In software quality assurance, accessibility testing ensures that an application can be used by as many people as possible, including those with disabilities such as vision, hearing, and other cognitive impairments.

By incorporating various types of accessibility testing into your quality assurance practices, your team can ensure that all content within your web application is accessible to everyone without barriers. Testing teams often include accessibility testing tools when performing these tests to ensure their applications are compatible with assistive technologies, including speech recognition software, screen readers, screen magnification software, and specialized keyboards.

Before the Web Accessibility Initiative, testers had to guess how to test accessibility without clear guidance. Thanks to WAI, QA teams now have examples of accessibility testing and specific recommendations to follow to create the most effective accessibility test cases throughout development cycles.

The importance of accessibility

Regardless of the type of company, businesses today need a website and digital tools to operate. When people with disabilities cannot effectively use your website, payment system, or mobile app, it limits their access to the information and products you offer, as well as their choices in the marketplace.

The lack of accessibility also places your company at a disadvantage. According to the CDC, one in four Americans has some form of disability. This is a significant number of people to exclude from your business. Here are a few more reasons why accessibility is important:

Inclusivity: web accessibility fosters inclusivity by removing barriers and enabling everyone to fully participate in the digital world.

User Experience: when a website or e-commerce application is inaccessible to individuals with disabilities, it means losing potential customers. By making a website accessible, companies can reach a broader audience and increase engagement and customer loyalty.

Expanded Audience: when a website or e-commerce application is inaccessible to individuals with disabilities, it means losing potential customers. By making a website accessible, companies can reach a broader audience and increase engagement and customer loyalty.

Legal Compliance: many countries have laws and regulations requiring websites to be accessible to individuals with disabilities. Noncompliance can result in legal consequences, including lawsuits and financial penalties.

Web Accessibility Testing: manual and automated

Accessibility testing helps your company understand the accessibility status of its website. Using this data, you can determine the next steps to make it more accessible to all users.

There are two approaches to website accessibility testing: manual and automated.

Automated accessibility testing uses rule-based software to scan your website pages or application code for potential accessibility issues. These automated accessibility testing tools are cost-effective and great for initial testing and ongoing maintenance, but they do not provide a complete picture of your accessibility status, such as how well alt text for an image is written or whether it includes context.

Manual testing provides an expert review of a sample of pages on the site to identify potential accessibility issues throughout. This includes user testing, where the website or application is handed to individuals with disabilities to test using their preferred adaptive technology. The downside of manual accessibility testing is that it is time-consuming, expensive, and issues may be missed due to human error. It is also not scalable for the long-term maintenance of website accessibility.

The preferred method is to use a combination of the two approaches. Use automated tools to scan and monitor the site while performing manual testing during the initial audit and before making any significant changes or updates.

Accessibility testing tools

Individuals with physical disabilities who cannot use devices, including computers or mobile devices, will require assistive tools to help them interact with systems.

Some of the assistive tools include:

Specialized keyboards: designed specifically for users with motor impairments.

Screen magnification software: designed to assist people with poor vision by enlarging the screen and making reading easier.

Screen reader software: this type of tool is used to read text displayed on the screen.

Speech recognition software: converts spoken words into text, functioning as an entry point into the system.

How to conduct accessibility testing?

The Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium has outlined a set of guidelines called the "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines," which most organizations should follow to make their applications compatible and accessible for people with special needs. These guidelines must be adhered to at every stage of the SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) and be listed as part of non-functional testing practices.

Physical disabilities

The criteria for addressing issues related to physical disabilities through accessibility testing include:

• Ensuring effective keyboards for individuals with speech impairments.
• Testing voice recognition software.
• Applications should offer the option of obtaining human assistance, which can be easily requested by individuals with special needs.
• Testing applications using specialized equipment designed for individuals with motor disabilities.

Cognitive disabilities

• Ensure that applications are simple and not overly complex to use.
• Provide clear menus from which users can easily select options to navigate to specific areas and access all services.
• Include media components such as images and graphics to explain the application context.
• Clearly indicate that the application offers help options, including the possibility of human interaction.
• Trace the user journey to ensure there are no limiting or distracting factors throughout usage.

Visual disabilities

• Ensure there is a text-to-audio conversion option and test its effectiveness.
• Include magnification options.
• Ensure that fonts comply with WAI standards for clarity.
• Provide a filter that considers users with color blindness.

Hearing disabilities

• Include an alert system that can function without relying on audio, visual, or vibration alerts.
• Ensure the availability of sign language options for key services.
• Provide an option for converting audio to text.

Advantages of accessibility testing

Increases website traffic and market share

By practicing web accessibility methods, individuals with disabilities will find it easier to access websites successfully, resulting in increased traffic growth.

Improves brand image

Web accessibility methods not only simplify the understanding of a website but also positively influence user perception, enhancing the brand image.

Makes the site accessible to society

Effectively performing accessibility testing ensures the application is equally accessible to individuals with disabilities, providing equal opportunities. This approach to network access, regardless of disabilities, ultimately fosters an active and inclusive society.

Accessibility for software products is an attribute that cannot be ignored, as it impacts many users. Depending on the type of disability individuals face, software usability may be easier or harder depending on the degree of adherence to standards and best practices.

It is essential to view system accessibility as a competitive advantage, as it not only increases user engagement but also improves service and efficiency. Furthermore, compliance with current and future legal requirements across various countries helps companies expand internationally.