Manual Testing

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