The Role of Accessibility Testing in Digital Inclusivity

What is accessibility testing?

Accessibility testing ensures that your digital content, applications, and websites can be easily navigated and understood by users with disabilities. It checks compliance with standards such as the ‘Web Content Accessibility Guidelines’ (WCAG) and involves testing various assistive technologies.

Why is accessibility important?

• Legal Compliance: In many regions, including the EU, UK, and US, digital accessibility is required by law. Failing to comply with accessibility standards can result in lawsuits, fines, and reputational damage.
• Broader Market Reach: Over 1 billion people globally live with some form of disability. Making your services accessible allows you to tap into a wider audience.
• Enhanced User Experience: Designing for accessibility often results in a better experience for all users, including those without disabilities. For example, clear navigation, larger buttons, and structured content benefit everyone.
• Corporate Social Responsibility: Ensuring accessibility is a statement of inclusivity, reflecting your organisation’s commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion.

What are the key components of accessibility testing?

1. Keyboard Navigation: Ensuring that all interactive elements can be accessed and navigated via keyboard is vital for users with motor disabilities.
2. Screen Reader Compatibility: Testing how content interacts with screen readers like JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver ensures that visually impaired users can interpret the information.
3. Colour Contrast and Visual Elements: Verifying sufficient contrast between text and background colours makes content accessible to users with visual impairments.
4. Form and Input Field Accessibility: Ensuring forms are easy to complete with clear instructions and feedback for any errors.
5. Alt Text for Images: Ensuring that images and non-text content have alternative text descriptions for users who rely on screen readers.
6. Time-Sensitive Content: Making sure users with disabilities have enough time to interact with content, avoiding overly fast content transitions or expirations.
7. Responsive Design: Ensuring that digital platforms are accessible across all devices, from desktops to mobile phones, maintaining a consistent experience.

Total WCAG guidelines

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) have three levels of conformance:

1. Level A (Basic): The most essential web accessibility features that all websites must follow. This includes things like alternative text for images and ensuring that websites can be navigated with just a keyboard.
2. Level AA (Mid-range): Addresses the biggest and most common barriers for disabled users. This includes contrast ratios, resizing text, and logical page structure.
3. Level AAA (High-level): The highest and most complex level of accessibility, which includes meeting all the criteria from levels A and AA, plus additional enhancements for very specific disabilities.

What is WCAG 2.2?

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the global standard for making web content accessible to people with disabilities. Published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), these guidelines help ensure that websites, applications, and digital documents are inclusive for users with a range of impairments, including visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive disabilities.

WCAG 2.2, released in 2023, builds on earlier versions (2.0 and 2.1) by introducing new success criteria to better address the needs of individuals with cognitive impairments and users with limited mobility.

Principles of accessibility (the POUR model)

WCAG is based on four key principles, ensuring that websites and applications are:

1. Perceivable: Information and user interface components must be presented in ways that users can perceive. This includes providing text alternatives for non-text content and ensuring content is adaptable to different sensory needs.
2. Operable: The user interface and navigation must be operable for all users. Interactive elements should be accessible via keyboard, and interfaces must allow for sufficient time for users to interact with content.
3. Understandable: The information and the operation of the user interface should be easy to understand. Consistent navigation, readable text, and clear instructions are essential.
4. Robust: Content must be robust enough to be interpreted by a wide variety of assistive technologies, now and in the future.

Popular Tools Used for Accessibility Testing

1. Axe: A browser extension for accessibility testing that helps developers find and fix accessibility issues directly in their browsers.
2. WAVE: A web accessibility evaluation tool that provides visual feedback about the accessibility of your web content by highlighting potential issues.
3. NVDA: A screen reader that developers can use to test how well their digital content integrates with assistive technologies.
4. JAWS: A widely used screen reader that helps users with visual impairments navigate websites and apps.
5. Pa11y: An automated accessibility testing tool that provides reports on how well your site meets WCAG standards.
6. Colour Contrast Analyser: A tool to check the contrast ratio between text and background colours, ensuring content is easily readable for users with visual impairments.

Building an Inclusive Digital Future with Hitachi Solutions

At Hitachi Solutions Europe, we believe that accessible digital products are not just a regulatory requirement but a reflection of our commitment to inclusivity and equal access. By conducting accessibility testing, businesses can ensure their digital platforms are open to all, providing a seamless experience for users with disabilities while staying compliant with the latest legal guidelines. Accessibility testing is not just good for business; it’s the right thing to do, paving the way for a more inclusive and accessible digital world.

Connect with our experts to discover how Hitachi Solutions Europe is leveraging accessibility to create inclusive digital experiences and how we can help you make accessibility a strategic advantage.