| Automated website accessibility testing can | | | | represent your potential clients. These will |
| be a very useful process. It often reveals | | | | not be web experts - they will be ordinary |
| many issues which would take a human tester | | | | web users. |
| many times longer to uncover. It's a bit like | | | | |
| using a spell / grammar checker on a long | | | | Conducting the Accessibility and Usability |
| article. But, just as a human editor is | | | | Tests |
| essential in any serious writing, hands on | | | | |
| testing essential in any serious usability | | | | For most websites testing is conducted over a |
| testing effort for the handicapped. Below are | | | | one to two week period. However, we never |
| the steps we take beyond automated | | | | test with multiple testers concurrently so |
| accessibility tests. | | | | depending on a client's needs, the testing |
| | | | phase can be a bit shorter or significantly |
| Consultation - Understanding Your | | | | longer. After the data from each tester has |
| Accessibility | | | | been compiled and they have written their |
| | | | reports, all testers meet to discuss their |
| Goals | | | | findings. |
| | | | |
| What are your reasons for conducting | | | | Reporting |
| accessibility testing? What, exactly, do you | | | | |
| hope to achieve? Goals may range from just | | | | We provide reporting on each phase of the |
| making sure that the basics are covered to | | | | project. There is a Goals report which the |
| wanting to win awards for accessible site | | | | client signs off on before moving on to the |
| design. We help you define your expectations | | | | Planning phase. The Test Plan and any Scripts |
| and turn them into our deliverables. | | | | are presented for sign-off prior to actual |
| | | | testing. There can, on client request, be a |
| Planning and Scripting | | | | Recruiting report. And of course, the final |
| | | | reports in which we detail the objective |
| To reach your goals you need a plan. This | | | | results of testing, the subjective comments |
| includes both high level planning like which | | | | of the testers, and any additional insights |
| screen readers do you want used, how many | | | | from the final meeting. Both positive and |
| test experts do you want to run the scripts, | | | | negative issues are reported on. And there is |
| and should all pages be tested or just some | | | | practical advice on how to improve any |
| representative ones? It also includes | | | | negative issues. |
| specific sets of steps taken to test conduct | | | | |
| tests, known as test scripts. | | | | Re-Testing and Reporting |
| | | | |
| Recruiting | | | | Following any work on the website to resolve |
| | | | accessibility issues reported on, we can |
| We will test your web presence with visually | | | | retest the website. This is a recommended but |
| impaired specialists who are familiar with | | | | optional phase and can be a re-running of all |
| both good and bad web design from their own | | | | previous tests and scripts or simply a |
| daily web use. They are also experts at using | | | | verification test to see that recommendations |
| screen reader technologies. If your test plan | | | | were implemented successfully. Reporting on |
| calls for it we will also recruit visually | | | | this phase depends on the scope of testing. |
| impaired target audience testers - people who | | | | |