Your App is a crucial reflection of your Brand. Nothing will diminish your Brand more than having an app that is difficult to use or, more importantly, difficult to see. Accessibility testing is not only about reaching people who are blind, deaf or who cannot speak. It is about reaching people with slightly diminished eyesight, impaired hearing, or an accent that makes voice commands problematic.
When your app is easy for everyone to use, more people can use it!
Finding an effective accessibility testing services partner is key to growing your brand presence in the marketplace. When your app is more accessible, it works better for all users. A clear layout and helpful text descriptions help every user. All users enjoy your app more. Your app might keep users happy and coming back for more.
To best represent your Brand, you want an app everyone can use. Nearly everyone knows someone with a mild or severe impairment. If your app works for them, they will recommend your app. More people will use your app. If it works well, people will be more interested in staying with your app.
Accessibility is good for search engines, too. If your app checks the right boxes, search engines will tell more people about it. The right titles and text for pictures help everyone. Better search rankings bring more people to your app.
It would be best if you thought about accessibility to avoid legal problems. Laws like the ADA in the U.S. and WCAG rules say you need an app everyone can use. Not following rules can cause lawsuits and money losses. Making your app include tests for accessibility helps you obey laws and protects your business from legal problems.
5 Methods of Software Testing to Ensure Accessibility
1. Automated Testing Protects You First
Automated tools check your app’s code and how it looks for accessibility problems. These tools look mainly at the WCAG rules and highlight issues like bad color differences and pictures without descriptions.
Not all automated testing tools offer the same features or depth of analysis. Some may provide more comprehensive visual assessments, while others might focus on performance or functionality testing. Exploring a test automation tools comparison by Functionize, for instance, can help you understand which tools best match your specific accessibility testing needs, allowing you to select the one that offers the most relevant features for your app’s requirements.
Automated tools find the same issues over and over. Images without descriptions do not work with screen readers. Text that does not stand out is hard for people with sight problems to read. Finding these problems early lets you fix them sooner.
Automated tests only check the basics and do not consider personal user needs. They show technical mistakes but not detailed problems that affect how people use your app. You need to test by hand and ask users to try your app so you know if it works well for everyone.
2. Testing by Hand: Looks at How Real Users Feel
Testing your app by hand is the only way to know if it is easy to use. Automated tests cannot find the detailed, personal issues. Trained people look at your app with tools that help people with disabilities to test it more than an automated scan alone. This double way of testing makes sure your app not only follows the rules but works well for people who use it.
Screen readers are very important for hand-testing. People who check your app use these tools to see if it is clear and easy for people who cannot see well. Magnifying glasses make it easier to see if your app is good for people with bad eyesight. The text and pictures should be clear. Speech recognition tools help check if voice commands work well. This is important for people who have trouble moving. These tools show small details that you might overlook.
Testing by hand is good at finding detailed problems that machines do not find. A tester might see that a button is not marked well. Or they might find it hard to move around in the app. People who test by hand look at everything to ensure your app is easy for everyone to use. Your app should be easy to understand and friendly for users.
3. User Testing: Real Opinions from Real People
User testing means asking people with different disabilities to use your app. They show us how they use the app. This way, we get true opinions about hard things users deal with. This information is very valuable. It helps us make your app better.
Testing your app on phones to ensure everyone can use it is very important. Your app must follow the rules like WCAG. This keeps you safe from legal trouble. It also shows you care about including everyone. Your app should work on both iPhones and Android phones. Knowing how to use tools for people with disabilities helps find problems. This makes the app better for everyone to use. Make Apps Work on All Platforms
Apps should work on different systems. Both iOS and Android are important. Test your app on many systems with tools like screen readers. This makes sure your app works for all users. It keeps users happy and brings more customers.
4. How White Test Lab Checks Apps
WCAG rules are at the top of web access all over the world. The group W3C made WCAG to help make your website accessible for disabled people. One of the known AI based accessibility tool is All in One Accessibility improves website’s accessibility quickly, developed by Skynet Technologies, with WCAG guidelines and features.
These rules cover simple things and hard things, too. Following WCAG makes sure your digital stuff is useful and includes everyone. This shows you care about accessibility more than just following the law. If you use WCAG rules, your website will get better for everyone. It becomes easy to understand and nice to use.
You must follow Section 508 and ADA if you are in the USA. These laws help people with disabilities use technology. Section 508 is for federal groups. They must make their tech easy for these people to use. The ADA says you cannot treat people with disabilities badly. It means you must make things they can use online, too. If you ignore these rules, you might get sued and have to pay a lot of money. You will keep your group safe if you do what the laws say. You will show you think ahead about being open to everyone.
5. Make your business big around the world with EN 301 549
Compliance with EN 301 549 is crucial for businesses targeting an international audience. This European standard outlines the requirements for web and mobile accessibility, ensuring that digital products are usable by everyone, regardless of their abilities. EN 301 549 is particularly relevant for companies expanding their European market presence. Conforming to this standard prepares your digital content for a global audience and aligns your business with international best practices. This can significantly enhance your reputation and broaden your customer base.
Summary
Accessibility testing looks at how disabled people use your digital product. It helps people with visual, hearing, moving and thinking problems. You follow the law and moral rules by making sure everyone can use your product. It also makes your digital things easier to use for everyone.
Doing tests for accessibility is very important for inclusive digital products. It finds problems that stop disabled people from using your website or mobile app. If your digital things are up to accessibility standards, everyone has a better experience. It also means more people could be your customers.