Helping the web work for all

Testing for Accessibility

The combination of Axe, Wave, Lighthouse and colour contrast accessibility tools is now essential for my web designer and a developer toolkit. Using these tools assists in creating a solid foundation for a robust design and webpage structure, more excellent performance and implementation of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines core principles of accessibility requirements. (1)

Benefits

The utilisation of semi-automated testing tools as part of the design and development process has numerous benefits and draw attention to usability from an accessibility perspective. These tools can quickly locate issues and reduce the time it takes to inspect a page manually. They assist with correcting accessibility issues by catching errors and providing a description, an impact status and more information to help inform and educate for best practices. All this contributes to building a more accessible and semantic design, HTML, JavaScript, style and content structure.

Limitations

While semi-automated testing tools are part of a toolkit, they are not a solution and shouldn't be used solely for digital accessibility compliance. Human interaction is required to ensure there is a logical flow and meaning of content. A tab order follows an expected path. Confirmation of keyboard accessibility by human input and alternative text attributes should be in a relevant context. (2)

However, semi-automated tools are necessary for efficient accessibility evaluation and reducing digital barriers. Accessibility tools contribute to creating an overall better framework and experience for users and all stakeholders and help make the web work for everyone.