Conducting Accessibility Testing in Chrome: Best Practices

Content on websites is made accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, through accessibility testing. One of the most popular browsers, Google Chrome, provides a number of tools and add-ons to make thorough accessibility testing easier. This article will walk you through the best practices for using accessibility testing on Chrome so you can make sure that all users can use your online apps.

To efficiently conduct accessibility testing, software testers use various tools and browser extensions that assess different components and functionalities. These accessibility extensions are user-friendly and compatible with multiple browsers, enabling testers to quickly identify accessibility issues and developers to verify their corrections.

However, the results generated by these tools and extensions must be manually evaluated. Testers use methods such as keyboard navigation, screen readers, adaptive switches, and logical analysis to confirm that the software meets accessibility guidelines. This combination of automated and manual testing ensures a comprehensive assessment of accessibility compliance.

The Value of Accessibility on the Web Assessing Moral and Ethical Responsibilities

Making the internet accessible is essentially a moral and ethical duty. Websites that are committed to accessibility are designed with inclusion and respect for all users in mind.

Legal Prerequisite

More and more laws are requiring websites to be accessible. Websites and organizations are required by law to comply with accessibility requirements as global standards such as WCAG gain traction.

Business Advantage

By removing obstacles for those with disabilities, improving accessibility can grow a business’s clientele and improve its standing.

Design with the user in mind

By creating products and services that are useable by a wide range of individuals, including those with impairments, accessibility testing can improve user experiences overall.

Different Forms of Testing for Accessibility

Functional testing assesses a software product’s functionality to make sure it is usable by everyone. Testing assistive technologies like keyboard-only navigation and screen readers is part of this.

Usability Testing

Ensures that a product can be easily understood and used by everyone, often involving feedback from people with disabilities.

Compatibility Testing

Checks a product’s compatibility with various devices, browsers, and assistive technologies.

Performance Testing

Assesses how well a product performs, including load times and responsiveness of buttons and controls.

Creating an Accessibility Testing Test Plan: Best Practices

• Choose Accessibility Testing Methods

With the goals and requirements defined, select the appropriate testing methods. This can include a combination of manual and automated techniques. Manual testing might involve expert reviews and user testing with people who have disabilities. Automated tools can include screen readers and web accessibility checkers. Selecting the right mix of methods helps to thoroughly evaluate and enhance the user experience.

• Set accessible objectives: Indicate desired results, such as growing your user base, enhancing your brand’s reputation, and abiding by the law.
• Determine the necessities for accessibility: Observe standards such as WCAG in accordance with your legal duties and target audience.
• Select Accessibility Methods: Choose from manual and automated testing methods, as well as testing tools and approaches.

• Plan the Test Activities: Establish the Test Scenarios, Choose Participants, Get Materials Ready, Set Up Sessions, and Record Outcomes.

Components of a Comprehensive Test Plan

• Scope of Testing

Clearly outline what will be tested, including specific features and elements of the product.

• Target Audience

Define who will be the primary users of the product, focusing on those with disabilities.

• Testing Methodologies

Detail the methodologies to be employed, including both manual and automated testing techniques.

• Resources Needed

Identify the resources required for testing, including tools, software, and human resources.

• Testing Schedule

Establish a timeline for the testing activities, ensuring all phases are covered within a realistic timeframe.

• Acceptance Criteria

Define the criteria for what constitutes a pass or fail in the accessibility tests.

• Reporting and Follow-up Process

Outline how the test results will be documented, reported, and any follow-up actions required to address issues.

How to Perform Accessibility Testing

• Review Standards and Guidelines: Understand accessibility standards such as WCAG or ADA guidelines.
• Set up the necessary tools and assistive technologies in the test environment.
• Conduct Manual Testing: Use methods like keyboard navigation and screen reader testing.

Scenarios best suited for manual accessibility testing include:

• Ensuring meaningful header and content structures for screen reader users.
• Reviewing color usage to ensure information isn’t conveyed solely through color.
• Performing usability testing with individuals with disabilities to gather qualitative feedback.
• Perform Automated Testing: Use tools to scan for accessibility issues. One effective tool for automating accessibility testing is Selenium ChromeDriver. With the aid of these tools, testers may make sure that online apps continue to be accessible to all users, conduct thorough accessibility checks, and include testing into CI/CD pipelines. Although many common errors can be identified by automated tools, the most comprehensive method for meeting and upholding high accessibility requirements is to combine them with manual testing.

Some scenarios where automated accessibility testing excels include:

• Determining font and background color contrast and legibility.
• Identifying problems with page layout and navigation.
• Validating both external and internal hyperlinks.
• Checking font size flexibility to ensure optimal readability.
• Verifying PDF files for bookmarks, reading order, images, and table components.
• Evaluate Results: Identify and prioritize accessibility issues.
• Fix Issues: Make necessary changes to address identified issues.
• Retest to make sure all problems have been fixed and none have been added.
• Document and Report: Report findings to stakeholders.

It’s crucial to use efficient techniques when addressing web accessibility in order to find and fix problems that might not be immediately apparent. Common issues including inadequate color contrast, absent ALT descriptions for images, persistent HTML tags, and unlabeled areas can be found with accessibility tools. These issues can significantly hinder the user experience, particularly for individuals with disabilities. This article explores the various categories and specific tools available for web accessibility testing, providing detailed insights into their usage and benefits.

Top Accessibility Tools for Evaluating Websites

LambdaTest  DevTools Accessibility

LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform. It enables users to perform testing across 3000 browser versions and operating systems. A complete toolkit called DevTools makes it easier to create and test web apps that are accessible. It fits in with your workflow effortlessly, giving you all the tools and features you need to find, address, and make sure your web project complies with accessibility guidelines. The best way to ensure that your websites are accessible is to use LambdaTest.

• Accessibility Testing: To find and fix problems in-depth, run extensive accessibility tests on your web apps.
• WCAG Compliance: To accommodate users with disabilities, make sure your websites adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
• Automated Testing: To expedite the procedure and identify problems early in the development cycle, automate accessibility tests.
• Integration: For increased convenience, you can quickly incorporate LambdaTest Accessibility DevTools into your current development and testing processes. You can also run Selenium ChromeDriver on the cloud.

Wave: Comprehensive Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool

Wave is a robust and user-friendly tool widely used by developers to evaluate web accessibility. It provides a visual overlay of error icons and indicators on the web page being audited. These icons, when clicked, offer detailed information and recommendations about the detected accessibility issues, such as redundant titles, structural elements, poor color contrast, and violations of WCAG guidelines. Additionally, Wave highlights troublesome code through annotated HTML displayed in a panel at the bottom of the screen.

How to Use Wave:

• Online Version: Enter your website URL in the dedicated field on the Wave website.
• Browser Extension: Download the Wave extension for dynamic, password-protected, or locally stored web pages.
• Wave not only streamlines the audit process but also educates users about important accessibility issues.

Tenon: Accessibility as a Service

Tenon is a flexible tool that comes in both free and paid versions. It addresses common scenarios where accessibility guidelines are neglected until they become critical issues. Tenon generates comprehensive reports with code snippets for each error, corresponding WCAG guidelines, and recommendations on how to fix them. This proactive approach helps in detecting key issues before they escalate into major usability problems.

Features of Tenon:

• Flexible integration with various content management systems (CMS), integrated development environments (IDE), deployment tools, and automated build systems through its API.
• Detailed reports that help content creators, designers, developers, and testers identify and resolve accessibility issues.

Google Lighthouse: Automated Accessibility Testing Tool

An automated, open-source tool called Google Lighthouse is a part of the Chrome Developer Tools. It is incredibly user-friendly and convenient, offering a thorough report on any accessibility problems with your website. Lighthouse checks for compliance with WCAG 2.0 standards, ensuring that all buttons have accessible names, images have ALT attributes, and pages have appropriate titles.

How to Use Google Lighthouse:

• Open DevTools in your Chrome Browser.
• Navigate to the “Audits” tab and click “Perform an Audit”.
• Save the report in JSON format for future reference or team collaboration.
• Lighthouse is particularly useful because it does not require any sign-up and provides an intuitive online report viewer.

Axe Browser Extension

Axe is a free, open-source library that attaches itself as a new tab in Chrome’s DevTools. Upon clicking the “analyze” button, it generates a list of violations detected on the page. Axe is customizable, allowing users to add specific rules and integrate it with various testing frameworks and browsers.

Features of Axe:

• Customizable to specific accessibility testing needs.
• Provides detailed information about violations, including corresponding markup and improvement suggestions.
• Axe’s accessibility report goes beyond signaling clear violations, highlighting aspects that could enhance the user interface.

Siteimprove: User-Friendly Web Accessibility Testing Tool

Siteimprove is a favorite among web accessibility testers due to its actionable information and clear explanations regarding detected issues. It offers an intuitive user experience by highlighting issues on the right side of the page. The entire audit process is conducted within Chrome browsers, making it both easy to use and highly efficient.

Features of Siteimprove:

• Generates clear and actionable reports on accessibility issues.
• Provides detailed explanations of the impact of each issue on users.
• Highlights issues directly on the web page, facilitating quick identification and resolution.

Conclusion

Creating inclusive web experiences requires conducting accessibility testing in Chrome. You may quickly find and address accessibility issues by using Chrome’s built-in tools and extensions, such as DevTools, Lighthouse, AXE DevTools, WAVE, and Accessibility Insights. You can meet accessibility standards and improve the user experience for everyone by adhering to best practices, which include combining automated and manual testing, verifying ARIA roles, guaranteeing form and multimedia accessibility, and routinely upgrading and monitoring your website.

Furthermore, developing a thorough test plan ensures that all aspects of accessibility are taken into account in accordance with user requirements and company goals. By using these tools and according to these guidelines, you can make your website much more accessible and improve the user experience.