Today with the evolution of the internet and a high number of internet users, it is essential for any business to have a user-friendly, near-to-simple, and easily accessible website or application to attract and retain customers. With the advancement in technology, the level of website accessibility standards is also increasing, and this is where accessibility testing comes in handy as it helps to make content accessible to all with disabilities.
The main aim of performing accessibility testing is to identify and eliminate the barriers that may prevent people with disabilities from using or accessing the website or application to the fullest or performing Accessibility Testing on Chrome provides multiple extensions that developers can use to ensure the usefulness of the website in any kind of disability, such as visual, motor, cognitive and auditory, etc. Let us have a look at how disabilities can affect web usage.
Types of Disabilities and Their Effect on Web Usage
There are different types of disabilities, but some of the most common types and their effects on web usage are mentioned below:-
Hearing Disabilities
Hearing disability is a medical condition in which the user experiences partial hearing loss or permanent hearing loss. It is known that most of the content available on the web pages or applications are in text format but still there is a possibility of audio contents such as videos.
Users with hearing impairment may find it difficult to understand the audio content with proper transcripts or captions. They will also find it difficult to understand the sounds that are pitched in a way that is not accompanied by the visuals.
Visual Disabilities
Users with visual disabilities like colour blindness, blindness, and low vision can face much difficulty in accessing web content as they are very much dependent on screen readers and screen magnification software to interact with the web content. Some of the common issues which are faced by users with visual disabilities are poor colour contrast, inappropriate alternate text for images and poorly structured content for screen readers.
Motor Disabilities
For instance, motor impairments may hinder a person’s gestures of using a mouse or keyboard to browse websites. Some of the regular issues include small hit areas, some functionalities that can not be managed using a keyboard, and time constraints that may not allow users to complete the tasks. Users with motor disabilities could use other input methods, such as voice or clicking with a switch.
Situational Disabilities
Situational disabilities or temporary disabilities is a type of disability in which a person is temporarily disabled, or in other words, a person is temporarily handicapped due to the circumstances of the environment. For example, if a user wants to use a facial recognition system in daylight then issues may arise as he/she can not see the screen similarly if a user wants to hear the audio in a noisy environment then also he/she can not hear anything and this is referred to situational disabilities. Designing websites to be accessible can also improve usability for people experiencing situational disabilities.
Cognitive and Neurological Disabilities
For users who experience cognitive or neurological disabilities, using the internet might be challenging due to their inability to understand web content hence it is important for developers to use simple and easily understandable language for web content, consistent navigation, and adequate amount of information that visitors will be exposed to. These individuals may find advantage in environments that are well organized, where the labels used are consistent and where they can control the manner in which content is delivered.
That is all in the types of disabilities and their effect on web usage, let us now have a look at what is accessibility testing.
What is Accessibility Testing?
Accessibility testing is a type of usability testing in which the testers and developers test the website or the application to make sure that the website/application is usable to individuals with disabilities. Advanced accessibility testing in Chrome involves the usage of specialized tools and extensions to thoroughly evaluate the website/application accessibility issues beyond basic checks.
The tools that are used while accessibility testing provides in-depth analysis of the website/application as well as guidance to make the website/application traceable to the WCAG(Web Content Accessibility) guidelines. Now, let us have a look at the type of accessibility testing.
Types of Accessibility Testing
As we all know, each type of testing has its own strengths, and it is advisable to apply several types of testing techniques in order to get a plan for a comprehensive test of the product, service, or environment. There are several forms of accessibility tests that can be achieved through functional, usability, compatibility, and performance testing.
Functional Testing
This type of testing involves the testing of software deliverables in order to ensure that it will be usable by all. This comprises checking the usability of the product, service or environment using technologies for disabled people like screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, and using actual disabled people.
Usability Testing
This type of testing involves checking on the accessibility of a certain product, service or environment so that everyone can be in a position to use it. It may involve hiring individuals with disabilities to use the product and describe how it feels to work with it.
Compatibility Testing
This type of testing encompasses the process of determining the compatibility of a product, service, or environment with devices, browsers, and assistive technologies. It can range from checking the product’s functionality on other operating systems, browsers, and portable devices, as well as various types of helpers.
Performance Testing
This type of testing aims to determine the ability of a product to meet its intended functionality by being as versatile as possible. It can range from app or website crash tests, such as testing the load time, to how buttons or controls engage.
That is all in the type of accessibility testing. Let us now have a look at the DevTools by Chrome for accessibility testing.
Chrome DevTools For Accessibility Testing
Chrome provides some of the best DevTools for developers to test their products efficiently and effectively. Some of the most used Chrome DevTools for accessibility testing are as follows:-
Accessibility Pane
There is an Accessibility Pane in Chrome DevTools that allows viewing ARIA labels, names, roles, and other computed properties that are helpful for checking Web accessibility. Users can turn on an accessibility tree for elements which will provide an option to inspect the issue at the source viewed on the full page.
Lighthouse Accessibility Audit
Lighthouse is a tool that can be run directly from the Chrome DevTools and includes not only performance tests but also accessibility tests. It gives an overall rating and shows problems on the website that concern accessibility, such as missing alt text, empty links, and low contrasting colour combinations. In this case, it is crucial to note that manual testing is also important as the automated tests provide full accessibility compliance.
Emulating Vision Deficiencies
Chrome DevTools also helps developers and testers in emulating vision deficiencies as it allows developers to select emulation modes such as blurred vision, low contrast, or colour blindness to see how web content looks to people with vision problems. This ensures that the web content will be accessible to visually impaired users.
That is all about the DevTools by Chrome, let us now have a look at how LambdaTest can assist you in more efficient accessibility testing.
How LambdaTest Can Help in Accessibility Testing?
LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform that offers Accessibility DevTools, an effective testing tool that helps developers and testers develop accessible web applications. It can be easily incorporated into the processes and provides features for identifying, correcting, and verifying the accessibility issues of the websites.
It is a platform that provides an environment in which the developers and testers can perform manual and automation testing in parallel across more than three thousand actual browsers, devices, and operating systems combinations. LambdaTest’s Accessibility DevTools is a Chrome extension where testers are able to easily verify a feature or user interface in accordance with accessibility tests, as well as report bugs.
LambdaTest Accessibility Devtools
Let us have a look at a few LambdaTest Accessibility Devtools below:
Screen Viewer
For the visually impaired, a practical and effective remedy is offered by LambdaTest in the form of screen readers to ensure seamless navigation and interaction with the site. The platform also offers real-time Speech Viewer testing, which displays audio/visual output in text form for a more comprehensive testing experience
Automated And Manual Testing
LambdaTest also offers automation testing for Android and iOS apps and provides improved debugging and logs in fifty-plus regions globally. The platform also allows for the running of manual tests on real and a variety of emulators and simulators under different configurations.
Workflow Analyzer
LambdaTest’s workflow analyzer constantly monitors the website for accessibility problems as users engage with it, thus providing efficient and results-oriented testing. This way, when incorporating LambdaTest with Chrome for accessibility testing, developers can use all of these features to analyze a site or application in its early stages and correct any problems that are detected. The combination of automation testing, manual testing on real devices, Screen readers, and the workflow analyzer helps ensure the website is accessible and meets WCAG standards.
Features of LambdaTest Accessibility Devtools
Now, LambdaTest Accessibility DevTools offers a range of features to enhance accessibility testing, such as:
Full Page Scan: It enables you to perform full page accessibility checks to verify complete compatibility with every component on your Web page.
Partial Page Scan: It helps you target specific parts of the web page in your accessibility scans and look for specific problems that need to be solved.
Multi-Page Scan: It helps maintain the integrity of a website with the accessibility scan of many URLs at one time.
Swift Issue Discovery: It helps you to access your website faster, make it consistent, and ensure its compliance with the standards. It improves cross-browser compatibility and fixes accessibility issues that cause problems in any browser.
Addressing Critical Concerns: It categorizes and solves important accessibility issues through error grouping, allowing your website to be accessible to all while providing the best user experience.
Health Monitoring: It enables you to monitor your website’s accessibility and, at the same time, manage your website’s accessibility and health without much difficulty using a single control panel.
Conclusion
In conclusion, advanced accessibility testing on Chrome is very crucial for any business to ensure that their website is accessible and meets accessibility standards such as the WCAG. With the help of various tools, such as the LambdaTest Accessibility DevTools Chrome Extension, it is now possible for developers to perform scans of full pages, partial pages, and multi-pages efficiently and effectively.
