Compliance with web accessibility standards can be assessed in several alternative ways. While all are valid, the different approaches offer distinct advantages and disadvantages depending on the product, the audience for which it is intended, the stage of the design process, the make-up of the project team, and the project budget.
In this presentation, we will explore four main approaches for evaluating web accessibility, breaking down their pros, cons, and the scenarios in which they would be most appropriate.
The four approaches are:
1. Enterprise-wide automated tools
2. Heuristic inspection by an accessibility specialist
3. Heuristic inspection by a pair of accessibility specialists, one sighted and one unsighted
4. Usability testing by participants with disabilities
Attendees will gain familiarity with several accessibility evaluation methods. They will also be challenged to think about the most appropriate strategy to use in particular situations.
Anupama Kundoo Cost Effective detailed ppt with plans and elevations with det...
Pros and cons of alternative strategies for evaluating accessibility (Dana Douglas, Jennifer Sutton, Sarah Deighan)
1. Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for Evaluating Web Accessibility
Dana Douglas, UserWorks, Inc.
Sarah Deighan, Next Century Corp.
Jennifer Sutton, Independent Consultant 1
2. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Web Accessibility Evaluations
Ensure ALL users have access to information
Typically based on set of guidelines
Can be conducted at any stage of development
Methods vary depending on many factors 2
3. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Enterprise-Wide Automated Tools
Software that scans large-scale websites for common accessibilityissues
3
4. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Enterprise-Wide Automated Tools
Pros:
Scalable
Track overall accessibility patterns and quantify progress
Train developers regarding best practices
Minimal personnel time 4
5. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Enterprise-Wide Automated Tools
Cons:
Only catch low hanging fruit
Can’t tell whether an element is actually usable, only whether it meets minimum requirements
Can miss actual problems and flag non-existent issues
Upfront costs can be expensive
Doesn’t always test the Document Object Model (DOM) 5
6. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Enterprise-Wide Automated Tools
Scenarios in which this method can work well:
Very large websites
Identifying an initial baseline of accessibility compliance
Maintaining accessibility among various content authors
Organization requires statistical evidence of progress 6
7. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Individual Heuristic Inspection
Use tools and assistive technologies to manually evaluate webpages 7
Sample WCAG 2.0 Checklist from WebAIM http://webaim.org/standards/wcag/checklist
8. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Heuristic Evaluation Tools
•
WAVE Toolbar (Firefox)
•
The Paciello Group Colour Contrast Analyser
•
Juicy Studio Accessibility Toolbar (Firefox)
•
NoCoffee vision simulator (Chrome)
•
Firefox Web Developer Toolbar (Firefox)
•
Internet Explorer and Chrome have built-in developer tools too
•
Firebug (Firefox) 8
9. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Individual Heuristic Inspection
Assistive Technology Demos:
Screen reader
Screen magnifier
Speech recognition software 9
10. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Screen Reader Demo
10
Demo of three different screen reader navigation methods on the Easy Checks website Courtesy of Jennifer Sutton
11. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Screen Magnifier Demo
11
Demo of screen magnifier on W3C website Windows Magnifier, Windows 7
12. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Speech Recognition Software Demo
12
Graham Armfield, Coolfields Consulting demo of Dragon Naturally Speaking http://www.coolfields.co.uk/2014/03/dragon-naturally-speaking-video-9-internet-forms/
13. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Individual Heuristic Inspection
Pros:
Comprehensive; identifies most, if not all, flaws
Accurate; flags only actual flaws
Inexpensive (often free!) tools 13
14. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Individual Heuristic Inspection
Cons:
Often doesn’t “touch” every page on the site
Specialist should learn how to use different assistive technologies
Can be time consuming
More prone to bias 14
15. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Individual Heuristic Inspection
Scenarios in which this method can work well:
Limited budget
Website with small number of page types
Website with primarily static webpages (little user interaction) 15
16. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Collaborative Heuristic Inspection
A team of two or more accessibility specialists, at least one of whom is also an assistive technology (AT) user
Each evaluates the site individually and then collaborates to discuss possible issues and brainstorm solutions
16
17. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Collaborative Heuristic Inspection
Pros:
Gets the perspective of an AT user who also knows what kinds of issues to look for
Have the benefit of seeing two sides of the site (one with AT and one without)
Can discuss issues and brainstorm possible solutions 17
18. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Collaborative Heuristic Inspection
Cons:
AT users who are accessibility experts can be difficult to find
Expert users may not be representative of typical users 18
19. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Collaborative Heuristic Inspection
Scenarios in which this method can work well:
Moderate budget
Website with interactive elements
Access to AT users with accessibility knowledge 19
20. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Usability Testing
Typical usability test with participants who are AT users
In-person or remote; moderated or un-moderated
20
21. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Usability Testing
Pros:
Gets feedback from representative users
May identify usability-related issues that are outside accessibility guidelines
Doesn’t require expert knowledge of AT
Doesn’t require expert knowledge of standards 21
22. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Usability Testing
Cons:
Can be expensive
May not identify all issues on the site
Logistics can be complicated 22
23. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Usability Testing
Scenarios in which this method can work well:
Moderate budget
Website with interactive elements
Team with limited knowledge of AT and standards 23
24. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Summary of Methods
Evaluation Method
Cost
Time
Expertise
Accuracy
Comprehensiveness
Automated tools
$$$$
%
Individual Heuristic Review
$
%%
Team Heuristic Review
$$
%%%
Usability Testing
$$$
%% 24
25. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Which method is best?
Combination of two or more is ideal
In all cases, evaluating early and often is best
Easy to take small steps to include accessibility evaluation as part of your other user research activities 25
26. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility 26
Resources
Rosenfield Media:
A Web for Everyone (Sarah Horton & Whitney Quesenbery)
A Podcast for Everyone
Accessibility Research Methods with Jonathan Lazar (podcast)
Choosing an Automated Accessibility Testing Tool: 13 Questions You Should Ask (Karl Groves)
WebAIM Screen Reader Survey
Easy Checks
27. July 22, 2014
UXPA 2014 LONDON
Pros and Cons of Alternative Strategies for
Evaluating Web Accessibility
Questions?
Sarah Deighan
Sarah.deighan@nextcentury.com 27
Dana Douglas ddouglas@userworks.com
Jennifer Sutton
@jsutt