. This report includes everything, including the accessibility testing plan, documenting testing results, and reporting on the bug fixes.

What Are The Methods Of Accessibility Testing?

Manual Testing:

In manual testing for accessibility, a QA reviews web pages, applications, or documents manually to identify accessibility issues. It is one of the most comprehensive methods of accessibility testing.

This method requires the tester to use assistive technology such as screen readers, voice recognition software, and keyboard-only navigation. While it can be time-consuming, manual testing can catch a wide range of accessibility issues.

Automated Testing:

Automated testing, on the other hand, involves using cutting-edge tools to review web pages or applications to identify accessibility issues. By using these tools, testers can quickly find defects affecting accessibility, such as missing alt text, incorrect heading levels, and color contrast issues.

Since automated testing involves software tools, it enables a faster testing process, covers a large number of pages, and avoids human-made errors. However, it cannot catch all accessibility issues and should be used along with manual testing.

User Testing:

User testing involves testing software by target audiences to gain valuable feedback. In accessibility testing, you can get your software tested by people with disabilities to ensure they are able to access it fully. Keep in mind that user testing provides valuable insights, but it can be expensive and time-consuming.

Code Reviews:

In code review methodology, testers review the code of web pages, applications, or documents to identify accessibility issues. This process is conducted by someone who is specialized in this field. It can be an effective method of catching accessibility issues early in the development process.

Compliance Testing:

In this method of accessibility testing, the QA tester audits the website against accessibility standards and guidelines, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, ADA, and W3C. This testing ensures the website adheres to the legal requirements for web accessibility.

Conclusion:

Making your software accessible to everyone can positively impact your business. It is crucial to ensure that everyone can access and benefit from the services you provide on your website, regardless of their abilities.

A website and mobile app testing company uses a combination of accessibility methods to evaluate the website and test whether it is accessible to everyone. These methods include manual testing, automated testing, user testing, code reviews, compliance testing, functional testing, heuristic evaluation, etc.

Whether you’re a business owner, a developer, or a tester, understanding accessibility testing can help you create better digital experiences for all users. There are several methods of accessibility testing, each with its own benefits and limitations.

We hope this blog enables you to gain a better understanding of accessibility testing so that those looking for testing services can make informed decisions.