Benefits Of Accessibility Testing For Web And Mobile

Accessibility testing is a common step in the making of a website, even in countries where there is no law regarding ADA compliance. Proper accessibility testing is not only crucial for creating a functional website, but it is also necessary for making your site follow all the regulations set by the ADA compliance guidelines.

In this article, we will discuss accessibility testing and its benefits.

What Is Accessibility Testing For Web And Mobile?

Accessibility testing your web and mobile apps means you are testing whether they are accessible or not to target users. It is the practice of making your website usable by as many people as possible, especially those with disabilities such as hearing impairment, vision difficulties, and other physical limitations.

You will need accessibility testing for two reasons; making your site accessible and usable to as many people as possible and abiding by the law. Making your site ADA compliant makes it much more usable in most cases. Also, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Section 508, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); all these three together force you to abide by lots of regulations. Otherwise, you might face serious legal troubles summing up to more than $100000 fines.

Benefits Of Accessibility Testing

Accessibility testing for your websites and apps lets you know how well your site is doing in meeting ADA compliance guidelines and the level of user experience. Besides that, there are lots of benefits to accessibility testing. Here are some of those:

Expand User Base

If your website passes the accessibility test that means that your site is much more accessible and usable than sites that do not. More users can access and use the features of your website, take information from your website and use it in real life. That includes disabled people. So naturally, the number of users of your site increases because, besides general people, people with disabilities can use your website too.

Enhance The Compliance Of Your Website

Complying with the US government’s ADA compliance requirements and guidelines may not be enough for your site. While your site passes the ADA compliance test, it has other features that yield a negative user experience. Accessibility testing companies not only check for the US government’s ADA compliance requirements but also other features of your site. So as a result, your site becomes more compliant, pushing it beyond the boundaries.

Enhance Automation

Accessibility testing provides your site with better automation. When implicating automation in your website, proper automation means proper accessibility. Alternative text for various buttons on your site can enhance both automation and accessibility.

Business Growth

As I have stated above, accessibility testing means not only checking your site for ADA compliance but also for other useful features and getting rid of useless ones. Your website represents your venture. More site users means more people are interested in what you have to offer to them. So gradually, your business grows. Proper site automation and compliance testing will drive more traffic to your site, giving your business a much-needed boost.

Avoid Legal Trouble

The US government is serious about making websites ADA compliant. Rehabilitation Act from Section 508 asks federal agencies to only operate with data and communications technology that is even accessible to individuals with disabilities, regardless of the fact that they serve the federal government.

If your website is not ADA compliant, you can face serious legal trouble with fines up to $55000 for the first violation and $11000 for each subsequent violation. It’s something that you should not be indifferent about. By accessibility testing your website, you not only make sure that your site is usable for people with disabilities, but also save yourselves from future legal troubles.

Conclusion

Accessibility testing can save you from big legal trouble. Even if there are no strict laws for ADA compliance in your area, you should still do accessibility testing for your apps and websites because it enhances the usability of your site.

If there are obligations regarding ADA compliance, accessibility testing is a must for your sites. You will make a significant change in your website traffic, business growth, and user experience.

Working on a website can be difficult. Adding new media and updating pages is chore, even though you know your company website needs to evolve and become more accessible to the many users you are trying to reach. Maybe when you first built it, accessibility wasn’t even really discussed. But now you’ve taken a step back, looked at your customer base with a desire to include everyone and you’ve realized just how important it is to make your site accessible. However, the thought of building a robust site that can do all the things you want it to do is overwhelming.

What is Web Accessibility

A practice of designing and coding the website in order to provide complete compatibility in accessing it by people with disabilities. In addition, it is a way to improve search engine optimization only an ADA Compliant Web Designer will help you to make your website Compliant. Is your website compatible? By going through the checklist below, you can get the answer.

Assessing Current Web Pages and Content

The website must include a feature like a navigation link at the top of the page. These links have a bypass mechanism such as a “skip navigation” link. This feature directs screen readers to bypass the row of navigation links and start at the web page content. It is beneficial for people who use screen readers to avoid to listen to all the links each time they jump to a new page.
All the links should be understandable when taken out of the context. For example, images without alternative text and links without worded as “click here”.
All the graphics, maps, images, and other non-text content must provide text alternatives through the alt attribute, a hidden/visible long description.
All the documents posted on the website should available in HTML or another accessible text-based format. It is also applicable to other formats like Portable Document Format (PDF).
The online forms on the website should be structured so assistive technology can identify, describe and operate the controls and inputs. By doing this, people with disabilities can review and submit the forms.
If the website has online forms, the drop-down list should describe the information instead of displaying a response option. For instance, “Your Age” instead of “18-25”.
If the website has data charts and tables, they should be structured so that all data cells are associated with column and row identifiers.
All the video files on the website must have audio descriptions (if necessary). This is for the convenience of blind people or for having a visual impairment disability.
All the video files on the website must have synchronized captions. People with hearing problems or deaf can access these files conveniently.
All the audio files on the website should have synchronized captions to provide access to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
All web pages should be designed so that they can be viewed using visitors’ web browser and operating system settings for color and font.

About Website Accessibility Policy and Procedures

One must have a written policy on website accessibility.
The website accessibility policy must be posted on the website at a location where it can be easily found.
The procedure should be developed to ensure that content is not added to the website until it has been made accessible.
It should be confirmed that the website manager has checked the code and structure of all new web pages before they are posted.
While adding the PDFs to the website, these should be accessible. Also, the text-based versions of the documents should be accessible at the same time as PDF versions.
Make sure that the in-house and contractor staff has received the information about the website accessibility policy and procedure to confirm the website accessibility.
It should be confirmed that in-house and contractor staff has received appropriate training on how to ensure the accessibility of the website.
The website should have a specific written plan if it contains inaccessible content. Also, it should include timeframes in place to make all of the existing web content accessible.
A complete plan to improve website accessibility should be posted along with invited suggestions for improvement.
The homepage should include easily locatable information that includes contact details like telephone number and email address. This is useful for reporting website accessibility problems and requesting accessibility services with information.
A website should have procedures in place to assure a quick response to the visitors with disabilities who have difficulty in accessing information or services available on the website.
Feedback from people who use a variety of assistive technologies is helpful in ensuring website accessibility. So make sure to ask disability groups representing people to provide feedback on the accessibility of your website.
Testing the website using a product available on the internet is helpful, These tools are of free cost and check the accessibility of a website. They may not identify all accessibility issues and flag issues that are not accessibility problems. However, these are, nonetheless, a helpful way to improve website accessibility.

Checklist of Action Items for Improving the Accessibility of a Website

In addition, while considering the above suggestions, the following checklist initially prepared by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for Federal Agencies provides further guidelines on ways to make websites more accessible for persons with disabilities.

This practical advice, as well as another checklist, are available at:

Satisfying all of these items does not necessarily mean that a website complies with ADA, but it will improve the website’s accessibility and decrease the risk of litigation. Again, an Expert or Web Accessibility Consulting & Services provider should be engaged to conduct a comprehensive review of your website.

Nothing brings you closer to reality than actually facing it. This is the premise of my latest attempt to spread awareness about Web Accessibility.

For better understand, here is a link in which a practical example is shown to make the websites’ user experience better by following the guidelines. Also, it tells the issues affecting various users on the internet with solutions.

You can make your website ADA compliant in an easy way by consulting the professionals, who can do this job effortlessly. Also, you can get a quick website audit from To Be ADA Compliant that offers complete web accessibility consulting & services in California, USA.

Resource: https://dev.to/chinchang/an-interactive-and-practical-introduction-to-web-accessibility-22o1