Many think that that digitally connected world is just the flick of your mouse, and that thing is materialized. Think again, does it provide the same flexibility to access digital assets?
The inability to access, participate, or contribute appears bleak and sidelined for no fault or reason. Yes, we are talking about the medically conditioned people that span the world’s length and breadth. It has become an alarming phenomenon that way people with disabilities has increased worldwide.
Digital disability has become a buzzword today. Many businesses are yet to consider it a top priority. Thus, the entry of Digital Accessibility Services appears promising under this circumstance.
Accessibility Testing has become the de facto in the industry across the globe. Since the strong movement regarding diversity, inclusion, and equity has gained traction, the spotlight emphasizes digital equality. Digital civility is no longer considered a privilege; it exalts a spirit of inclusion and equality. Digital Accessibility Services play a pivotal role.
May 19 celebrated the 11th Global Accessibility Awareness Day(GAAD). GAAD’s primary motto is to propagate and initiate a dialogue, develop awareness, and strongly advocate for inclusion. To prioritize this spirit of accessibility, companies include accessibility as the core requirement of developing digital products and services.
It focuses on the spirit of a business perspective and civil rights. The pandemic was the instrument in augmenting digitization significantly. Indeed, today businesses cannot sustain themselves without being digital.
They stand to compromise their business growth if they do not empathize, invest and preach inclusiveness and accessibility. At this crossroad, Accessibility Services become imperative,
The universal appeal of the products rests on the flexibility and ease of use that can be consumed by everyone. It becomes even more vital today to test and certify your product’s accessibility. It has become vital to empower people with varying levels of disabilities and help them to get a seamless experience with digital services. Therefore, Digital Accessibility Service Provider assumes significance.
What Is Accessibility Testing?
Accessibility testing is how analysing a website or application ensures that all, especially people with disabilities, can use it.
The testing process deals with various tools access that digital products can be seamlessly used by users with cross disabilities like visually challenged, motor impairment, etc.
Accessibility testing intends that everybody uses digital products without hassle, regardless of abled or disabled audiences. Hence, Accessibility Services appear to be the last straw here.
The foundation on which accessibility testing lie are the following:
- Perceivability: Simply put, the presentability of user interface components or information that can comprehend by the audience for at least one of their senses.
- Operability: It indicates the ability of all users to navigate or interact with the application components easily.
- Understandability: It means how easily and conveniently the user can comprehend the application interface and the conveyed information
- Robustness: The presented content can be interpreted correctly using different technological devices.
Today, it documents that application usage has become part and parcel of human lives. It reveals that a large section of people, more than 15% of the world population, have any form of disability.
Those people with disabilities find it extremely difficult to access apps. Therefore, it becomes critical for product innovation and delivery to people with cross disabilities. Accessibility Services, therefore, are a prime requirement.
It prompts incorporating special product technologies, such as screen readers, screen magnifiers, special keywords, voice commands, speech recognition software, etc.
For example, the Xbox adaptive controller has been very popular. It has been designed keeping in mind the children’s disabilities so they can play video games easily.
Google Maps, another example of this kind, the feature of it helps organizations help people who use wheelchairs whether they access their business establishments.
Amazon and speech start-up Voiuceitt announced a collaboration in the direction of making Alexa more accessible to users who have a speech impairment.
Why is Accessibility Testing So Vital?
There is no doubt that accessibility testing is important on many counts. Let’s unfold the importance:
- Legal Compliance
You can find that in many countries, including the US, some laws and regulations state that applications and websites must be accessible to people with varying degrees of disabilities
Failure to adhere to these laws can invite costly legal suits and
financial penalties. Hence, Accessibility Services become inseparable in this case.
- Enhance Audience Experience
Accessibility testing assists significantly in accessing digital products easily and navigable for those people with disabilities. By developing an accessible website and application, you offer an inclusive user experience that can benefit everyone, irrespective of abled or disabled.
- Increase Customer Base
By incorporating accessible websites and applications, you provide a wide gamut of product access. This wide access can lead to good organic traffic and enhanced engagement that invariably increases revenue.
- Brand Visibility
Accessibility websites and apps can convey to your target audience that you care for the users. Once established, it helps brand visibility and reputation. So, Digital Accessibility Service Provider is undoubtedly a good move.
For instance, it reveals that 70% of websites across the length and breadth of the world are inaccessible to people with cross disabilities. It leaves no doubt this is a significant market opportunity waiting to be explored,
In the same breath, it finds that two-thirds of e-Commerce in the US loses $6.9 billion of revenue because they are inaccessible to people with cross disabilities.
Apart from people with disabilities, accessibility testing is also provided to children, older people, non-English speakers, left-handed users, and much more effectively.
How To Perform Accessibility Testing?
Generally, accessibility testing of the application, website, or product can perform extensively with manual evaluating of product pages and testing individual functions, such as online form submission and product searches.
Accessibility testing can be done through manual and automated testing that directs to specific digital technology elements. So, there is no way to dwarf the importance of Accessibility Services.
Brief Understanding Of Accessibility Guideline
Accessibility guidelines provide standards and recommendations to make digital content and platforms accessible for people with disabilities. They cover aspects such as perceivability, operability, understandability, and robustness to ensure equal access and usability for all users.
Regardless of performing accessibility testing manually or automatically, it is vital to check the particular accessibility testing guidelines. You can find several accessibility standards like WCAG 1.0, WCAG 2.0, W3C’s, section 508, etc.
Among them, WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), are accepted across the length and breadth of the globe. These standards provide in-depth guidelines for making your application and website access. Properly incorporated with these standards, you have a bright chance of success in the marketplace.
How Can Businesses Leverage Accessibility Testing?
It is one of the most important aspects of the business so that their mobile apps and applications can be seamlessly accessible, especially to people with disabilities.
It documents that several government bodies across the length and breadth of the world have enacted many laws to make IT products conveniently accessible to disabled users.
The website accessibility testing initiative, mainly WCAG 2.0, attempts to make the website accessible and comprehending. Moreover, WCAG 2.0 is the most acceptable guideline businesses follow during website development.
It can be attained by capitalizing accessibility test because it helps businesses in several ways, such as:
- To develop the website in such a fashion so that it is easily accessible by people with disabilities
- To draw the attention of the target audience and increase the organization’s market share
- It can be accessible to the user even for the unsteady internet connection
- Information can be readily available for users through the website across geographic borders
Why Should You Increase Automation Accessibility Testing?
Some of the steps given below help you well through automated testing.
Use Regression Test To Automate Accessibility Texting
Regression testing is very useful and important as it improves automated accessibility testing. This testing is also affordable. It can eliminate most of the manual testing part.
Devise a Sound Strategy To Incorporate Accessibility Testing
From the viewpoint of agile methodology, accessibility testing can perform throughout the journey of agile methodology. It is a prudent way to begin from design because it plays an important role in testing.
Design is used in this case to provide a framework and structure to carry out testing effectively. Accessibility testing performs well if it backs up with a well-defined framework and structure. Therefore, Accessibility Services are important here.
Take advantage of Accessibility Testing Tools.
It documents that performing accessibility testing is challenging. A misconception exists in many organizations that manual testing provides the best accessibility testing output.
However, using the right accessibility tools proves significant in terms of efficiency. Better to take the help of a Digital Accessibility Service Provider to get good output.
Select The Appropriate Test Automation Platforms
Selecting the right automation platform, you will find that automating accessibility testing can be smooth, quick, and efficient. Therefore, it is important to choose the right Digital Accessibility Service Provider that can fully understand your project needs.
Also Read: Unlocking the Power of Your Brand: The Importance of Professional Logo Design Services
Final Words
It incorporates accessibility testing regularly to validate websites and applications that can improve overall users’ experience. Accessibility is now a global phenomenon and properly incorporating it yields benefits for the organization.
