Screen Reader Testing is Super Valuable: Legal Risk and Usability Impact
There’s so much valuable data that results from screen reader testing and we can’t recommend it enough to clients. With our user testing services, clients receive:
- Video recording of the testing session
- Documented list of issues (if any)
- User testing attestation from the tester
The recording provides tangible evidence of digital accessibility which not only gives the best defense, but also acts as a compliance risk mitigation measure. When a plaintiff’s attorney argues your website is inaccessible, a video of a blind professional successfully navigating it carries real weight. That’s not something a checklist or automated scan can give you.
When it comes to our services, most clients order an audit and then we also offer user testing services which feature a professional who is blind or visually impaired using screen reader assistive technology.
Both are related manual accessibility services, but they’re not the same; rather they complement one another.
Think of an audit as sterile and technical, whereas user testing is practical and experiential.
A WCAG audit is effectively where a technical accessibility expert evaluates your digital assets against a Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) technical standard (e.g., WCAG 2.1 AA or WCAG 2.2 AA) and identifies all instances of non-conformance. Screen reader testing is a significant part of the evaluation, but there is much more needed to ensure conformance.
User testing isn’t concerned with WCAG conformance. Rather, here, the user tester is relaying any accessibility issues they come across while using a screen reader to navigate your website, mobile app, etc.
This is where the two services start to tell different stories. A WCAG audit identifies instances of non-conformance. User testing captures the actual experience — how a screen reader user moves through a page, where they pause, what they miss, what works well.
A good example: a blind tester navigating a Shopify product page with NVDA might note that while everything is technically accessible, the page structure causes more time to be spent to find the key information: too many elements to move through before getting to the essentials. Technically WCAG conformant, but degraded user experience.
That’s the value of pairing both services. The audit gives you technical precision. User testing gives you context. Together, they help make your digital asset’s accessibility razor sharp.
Do you need audit and/or user testing services?
We’d love to help. Send us a message and we’ll be with you very shortly.
