Web Design in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition

Testing with Users

Although it is fine for an expert to review a site, feedback is that much more meaningful and powerful when it comes from people who use assistive technology every day.

User testing falls into two categories: general review and testing of specific tasks. General review tends to be focused on providing a general impression of the accessibility of a site but without particular goals in mind. Although this can be useful for finding “obvious” accessibility issues such as missing alt text, spelling mistakes, and confusing content or reading order, it may not be as useful as testing for such specific tasks as:

• Logging into the application

• Finding the email address for support/help

• Performing a typical transaction, such as determining your current bank balance or purchasing a specific item and having it shipped to your address

• Creating a new account

User testing that provides an overall impression of the accessibility of a site can be useful, but it pales in comparison to actually watching users attempt to complete tasks that are critical to their use of the application or site.

Several things often happen during these facilitated tests: an observer makes notes about difficult areas, ranks task completion (completed, completed with difficulty, completed with assistance, not completed, for example), and code is reviewed to identify areas for improvement.

User testing should not be seen as a final stage of development; it should be done early in the development process, conducted ...