Maximizing User Experience: A Guide to Accessibility

Do you remember the last time you stumbled upon a website that looked like it was from the ’90s?  Well, it’s safe to say that it wasn’t the retro aesthetic that made you cringe, but the lack of accessibility.

In today’s digital age, accessibility testing is crucial to ensure that people with impairments can access and use digital content. 

So, let’s delve into the world of accessibility testing, and find out how Moolya’s weekly Tech-Tuesday sessions for March, delivered by our Lead ET, Bhavani Sruti, ensured everyone is on board with making digital content accessible for all!

Discover the key topics 

• Introduction
• Common types of challenges
• Why is accessibility testing important
• Comparison of iOS and Android for accessibility features
• Statistics
• Conclusion

Let’s begin!

WHAT IS ACCESSIBILITY TESTING? 

Before we get into the nitty-gritty details, let’s first understand accessibility testing. 

Let me ask you a question. Have you ever tried to access a website or app, only to find that the font was too small, the buttons difficult to click, or the color scheme made it impossible to read?

For people who are differently abled, accessing digital content can be even more challenging. That’s where accessibility testing comes in. 

So in simple terms, it is the process of ensuring that digital content is usable and accessible to all.

Now, let’s dive a bit deeper and understand its different aspects. 

COMMON TYPES OF CHALLENGES

Some common challenges people may face when accessing digital content:

• Visual: Difficulty seeing or distinguishing colors, leading to a lack of readability, color differentiation, and navigation.

• Hearing: Difficulty hearing audio content or alerts limiting access to certain media types.

• Physical: Mobility impairments, and dexterity impairments limiting the use of mouse/keyboard, touch screen, and precise clicking. 

• Speech: Difficulty with speech production or recognition, which can impact their ability to communicate effectively.

Understanding these challenges is crucial in identifying and addressing the obstacles users may face when accessing digital content. Let’s now take a closer look at how accessibility testing can help.

BREAKING BARRIERS: WHY IS ACCESSIBILITY TESTING IMPORTANT

Accessibility testing can make a positive difference by testing for:-

• High-contrast colors, alternative text for images, and clear and simple language in written content.
• Captions transcripts, alerts, and notifications.
• The design of websites, applications, and digital content in a way compatible with assistive technologies such as voice recognition software, screen readers, and alternative input devices.
• Text-to-speech and speech-to-text options.

ACCESSIBILITY FOR WEB AND MOBILE

Let’s delve deeper into the accessibility testing of the two most prevalent platforms: web and mobile. 

Web Accessibility

Do you ever wonder why some websites are easier to navigate than others? The answer lies in web accessibility testing, a crucial process that ensures that websites are user-friendly, inclusive, and accessible for all.

So how do we ensure this? The answer lies in using plugins.

Plugins – Plugins are software components that can be added to a web browser to enhance its functionality. They can help identify accessibility issues on a website by analyzing its:

• HTML, 
• CSS, and 
• JavaScript code.

This can include inadequate color contrast, missing alt text for images, and non-descriptive links. 

Mobile Accessibility

Mobile accessibility testing is the process of ensuring that mobile applications can be used by everyone. It’s an essential step in creating inclusive and user-friendly mobile apps. 

One way to achieve this is through Plugins. 

Plugins- These work just like web plugins. It analyzes the code of mobile applications to identify accessibility issues.

Additionally, mobile accessibility testing involves comparing the accessibility features of iOS and Android, to identify any differences in accessibility performance.

Let’s take a look at this too!

A CLASH OF TITANS: iOS VS ANDROID

Who’s winning the accessibility game? iOS or Android? Let’s compare their effectiveness and see which can provide the best experience and inclusivity. 

The competition is tough! What do you prefer? iOS or Android? 

IS IT WORTH THE MONEY?  

Let’s talk statistics and numbers and establish the worth of accessibility testing.

• Companies can expect a return of $13.19 for every $1 spent on accessibility (Deque Systems, 2019).
• Approximately 15% (1 billion) of the world’s population has a disability (WHO, 2011).

Companies can tap into this market and contribute to social inclusion and empowerment.

• 98.1% of websites have at least one WCAG 2.0 failure, indicating a significant need for accessibility testing and improvement (WebAIM, 2019).
• Accessible technology could add up to $10 trillion to the global economy over the next decade (Accenture, 2016).

So always remember, accessible design isn’t a cost – it’s an investment in humanity.

CONCLUSION

Accessibility testing is like a superhero cape for your product – it saves you from legal trouble and makes you a champion of inclusivity, user satisfaction, better brand reputation, and expanded market reach.

The value of inclusive user experiences cannot be overstated. If you’re serious about improving your software’s inclusivity. Click here to explore our comprehensive testing solutions that can help you ensure that no one is left behind.

Overall, investing in accessibility testing is the right thing to do and a smart business decision that can benefit both users and the company in the long run.