Accessibility testing Chrome is a significant component of creating web apps that everybody can use. We, as web developers, owe it to our society to make sure that anyone can access the content and functions of our websites and applications irrespective of abilities or contexts. This article examines different methods for testing accessibility on Chrome with diverse assistive technologies, including, among others, screen readers, magnifiers, etc. We will also discuss how to configure an automated as well as manual testing environment for accessibility using DevTools and Selenium ChromeDriver in Chrome.
What is Accessibility Testing Chrome?
Web developers can test the accessibility and inclusivity of applications and web content using Chrome’s Accessibility testing feature. Accessibility issues hinder people with disabilities from fully interacting with digital products, so it’s essential for developers to ensure users of assistive technologies can perceive, operate, and understand websites or apps.
Chrome offers manual and automated testing in DevTools to assess adherence to accessibility standards like WCAG and Section 508. Developers can enable accessibility emulation, simulate assistive device interactions, inspect the accessibility tree, and check color contrast.
Chrome also integrates with tools like Lighthouse and aXe to run automated checks, helping developers uncover and address accessibility issues early.
The Importance of Accessibility Testing in Chrome
The importance of accessibility testing cannot be overstated in creating digital experiences that are all-embracing. As per the World Health Organisation, more than one billion individuals worldwide have a form of disability that hinders their complete engagement with the internet. Many users, including blinded individuals, hearing-impaired persons, physically challenged individuals, and people with mental impairments who depend on assistive technology, might not be able to utilize a website’s content and features without effective accessibility testing.
This deprives them of information and negatively impacts a business’s bottom line by excluding a huge section of their prospective customers. Comprehensive accessibility testing using Chrome tools can help identify and fix barriers to ensure web apps work for all abilities.
There are also legal obligations for websites, apps, and digital services to comply with international accessibility standards. Laws such as Section 508 in the US, WCAG 2.1 AA in the EU, and others mandate that government and public websites be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for people with disabilities. Failing compliance can result in legal lawsuits. Automated testing tools integrated with Chrome, like Lighthouse and aXe, allow evaluating compliance against these standards, proactively surfacing issues before litigation.
People with disabilities should have equal rights and opportunities for education, employment, and access to information. Thus, companies are responsible for hosting an all inclusive platform for digital services.
Businesses also benefit from reaching the largest audience possible and gaining a competitive edge in today’s experience-driven economy. Ensuring a website is accessible to all opens the doors to a massive global market. Chrome is the most popular browser, and its built-in accessibility testing aids play a vital role in creating a fair and just digital space.
Techniques for testing accessibility in Chrome
Below, we have mentioned the top three techniques for testing accessibility in Chrome:
Setting Up Chrome for Accessibility Testing
The first step is to configure Chrome for comprehensive accessibility testing. Open Chrome browser and click on the three-dot menu in the top-right corner. Go to Settings > More Tools > Developers Tools and check the box to Activate Developers Tools. Now, click on the toggle button to open DevTools.
In DevTools, go to Settings and check the box for Accessibility under ‘Emulation’. This will enable various keyboard shortcuts for manual testing and expose additional accessibility views like the accessibility tree. You can also install Lighthouse, an open-source auditing tool to run automated accessibility tests from DevTools. With DevTools and Lighthouse, you have a powerful combo to thoroughly test and fix accessibility issues directly in Chrome.
Auditing with the Accessibility Tools in Chrome
With accessibility emulation turned on, you now have multiple tools at your disposal for auditing your web content. First, use the accessibility view to inspect elements and get an idea of how assistive technologies like screen readers will interact with them. The ‘accessibility tree’ allows you to see if any elements are incorrectly excluded from the accessibility tree.
You can also manually test using keyboard shortcuts like Tab to cycle through elements or click on elements to check if they are actionable via keyboard. The color contrast checker helps find text that fails minimum color contrast requirements. Lighthouse accessibility audits provide actionable recommendations to fix common issues. All these tools together allow for a comprehensive manual accessibility review directly in Chrome.
Automating Accessibility Testing using ChromeDriver and Selenium
While manual testing is useful, it does not completely eliminate bugs or catch all issues. This is where automated accessibility testing comes in using tools like Selenium. Selenium automates interactions with your web app and allows you to programmatically test user workflows and edge cases. To set it up with Chrome, install the ChromeDriver matching your Chrome browser version. Write Selenium tests in Java, Python, C#, or JavaScript to simulate user actions like clicking, typing, etc, and assert that your app behaves as expected.
You can scaffold accessibility tests to validate compliance with common requirements like heading structure, color, contrast, etc. Selenium also integrates with accessibility audit tools like aXe and pa11y to retrieve and validate results. With Selenium, you can easily automate frequently run accessibility checks and integrate them with your build pipeline.
Steps to Properly Test the Accessibility of a Web App Using Chrome
Below we have listed the steps to Test the Accessibility of a Web App Using Chrome:
Chrome DevTools
The first place to start testing accessibility is within Chrome DevTools. DevTools allows you to simulate various disabilities, helping you understand how users with different impairments perceive and interact with your website. For instance, you can emulate vision impairments like tunnel vision, blurred vision, and various color deficiencies. Motor and cognitive impairments can also be simulated to test aspects like focus navigation.
Once emulated, inspect elements and interact with the page to identify any issues. In addition, the Accessibility panel within DevTools scans the page and identifies common violations like missing alt text or lack of headings that impact structural understanding. Between emulation and the Accessibility panel, DevTools empowers you to test directly from the browser.
Lighthouse Accessibility Reports
In addition to manual testing with DevTools, consider running automated accessibility audits with Lighthouse. Lighthouse is an open-source automated testing tool from Google that analyzes pages against performance, accessibility, SEO, and more best practices. When run from Chrome DevTools or the Lighthouse integration in Chrome, it produces a detailed report highlighting any accessibility issues found.
Review these reports closely for potential violations and improvements to prioritize. For example, Lighthouse will flag unrecognized user inputs that screen reader users cannot understand. It also checks that color is not used to convey content or distinguish interface elements. With Lighthouse, you gain an automated testing perspective to complement your manual accessibility testing efforts.
Programmatic Testing with Selenium
So far, we’ve looked at testing that happens within the browser itself. However, for robust and repeatable accessibility testing, consider automating tests programmatically using a framework like Selenium and language bindings like WebDriver for Selenium ChromeDriver. With Selenium, you can script interactions on the page and make assertions about expected conditions. For instance, you may load a page and verify that all headings are in a logical order so screen readers can understand the content structure.
Check that each interactive element has an accessible name provided by labels, ARIA labels, or alt text. Test numerous scenarios, browsers, and devices in an automated fashion. Locate elements, simulate user inputs, and validate accessibility success criteria without the human effort required each time. This allows catching regressions early and improves the consistency of testing over time.
Manual Exploration
While automated tests handle basic validation scenarios at scale, nothing substitutes thorough manual exploration. Have testers with various disabilities individually validate different areas of the site. For low-vision or blind users, have them try tasks like filling out a form or browsing products using keyboard controls and narrated feedback from a screen reader.
Test cognitive load by introducing timed tasks or distracting sidebar content and see if users can still complete key actions. Receiving honest feedback from users with lived experience of various disabilities helps identify real-world issues your testing may have missed. This hands-on feedback loop is invaluable for achieving a highly accessible experience.
Testing Accessibility on LambdaTest
LambdaTest allows developers to comprehensively evaluate the accessibility of their websites and applications from directly within the platform. It supports popular screen readers like NVDA for Windows and VoiceOver on Mac, giving insight into how users with visual impairments perceive and consume digital content. Testing cross-browser compatibility in this manner is crucial before public deployment to ensure an inclusive experience for all.
Upon signing up for a free LambdaTest account, users can easily conduct accessibility tests on any provided URL within the Browser Testing section. Selecting the required operating system, version, and resolution mimics real-world device usage scenarios. With a single click, a remote cloud machine is launched for interactive testing from the user’s browser. Next, navigating to the Accessibility settings exposes the screen reader simulation functionality. Selecting this allows for the verbatim reading of the page via a screen reader, with no local software installation overhead.
Any issues encountered, such as non-descriptive labels, skipped form inputs, or missing textual alternatives for non-text elements, can be recorded. LambdaTest generates detailed automated and manual test reports highlighting potential compliance gaps. These insights help prioritize remedial steps to make content broadly understandable and operable for persons with disabilities. With the convenience of test orchestration directly on the platform, developers gain powerful and efficient tools to build an inclusive web for all.
Conclusion
Accessibility testing Chrome provides a powerful suite of tools both for manual and automated testing to make your web applications usable for everyone including users with disabilities. The DevTools, keyboard shortcuts, color contrast checker, and accessibility views give robust manual testing capabilities directly within the Chrome browser. The accessibility emulation allows testing across Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android devices and screen readers.
For automation, ChromeDriver, Selenium, and integrated accessibility libraries like aXe ensure accessibility compliance as part of your automated builds and testing pipelines. By leveraging these strategies and surfacing common issues, you can systematically work towards building inclusive experiences on the web that work for all.