Software Testing Blog

In this post, Lucía Maldonado – one of our top testers and two-time Bug Battle winner -  takes an in-depth look at user accessibility standards:

When designing a building, architects usually adhere to Universal Design Principles in order to make buildings accessible for everybody. For example, a ramp will not only benefit people with disabilities, but also women with trolleys and elderly people who may have walking difficulties.

When designing software or a website, we should consider that users may also have special needs, and therefore provide them with these resources in a digital environment. As with architecture, when web pages and software are designed to be accessible to individuals with a wide-range of disabilities, they are more usable by others too. For example, having the option to change the font type and size can benefit people with seeing impairments, mental disabilities as well as small children.

How can we handle such a broad spectrum of special needs?  We cannot find one solution for everybody, that’s for sure, but finding multiple ways of representing and showing the information can be a good start. Including accessibility standards in software products will allow everybody to gain access to the wonderful digital world.

Here are some basic tips to consider while testing based on accessibility standards:

• The software or website should offer the user clear information and simple navigation mechanisms.
• The software should also include text equivalents for images, videos and sounds (e.g. an image should be described in text form).
• All buttons should be text-based to allow screen readers and Braille displays to read the information concerning that button.
• Don’t rely on colors to differentiate areas, as some users will not be able to notice the difference or get to the content.
• Languages can be a barrier for many users, as some software and web pages are partially translated. Sometimes the basic information is translated, but all the notifications and messages that are available while using the product appear in a different language. This inhibits the user to from continuing to work or make the appropriate choices for certain steps.
• Scripts and applets should be compatible with assistive technologies.
• Make sure that all moving and scrolling items can be stopped or paused in order to allow users with different cognitive levels to regulate their own pace.

For more information related to this matter, you can check out the “Accessibility Standards” at http://www.w3.org/

Thanks to Lucía for her valuable insights.  If you’re interested in contributing your thoughts, tips and opinions to the uTest blog, please send us your ideas.