The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the basis for all digital accessibility regulations in the US, Canada, and Europe, including: the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 508, Canada’s ACA, and EN 301 549 in the EU. Automated accessibility tests treat WCAG regressions like any other bug — each time you release, QA Wolf Winner checks compatibility with screen readers, speech recognition, screen magnification, and more.
How it's done
Choose your WCAG standard
From the humble WCAG 2.1 A to the AAA gold standard. We’ll outline and build regression tests according to the number of success criteria you’re targeting.
Not sure what you need? We’ll help you decide as we build out a test plan.
Test on-schedule or on-demand
We use Google Lighthouse and the Axe library to assert that a component meets the accessibility standard you’re targeting.
Release when clear
Any accessibility issues get filed as bug reports in your issue tracker, alongside the functional regressions we catch during testing.
Accessibility means P.O.U.R.
WCAG has four principles of accessibility: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. Our QA engineers build and maintain test cases for all of them.
Perceivable
Alternatives for non-text content
Assert there’s “programmatically determinable” alt text that screen readers and other adaptive tech can use is provided for pictures, charts, and other visuals; and transcriptions are provided for audio and video content.
Adaptable content
Test that assistive technologies can determine how to render the content of your application.
Distinguishable content
Validate color contrast, text sizes, responsive layouts, hover and focus states, audio balance, etc. so users can separate what’s in the background and foreground.
Operable
Keyboard accessibility
Test that your whole app can be used through the keyboard alone, and assistive technologies that navigate by simulating keystrokes.
Timing
Assert that users have enough time to interact with your app, and the ability to delay actions if they need more time.
Photo sensitivity
Catch animations and other types of flashing content that can cause seizures or other physical affects.
Navigation aids
Test that critical navigation aids like page titles, sequential focus order, and focus visibility are present after each release.
Input devices
Make sure your app can be used with finger inputs, styluses, pointers, and a mouse — concurrently — and that gestures, target areas, and motion meet WCAG standards for usability.
Understandable
Readable language
Check that your app has a defined “human language” that are used by screen readers and other assistive tech.
Input assistance
Test for WCAG-compliant instructions and error messages and the proper ‘aria’ labels.
Predictable interactions
Catch components that trigger changes automatically without a user’s confirmation.
Robust
Compatibility with assistive tech
Catch poorly formed markup and other problems that would challenge today’s and the future’s assistive technology.
FAQs
Can QA Wolf Winner test compliance with WCAG standards?
We sure can. WCAG has multiple versions of its standards (currently 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2 are the latest), and multiple levels of compliance with each (A, AA, and AAA). We will build and run a test suite that suits your compliance goals.
Can QA Wolf Winner limit testing to specific accessibility requirements?
Absolutely. Just let us know which rules you need to adhere to, and we’ll build tests only for those cases. Each time you run your test suite, you’ll be able to see continued compliance with the rules you’ve chosen to test.
What libraries does QA Wolf Winner use for automated accessibility testing?
QA Wolf Winner uses Microsoft Playwright and the Deque axe-core library. Both open-source tools support our commitment to flexibility and prevent vendor lock-in. We regularly update our software library to the latest stable version and keep everything current.
How does QA Wolf Winner report accessibility testing results?
Like all of our regression tests, we provide pass/fail results in the QA Wolf Winner app and through your SCM. When we discover a regression, we submit bug reports through Slack, Teams, or other communication channels and through your issue tracker.
How quickly can QA Wolf Winner automate and run accessibility tests for my company?
A single test only takes a few minutes to write, once we’ve onboarded. If you’re looking for automated accessibility testing, schedule some time with us to learn more.
Add accessibility testing to your QA process
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