So Much More Than Compliance
Testing accessibility isn't just about compliance, it's about unlocking access to a broader audience, improving user satisfaction, and building digital products that work for everyone. In many regions and countries, accessibility is legally required, especially in the public sector, where governments and institutions must follow national or regional standards such as the EU Accessibility Act, WCAG, or country-specific laws. These regulations ensure that services are inclusive and equitable.
In the private sector, accessibility may not always be mandatory, but it offers a clear competitive advantage. By making digital products accessible, companies not only reach previously excluded user groups, such as screen reader or keyboard-only users, but also contribute to social sustainability. Inclusive design supports brand trust, customer loyalty, long-term growth and going the extra mile, aligning business goals with broader social impact.
What Is Accessibility Testing?
Accessibility testing is the process of ensuring your digital product is usable by people with a range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, cognitive, and motor impairments. This involves testing for:
- Compatibility with screen readers
- Clear, resizable text and easy logical navigation
- Clear indication of required fields
- High-contrast color schemes
- Functional keyboard-only navigation
- Descriptive alt text and metadata
- Captions and voice-over for multimedia
- Accessible labels and error messages
- Sufficient time limits for users to complete tasks, with options to extend or disable timers
These are just a few fundamental points to consider. Much more will apply once you dig into accessibility testing for your specific project/product.
How to Work with Accessibility Throughout the Development Process
Accessibility should be a natural part of the entire product lifecycle from design, to development, to testing. If it's neglected early or pushed aside as the product grows, it may become more difficult and more expensive to address later.
In the design phase, this means using accessible color contrasts, clear layouts, resizable text, and intuitive navigation. During development, it involves writing semantic HTML, ensuring screen reader compatibility, supporting keyboard-only navigation, and following ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) best practices. In the testing phase, both automated checks and exploratory testing are essential to identify issues and avoid regressions as new updates are pushed.
However, when teams lack deep accessibility expertise, involving real users with disabilities as a focus group in your testing strategy, is one of the most valuable steps you can take. These users bring authentic, lived experience and can help uncover barriers that automated tools or internal testing might miss. Their feedback is especially critical in understanding how your product works in the real world beyond just technical compliance.
As products evolve quickly, accessibility often falls behind or gets deprioritized. To prevent this, make it a shared responsibility across design, development, and the overall quality assurance. Test regularly with a balanced strategy of both: assistive technologies and real users.
Why Is It Important?
1. Legal Compliance
Many countries have laws and standards around digital accessibility (like the WCAG guidelines or the EU Accessibility Act). Failure to comply can result in lawsuits and fines.
2. Inclusion and Equal Access
Accessibility ensures that no one is excluded from using your product. It’s not just about compliance, it's about respecting human rights.
3. Better User Experience for Everyone
Accessible design often improves usability for all users, not just those with disabilities (e.g., larger buttons, easy navigation, voice control features).
4. Competitive Advantage
Accessible products serve broader audiences while fostering deeper brand loyalty. Companies investing in inclusive design frequently excel in innovation and customer satisfaction, establishing accessibility as a competitive advantage rather than an obligation.
Unique Aspects of Accessibility Testing
- Mobile & Web Platforms
Your testing should cover both desktop and mobile platforms and adhere to country-specific guidelines. - Hidden Elements Matter
Metadata, ARIA roles, and background information are essential for screen readers and voice-over tech. - Manual and Automated Testing
Tools to automate your accessibility testing (to a certain degree) like axe, Deque, Lighthouse, and WAVE, efficiently identify technical accessibility issues, but exploratory testing remains essential for evaluating real-world usability, screen reader experiences, and cognitive accessibility. - Regression Testing
Accessibility must be included in your regression testing strategy. Adding new features should not break the existing accessibility experience.
How Automation & AI Can Help
While automation and AI won’t solve everything, they can significantly improve your testing process:
- Automatic Detection of Common Issues
Tools can quickly identify missing alt text, color contrast problems, and ARIA misuse. - AI-Powered Pattern Recognition
AI can catch design inconsistencies and potential accessibility barriers early in the development cycle. - Simulation of Real-World Use
AI can help simulate how users with disabilities might navigate your product, highlighting friction points.
But remember: AI and automation can support your efforts, not replace them. Real accessibility testing still needs human oversight and experience.
What You’ll Need to Invest In
1. Skilled People
Accessibility isn’t the job of one person—it requires a team effort across design, development, and quality control. If your team lacks experience, consider training or bringing in an accessibility specialist or consultant.
2. Ongoing Commitment
Accessibility is not a one-time fix. As your product evolves, tests need to be maintained and rerun regularly to prevent regressions. That means allocating ongoing time, tools, and resources. Investing in accessibility isn’t just about compliance, it’s about quality, inclusion and future-proofing your product.
3. Tools & Services
While free tools like Google Lighthouse or the basic version of axe DevTools are helpful, deeper testing often requires paid tools and services like:
- Deque axe
- evinced
- BrowserStack
- Accessibility Checker
- Siteimprove
- TPGi ARC Platform
- Fable (Platform)
- Level access (Platform)
These tools/services can provide automated scans, analytics dashboards, and API integrations, saving time and improving coverage—especially on large or complex products.
Conclusion
Making your product accessible is more than ticking things off on a checklist to comply with certain standards, it’s a mindset of inclusivity. By developing your product with accessibility in mind, you foster product quality, user trust and enduring sustainability in the whole lifespan.thi
IF you want to read more about accessibility we recomend to take a look att the WCAG guidelines.
