accessibilitytesting_public

Accessibility TestingPrepared & Presented by:

Sivaprasad. P

User Experience Architect, EY

Email: [email protected]

Agenda

► How to check for Accessibility► Major Barriers to Accessibility & Ways to address► Techniques for Web Accessibility testing► Testing methodology► EY Accessibility testing Checklist► Few demo Videos► Reporting► Web Accessibility Testing & software lifecycle

How to check for Accessibility

Disabilities fall under 4 main categories

• Visual impairment:This covers people who are completely or partially blind including color blind

• Hearing impairment:This covers people who are completely or partially deaf.

• Physical impairment: This covers people who have no or partial control of their hand, who suffer from epilepsy or dexterity problems

• Cognitive impairment:This covers people with difficulties in learning.


Visual impairment:This covers people who are completely or partially blind including color blind

Check for:• If design works with screen readers and screen magnifiers• If colours are visible to persons with colour blindness. • There is sufficient contrast between foreground and background• Color should not be the only way to convey the information


Hearing impairment:This covers people who are completely or partially deaf.

Check for:• If there is text transcript of the audio content or subtitles on the video. • A text transcript has an added advantage for persons with visual impairment as well.


Physical impairment: This covers people who have no or partial control of their hand, who suffer from epilepsy or dexterity problems

Check for:• If buttons are large enough for easy clicking• If important items are placed too close together, leading to wrong item getting clicked by

mistake.• If the website works with assistive technologies such as voice control software, which

allow a person to access a website using voice commands.• If the UI has flashing images that may create disturbing experiences to people with

epilepsy


Cognitive impairment:This covers people with difficulties in learning.

Check for:• If navigations are simple to learn and use• If the user can memorize and use the system • how often do users make errors and how easy is it to recover from them• If the UI is visible and intuitively easy to understand• If the system is presented with appropriate graphics, alternative text and with simple,

concise content

8 Major Barriers to Accessibility & Ways to address

• Missing text alternative : Use the ‘alt’ attribute to describe the function of each visual. Use ‘longdesc’ attribute for graphics. Provide alternate text for Applets, plugins that may not be accessible

• Insufficient keyboard Access to screen elements Make every element on the screen accessible by keyboard.

• Inadequate Navigational options for users :Make sure the information architecture has multiple navigation options to access information. Eg: Site map allows user to access same section that can be accessed through global menu.

• Absence of proper Labels and instructions :Use meaningful lables, Heading tags. Make line by line reading possible with tables. Use text that makes sense when read out of context. For example, avoid "click here."

• Meaningful Sequence is not maintained :Ensure there is proper tab order through tags like “Tabindex” attribute. When an action is performed on the UI, the cursor focus does not shift and maintain the task sequence.

8 Major Barriers to Accessibility & Ways to address

• Absence of page title and link purpose :Use the “no frames” attribute to alternate content and use meaningful titles.

• Absence of audio alert Ensure that there is audio indicate for ongoing activity, alerts and current selection

• Poor contrast between text and background colours :At the design level ensure that there is enough contrast between text and background so as to make text clear

Techniques for Web Accessibility testing

The tools given below can be used in isolation or in combination to identify and rectify most of the Accessibility issues

• Code Scanning

• Visual Review

• Manual Testing with Screen Readers

• Testing with Other Tools

• Human Testing


Code Scanning

This is an automated testing technique to test the code that renders UI

• Many accessibility issues can be detected automatically using software tools.

• May be used to test the web code during the development stages

• May be used while performing a web accessibility audit of a website.

• After identifying the code issues, this automated testing is usually followed by other forms of testing to identify issues that are barriers to accessibility like

Tools used for automated testing include :

• AChecker

• WAVE

• Windows Accessibility Tool bar (WAT)


Visual Review

This simple testing technique used to identify visually evident barriers to accessibility. Visual review can be done in the following ways:

• Look through the UI to check if content can be easily read (look for too small font size, insufficient background to text contrast) and forms can be easily used.

• Does the content have a logical flow and structure?

• Try using the built in browser text enlargement functions. Do they work?

• Try moving around the webpages using just a keyboard. Can we access all the links and functions?

Tools used for visual review include :

• Vischeck

• Web Developer (Firefox plugin)

• Colour Contrast Check


Manual Testing with Screen Reader

An easy way to experience how persons with visual impairments use a website is to simply turn off the monitor and attempt to use the website with screen readers.

Navigate the website and determine just how much information can be access through screen readers.

Try reading the headings, navigations, images, and also test more complex features such as input forms and tables .

Widely used Screen readers include :

• Jaws

• VoiceOver

• Windows EYE

• NVDA


Testing with Other tools

Users who are differently abled may use a variety of other tools to interact with a website. Two particular types of widely used tools are:

Screen Magnification Tools – these commonly used tools allow people to zoom into sections of a screen and change the contrast levels.

Voice Control Tools – Certain users with severe motor disabilities may be able to use only voice commands as the means to interact with a website. People speak into a microphone with commands such as "next link", "go", etc.

Testing using these tools reveals issues which are difficult to identify through the other methods.

Widely used tools include:

• ZoomText (Magnification tool)

• Dragon Naturally Speaking (Speech recognition tool)


Human Testing

• Most thorough approach to ensure web accessibility is to test a website with persons with various disabilities to learn what areas are difficult for them to access.

• Human testing requires more time and resources

• Best way is to identify as many accessibility barriers through other forms of tests and to use Human testing as a way to uncover subtle issues like those related to cognitive impairment.

Testing Methodology

• Define the evaluation scope

• Define the Conformance Target (A, AA, or AAA)

• Define an Accessibility Support Baseline (Browsers and Assistive technologies)

• identify core functionalities and supporting pages

• Identify Web Technologies used (sharepoint)

• Select the Accessibility test or combination of tests

• Check if each page meets the Accessibility check points

Testing Methodology

• Record checklist spread sheet with the relevant “Pass, fail or Not Applicable” against each checkpoint

• Assign Impact priority of High, Medium or Low & accordingly organise the test outcomes

• The detailed findings are synthesized into a PowerPoint report

• Review the Accessibility Evaluation report with Solution Owners and other stakeholders

• Review with Application Engineering, the Checklist Spreadsheet containing detailed findings

• Conduct retest iteratively to achieve the targeted level of conformance.

Accessibility & Project lifecycle

Consider accessibility early and throughout the design and development process for seamless and elegant integration into web projects and to save development costs.

• Project initiation phase: Consider the legal requirements & the understand of accessibility among various stakeholders

• Planning stage: Ensure that designers, developers, content providers have accessibility considerations while working together to create the product.

• Design phase: At this level, it is essential that from initial mockup to final interface, designs meet the accessibility requirements and conformance levels. Iterate the process

• Development phase: A development workflow with a focus on accessibility will address accessibility issues immediately. Iterate till the target conformance levels are met.

• Post project: Make sure product maintenance workflow ensures that the product continues to remain accessible through periodic audits in changing environments.

Summary

• Check for Accessibility barriers for all the major disability groups - Visual, Hearing, Physical and Cognitive

• Select the testing technique or a combination of techniques

• Once the scope of testing is defined, clearly identify the core pages and functionalities and verify each against EY Accessibility checklist. This needs to be followed by issue reporting which will also include suggestions to overcome the accessibility barriers.

• Consider accessibility early and throughout the design and development process for seamless and elegant integration into web projects and to save development costs.

Thank you

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