Including people with access needs in usability testing requires a good understanding of what’s possible to test at each stage of the development lifecycle.
Concept stage
At the concept stage, you might use a low-fidelity prototype to test ideas, check the journey is understandable and the content hierarchy is logical and easy to comprehend.
Low-fidelity prototypes range from paper sketches to un-styled wireframes communicating a flow through a journey.
Asking people using screen readers or speech recognition software to test a low-fidelity prototype will provide little to no value as low-fidelity prototypes are inherently inaccessible for people using these technologies. However, testing low-fidelity prototypes with people with reading difficulties, difficulties focusing on tasks or short-term memory loss will provide good insight.
You can test low-fidelity prototypes with people who:
- Are colour-blind or those who wear glasses.
- Are Deaf or hard of hearing (especially if multimedia is present).
- Are Dyslexic or have difficulty reading.
- Have difficulty communicating, limited problem-solving skills, difficulty focusing on tasks or memory loss.
Design stage
At the design stage, you’ll use high-fidelity prototypes to check complex interactions and the influence of branding and interactions such as colour, layout and legibility.
High-fidelity prototypes closely resemble the final product, with much of the intended functionality and Nationwide visual branding.
You can test high-fidelity prototypes with people who:
- Have low-vision, are colour-blind or wear glasses.
- Are Deaf or hard of hearing (especially if multimedia is present).
- Are Dyslexic or have difficulty reading.
- Have difficulties with learning, memory or attention.
Development stage
At the development stage, you’ll use production code to check different interaction methods such as keyboard, mouse, voice and touch, and whether people using assistive technologies understand the information and relationships on the page.
Production code will use semantic HTML and incorporate accessibility best practices. It can be viewed on various devices and interacted with by different technologies.
Before testing on production code, ensure that automated testing and manual testing have occurred. You must address any problems raised during these testing phases first, otherwise, usability testing will only highlight the same issues as earlier testing phases rather than valuable insight.
You can test production code with people who:
- Are blind: those using screen readers or refreshable Braille displays.
- Have low vision: those using screen magnifiers or those who need to adjust the size and contrast of pages.
- Have a physical disability: those using adaptive switches or speech recognition software.