Technology gives us a wealth of tools and methods to enhance the testing process when it comes to making websites more user-friendly and accessible to all. Now we can examine some of the most effective methods that technology may support the accessibility of websites.
Using instruments for testing automation
Automating key processes is a wonderful strategy to improve accessibility testing. Web pages can be automatically scanned by programs like axe, WAVE, or Lighthouse to identify typical problems like poorly readable text, missing picture descriptions, or keyboard navigation issues.
You can save time and effort by automating tests anytime you make changes to your website code by integrating tools like Pa11y or AChecker into your workflow.
Looking through various lenses
Technology also allows us to observe how users of various capacities interact with websites. Software such as Funkify, NoCoffee, and Color Oracle can mimic the way a person with vision loss could navigate a webpage.
By helping us comprehend how people who use these technologies browse websites, screen readers like NVDA, VoiceOver, or TalkBack help us become more sympathetic designers.
Obtaining user feedback
User feedback is essential to the accessibility testing process. Users with varying levels of accessibility can test your website using tools such as Optimal Workshop, Loop11, and UserTesting.
Using tools such as SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, or Typeform, you can create surveys to get input from your audience and make design improvements based on accurate data.
Gaining a better knowledge of data
Technology aids in the data analysis and visualization we need to comprehend the accessibility test findings. We can learn more about user behavior by using tools like Google Analytics, Hotjar, or Mixpanel, which monitor how users interact with websites.
With the aid of data visualization tools like as Tableau, Power BI, or Datawrapper, we are able to generate interactive representations of the accessibility performance of our designs, which facilitates decision-making.
Ongoing education and development
We must always be learning from the outcomes of our accessibility testing in order to provide inclusive designs. Accessibility concerns can be managed and prioritized with the aid of tools such as Asana, Jira, and Trello.
Communicating with our team and stakeholders is made simpler by collaboration technologies like Teams, Slack, and Zoom.
To sum up
You may increase the quality and inclusivity of your products and services by including these techniques and technologies into your accessibility testing. Recall that technology is an important instrument for ensuring that everyone has access to digital experiences.
