Bummer! This is just a preview. You need to be signed in with a Basic account to view the entire video.
Start a free Basic trial
to watch this video
User testing is an awesome way to put your money where your mouth is and see just how a user will interact with your app. Including users who actually live with various disabilities and work with assistive technology on a daily basis can give your accessibility testing incredible authenticity. As with user testing in general, consider asking anyone you know who uses assistive technology to take a run at what you’ve built. You may find that their patterns of use are different than you expected!
Resources
-
0:00
[MUSIC]
-
0:04
You're probably at least a little familiar with the benefits of testing your code.
-
0:08
But testing for accessibility should be part of that process.
-
0:13
There are lots of options when it comes to testing the accessibility of our projects.
-
0:17
Ranging from quick and dirty manual techniques
-
0:20
to building automated tests directly into your workflow.
-
0:24
Manual techniques are a great way to test things out piece by piece.
-
0:28
It's possible to experience the site from a perspective
-
0:32
as close to that of the user as possible.
-
0:35
But it's also fairly inefficient if you're going in without a plan.
-
0:39
In this video, we'll talk about some manual testing techniques
-
0:41
to help ensure your site is up to snuff.
-
0:45
The first thing you'll want to do is tab through yourself
-
0:48
to see if everything that needs focus can be focused on.
-
0:51
All of the functionality built into the site like forms and
-
0:55
video controls should be usable and the mouse shouldn't be necessary at all.
-
1:00
Next, use assistive technology like a screen reader or
-
1:04
any of the others we've mentioned.
-
1:06
It would be a difficult and expensive endeavor to try and
-
1:09
replicate the experience of a user
-
1:12
accessing your content with every single type of assistive device.
-
1:16
But the screen readers we discussed in the first stage are a good place to start.
-
1:21
If time allows, try navigating through using a switch controls.
-
1:26
It's great to walk through on your own and make sure everything works as intended.
-
1:30
But we as developers are often a little
-
1:34
two close to the project to be great usability testers.
-
1:37
You may not be able to accurately anticipate how some or
-
1:41
even most of your users will go about navigating your site.
-
1:45
User testing is an awesome way to see just how a real user will interact with your
-
1:50
app including users who actually live with various disabilities and
-
1:55
work with assistive technology on a daily basis
-
1:58
can give you accessibility testing incredible authenticity.
-
2:02
Consider asking anyone you know who uses the assistive technology to make a run
-
2:07
of what you built.
-
2:07
You may find that their patterns of use are different than you expected.
You need to sign up for Treehouse in order to download course files.
Sign up