Introduction

In this tutorial, we aim to introduce the concept of web accessibility testing. Web accessibility testing is a subset of usability testing where the users under consideration have disabilities that affect how they use the web. The end goal is to ensure the web content is accessible to all users, regardless of their abilities.

By the end of this tutorial, you will understand the importance of web accessibility testing, and you'll be familiar with several tools and techniques you can use to implement it.

Prerequisites
Basic understanding of web development and HTML is required.

Step-by-Step Guide

Web accessibility testing involves checking your website's usability for people with disabilities. It could be visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, or neurological disabilities.

Concepts

1. Understanding Web Accessibility

Web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them.

2. Importance of Web Accessibility Testing

Web accessibility testing ensures that everyone has equal access to information and functionality on the web.

3. Tools for Web Accessibility Testing

There are multiple tools available for accessibility testing, such as aXe, WAVE, or Google Lighthouse.

Best Practices

• Use semantic HTML
• Ensure sufficient color contrast
• Provide alternatives for media
• Make all functionality available from a keyboard
• Avoid using tables for layout
• Manage focus for interactive elements

Code Examples

Let's see a few code examples of how to make a website accessible.

Example 1: Using semantic HTML

<!-- Bad practice -->
<div onclick="goToPage('home')">Home</div>

<!-- Good practice -->
<a href="home">Home</a>

In the first example, we use a div to create a clickable element, but it's better to use a semantic HTML element like a. It helps screen readers understand the content better.

Example 2: Providing alternatives for media

<!-- Bad practice -->
<img src="image.jpg">

<!-- Good practice -->
<img src="image.jpg" alt="Description of image">

In the second example, using the alt attribute provides a text alternative for the image which can be read by screen readers.

Summary

We covered the importance of web accessibility testing, learned about some tools available for testing, and saw some best practices with code examples. Next, you can learn more about each tool and dive deeper into each practice.

Practice Exercises

1. Exercise 1: Find and fix accessibility issues in the following HTML code:

<div onclick="goToPage('home')">Home</div>
<img src="image.jpg">

Exercise 2: Check the accessibility of your website (or any website) using an accessibility testing tool like Google Lighthouse.

Solutions

Solution to Exercise 1:

<a href="home">Home</a>
<img src="image.jpg" alt="Description of image">

Solution to Exercise 2: The solution will vary based on the website tested. The aim is to familiarize you with using an accessibility testing tool.

Continue practicing by checking and fixing accessibility issues in different websites. You can also try using different accessibility testing tools.