Make It Accessible With Accessibility Testing Tools

We all have artists living inside us. While sharing our poems, paintings or songs with our friends, they might have suggested putting the art on the internet. However, this is when we come across a challenge: to design and develop a website that is fully accessible and offers a wholesome experience to all visitors equally. #TheArtistWithinUs

With evolving technology, we have a solution for every challenge we can think of. Accessibility Testing Tools are one such solution that can help us resolve the challenge of website accessibility.

Accessibility Testing Tool has become an important part of web app development to ensure that everyone, including people with disabilities, can not only navigate through the site but can also interact with other site elements.

Apart from delivering quality content to the audience, offering wholesome and comfortable online experiences has also become essential for businesses. By the way, we hope you are having a smooth surfing experience on our site and sailing through the sea of exciting articles!

It is going to be an adventurous ride through the realm of Accessibility Testing Tools. Keep sailing!
 

What Is An Accessibility Testing Tool?

Before we talk about the Accessibility Testing Tool, let’s understand what accessibility testing is in the first place. Accessibility testing is a practice to ensure that your web and mobile applications are usable and accessible to as many people as possible. Accessibility testing assures that the applications are accessible to those with disabilities such as vision impairment, hearing disabilities or any other physical conditions. A tool that helps conduct accessibility testing is called an Accessibility Testing Tool.

Not every product or website is designed while keeping such conditions in mind. It should not surprise you but as per the 2021 Pew Research report, about 75% of Americans with disabilities use the internet daily.

It is said that there are an average of 50 accessibility-related errors on the homepage of the leading million websites. Moreover, accessibility testing has a lot to do with compliance and regulations as well. How did it begin, you ask?

Here’s all about it!
 

A Brief History Of Accessibility Testing Tools

Ever since the world started living and breathing on the internet, everyone is trying to access the millions of web pages online. Therefore, over the years, people have made efforts to ease the experience.
 

• When everyone was fascinated with computers and the evolution of the internet, some people were concerned about those who could not access the internet due to their limitations. The year was 1990 and The Americans With Disabilities Act came into the picture and changed the game for civil rights. The purpose of the legalization was to prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities.

• Later, in 1996, the very first Accessibility Testing Tool was invented, called Bobby. It was released by the Central for Applied Special Technology (CAST). It was said that back then, everyone knew about Bobby! #QuiteFamous

• It was 1999 and W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) released the first version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), including 14 guidelines for organizations and designers to implement for better accessibility.

• Nearly a decade later, W3C released an updated version, WCAG 2.0, bringing big changes as smartphones became a medium to access the internet. Along with WCAG, Section 508 has been amended to make electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities.

• Today, there are various accessibility testing guidelines and compliances led by thousands of digital accessibility lawsuits that have been filed in federal courts.

This would have given you an idea about why accessibility testing software has become important for businesses. However, you might be asking how these tools even work. Don’t fret because we have got your back!

 

How Does An Accessibility Testing Tool Work?

Accessibility Testing Tools evaluate two fundamental aspects of the website or application – universality and usability. While universality ensures components are usable by everyone, usability focuses on user-friendly design. Moreover, these tools also address the different accessibility aspects, such as:
 

• Mobility

  How will users with mobility challenges navigate your site? An initial test is to disconnect your mouse and assess keyboard functionality.

• Cognition

  Forms and menus have always been complex. Simple menus and forms so that people with cognitive difficulties can identify and use them easily can be tested.

• Hearing

  Today, sites and applications often have sound clips and videos on their platform. Providing options like closed captions or transcripts for videos/sounds to assist the hearing impaired.

• Vision

  Supporting audio descriptions and context-rich text using text-to-voice software is also essential.

• Independent Living

  Being easy to use is the most important aspect of any website. A simple design with straightforward steps so that visitors find what they are looking for is needed.

• Self-care

  Scalable text and images for users with physical or cognitive disabilities is another critical aspect of accessibility.

The Accessibility Testing Tools conduct unified testing for web and mobile devices under one platform, ensuring all the aspects we discussed above. Furthermore, the automation capabilities help conduct accessibility tests and other complex scenarios. A single source tool that provides all results under one platform that can be integrated with your existing software development and test cycles.

That is cool, right? A single platform for all your challenges related to accessibility testing, just like Jarvis, was a single source of help for Tony Stark!

Speaking of Jarvis, there was only one Jarvis but there are different types of Accessibility Testing Tools that you should consider before adopting one for your business. Scroll on!
 

What Are The Types Of Accessibility Testing Tools?

There are three types of Accessibility Testing Tools. Jarvis, show us the types!
 

• Automated Testing

  Automated tools check a website's code and content, identify accessibility problems and suggest ways to resolve them automatedly. They help developers and content creators save time by detecting less apparent mistakes!

• Manual Testing

  Automated tools are more comprehensive in accessibility testing. As automated testing cannot detect all errors due to their inability to automate contextual checks, following an initial automated assessment, it's advisable to conduct manual testing to ensure your website achieves inclusivity and accessibility.

• Mobile Testing

  Checking how well your content works on mobile devices is important. Mobile devices have tools such as TalkBack and VoiceOver, which read out the content on the screen and help conduct mobile testing for the applications and website.

Pretty solid stuff there, right? Just like the Iron Man!


Well! The benefits of accessibility testing solutions would make you want to get this tool right away. Here they are!
 

What Are The Benefits Of Accessibility Testing Tools?

There are many benefits of Accessibility Testing Tools but here are our top picks:
 

• Increased user base

  Nobody likes slow and complex websites, right? The inaccessible websites end up with fewer users. Accessibility testing can improve the user base by ensuring the site includes alternate text for images, transcripts, captions and resizable text.

• Legal Compliance

  Several countries now require websites to meet accessibility standards before they can be launched. Conducting accessibility testing has become essential to fulfill legal requirements.

• Improves SEO

  Creating an accessible website improves its chances of being found by users through better SEO. Furthermore, simpler interfaces and navigation in apps and websites can also reduce bounce rates.

• Better Code Quality

  Accessibility testing extends usability testing, enhancing the final product's code quality. These tests uncover coding errors that can lead to usability issues and bugs.

• Growth In Business

  An estimated 1.3 billion people – 16% of the global population – live with a disability today. When applications adhere to accessibility guidelines, they can attract this demographic, leading to potential revenue growth for your company.

The benefits should give you an idea of how Accessibility Testing Tools give your website and applications good Iron growth for business. If you are thinking how long these tools would give you a run, then let us tell you it will be a marathon.

Jarvis, how does market look like for Accessibility Testing Tools in the upcoming years?
 

The Future Of Accessibility Testing Tools

It should not surprise you that a current study predicted that the market valuation of Accessibility Testing Tools will hit $606 million by 2027. While many companies are trying to maintain the intense competition, others are developing inventive automated technologies to ease the process. Some trends that will affect the market are:
 

• Artificial intelligence

  AI-driven solutions and automated accessibility tests will enhance the testing industry. As tools develop, usability testing will grow, reaping accessibility benefits. With increasing processes like continuous integration, demand for AI apps and adoption of DevOps and Continuous Delivery, release cycles are expected to speed up.

• WCAG 3.0

  As WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guideline) advances, including WCAG 2.2 and upcoming WCAG 3.0, the scope of disabilities has broadened. Beyond visual and hearing impairments, cognitive and autism-related challenges are also gaining attention. While evolving guidelines will cater to diverse disabilities, Accessibility Testing Tools assure wider accessibility to online audiences.

Wow! That is something to marvel at and with that, we have come to the conclusion.
Jarvis, you can sleep now!
 

Jarvis Is Finally Signing Off

In conclusion, it is important to realize that accessibility testing has become our moral responsibility; every single person on the earth should be able to easily access the site/ app irrespective of their disabilities. An Accessibility Testing Tool helps businesses and website hosts fulfill their responsibilities while aligning with guidelines such as the WCAG. Ensuring your website and applications are accessible to all is not optional as consumers demand the integration of accessible features.

So, what are you waiting for? Adopt the best Accessibility Testing Tool for your business today!