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