Accessibility Testing

In all the services we provide, we follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG.

WCAG isthe international standard for digital accessibility. They are also legally binding in Switzerland, for example for public services. WCAG specifies the requirements that web content must meet in order to be accessible for all users.

All activities of the “Access for all” foundation – from expert review to consulting to certification – are always based on WCAG. We generally review according to WCAG 2.1. Upon request and in justified cases, a review according to WCAG 2.0 is also possible.

Live testing for accessibility

In an ad hoc test (live testing), our experts show you what barriers your digital offering has. You will experience first-hand how a person using assistive technologies surfs your website, visits your online store, or uses your app. During the test session, you will learn where the stumbling blocks are and why they are hurdles.

Advantages of ad hoc testing

  • You experience the possible barriers live and directly.
  • Nothing about us without us: There is an immediate exchange with experts with disabilities.
  • During the testing, we explain why the stumbling blocks found are barriers.
  • You build up know-how on how to test websites and mobile apps yourself.

We offer the ad hoc testing in a length of 90 or 120 minutes.

  • Cost of 90 minutes of ad hoc testing: CHF 900, excl. VAT
  • Cost of 120 minutes of ad hoc testing: CHF 1,200, excl. VAT

Procedure of ad hoc testing

Ad hoc testings do not require any preparation. All you need to do is give our experts access to the website or app you want to test. Two experts from “Access for all” take part in the ad hoc testing: one sighted person and one blind or visually impaired person.

Up to 10 people from the customer may participate in the meeting.

Accessibility review

The accessibility review is the cost-effective way to identify the main barriers of a website or mobile app. As a result, you receive a detailed report and a spreadsheet of findings.

Review advantages

  • Fast delivery time: You receive the report and findings list within 2 weeks.
  • Cost efficiency: With the scalable review, you receive an optimal cost-benefit ratio.
  • In the review we identify the most important barriers according to WCAG.
  • You receive a comprehensive report with a detailed description of the findings and practical measures to resolve the issues.
  • You will receive an Excel spreadsheet of the findings for easy processing.

Review procedure

The Accessibility Review is conducted by a mixed team of experts with and without disabilities.

We usually perform the analysis according to WCAG, at conformance level AA. In advance, we agree with you on a scope of resources that determines the depth of coverage. Depending on the complexity of a website, we already identify many of the most important barriers in 2 to 3 days of effort.

Review result

As a result of the Accessibility Review, you will receive a detailed report. In addition, you will receive an Excel table with the findings for efficient internal processing. The report and the list of findings document the specific problems, including URL, screenshot, problem description and recommended measures, so that you can start immediately with the remediation of the barriers. If necessary, it may be useful to discuss the results of the review in a workshop.

Review suitability

This test procedure is particularly well suited for a cost-effective analysis of the current state of existing websites or mobile apps. It allows you to quickly identify and address the most important problems. The accessibility review by “Access for all” is also the ideal procedure for iterative testing, for example in the phase of implementing the first templates and for testing individual elements.

Modular structure, project support

If you are planning a relaunch of your website, we will be happy to provide you with modular support. An accessibility review is one of the usual steps in this process. An example of a possible procedure is as follows:

  • Accessibility review of the style guide: We check your style guide and/or wireframes for accessibility aspects, including contrasts and completeness with regard to accessibility requirements. We provide you with a detailed documentation of important accessibility requirements for the implementation as a report (in PDF and Excel format).
  • Workshop “Accessibility requirements and tools”, if available based on the previous style guide review: You will get an efficient introduction to project-relevant topics such as typical problems and solutions, test tools for content structure, contrasts and widgets. You will also receive a screen reader demo and introduction to the use of a screen reader.
  • Accessibility review of the web templates: Accessibility review of the templates developed in the meantime. We provide you with a detailed report of the results with practical suggestions for improvement.
  • Workshop and/or discussion of the results from the review of the web templates
  • Accessibility Audit: Test of the implemented, fully developed website for the requirements of WCAG. You receive a detailed result report with the remaining open requirements and hints for the remediation of existing barriers. The prerequisite for an audit is that the test system consistently takes into account the requirements of WCAG (e.g. through complete implementation of preceding reviews). Details on the accessibility audit
  • Workshop on audit results and measures, retest, certification: The modules usually follow an audit.

An Accessibility Review can stand alone and be offered individually, although it can have even more impact as part of an overall package. You can define when the workshops with the project managers and project staff take place in consultation with us.

Accessibility audit

The accessibility audit is a complete accessibility check of websites, web applications and mobile apps whether they are WCAG compliant. Experts with and without disabilities perform an extensive testing of sample pages and functions. We examine the pages and evaluate them according to a detailed procedure.

Advantages of an audit

As a client you receive:

  • a professional accessibility status report of your website,
  • practical suggestions for improving the accessibility deficiencies,
  • an in-depth quality test of code quality and compliance with standards,
  • a sound basis to determine further steps to achieve the desired accessibility compliance,
  • clarity regarding compliance with the legally required conformance level AA (WCAG and eCH standard 0059).

Audit procedure

For the analysis, we strictly follow the applicable accessibility guidelines. During the audit, we check all WCAG success criteria at compliance levels A and AA.

We document the tests and findings in our self-developed audit tool and summarize them in a report.

Audit results

You will receive a detailed report with exact problem descriptions (incl. URLs, screenshots), specific recommendations for improvement and many code examples. You will also receive links to testing tools and implementation examples. In addition, you will receive an Excel spreadsheet of all findings, which will allow you to efficiently process the results. We recommend to discuss the results in a meeting or workshop to help you build up additional know-how and take the right further steps.

Audit suitability

This test procedure is particularly well suited for a complete analysis of the current state of fully implemented websites, web applications, or mobile apps. An accessibility audit is the basis for certification of a website’s compliance with WCAG. This audit provides you with a legal safeguard to avert possible lawsuits and to prove that your website complies with applicable standards. Retesting of the identified problems is cost-effective.

The prerequisite is that a website has already been clearly optimized to WCAG requirements, i.e. is audit-ready, otherwise an accessibility review is the method of choice.

Scope and delivery time

The experts of “Access for all” test a broad sample of pages for the complete requirements of WCAG and document the accessibility deficiencies and individual suggestions for improvement based on these specific examples.

Approximately 4 weeks are required for an accessibility assessment, but this depends on the complexity of the system. Please contact us early to ensure that we can provide the appropriate resources for you in time.

Meeting

We recommend to discuss the documented results in a meeting or workshop. In the meeting or workshop our employees, who are themselves affected by a disability, demonstrate how thes use and navigate on the test system. In addition, developers and content managers learn what tools they can use to test for accessibility on their own.

Accessibility quick test

The quick test checks a website or a mobile app to see how accessible it is overall. In the quick test, we summarily check all 12 requirement groups in a short time.

Advantages of a quick test

Do you only want to have a website or mobile app summarily checked for how accessible it is overall and not individual findings in detail?

The advantages of the accessibility quick test are:

  • Fast delivery time: You will receive the results within 1 to 2 weeks.
  • You receive a summary assessment of WCAG compliance with overall score.
  • The quick test allows you to compare different systems and their accessibility.
  • With a fixed price of CHF 850 (excl. VAT), the quick test is cost-effective.

Quick test procedure

The accessibility quick test is always performed by two experts from “Access for all” with and without disabilities. The analysis is based on WCAG requirements, at conformance levels A and AA. We check a manageable sample of pages (homepage, content page, form page, etc.) to assess the following 12 key requirement groups:

  • Text alternatives for graphics are available and useful.
  • Subtitles and audio descriptions for videos are present.
  • The heading structure is correct.
  • There is a semantic structure to the content.
  • Information is understandable and usable even without colors.
  • The contrast is sufficient.
  • The website can be operated with the keyboard.
  • Each page has a meaningful page title.
  • There is a visible keyboard focus.
  • The link purpose is understandable regardless of context.
  • Form elements are accessible.
  • JavaScript widgets are conveyed understandably by screen readers.

For each requirement group, we evaluate whether the requirement is fully met, partially met, or not met.

Quick test results

As a result of the accessibility quick test, you receive an Excel table with the summary assessments of the 12 requirement groups, each on a scale from “not fulfilled” to “fulfilled”. We explain and justify our assessments briefly and clearly. An overall score is calculated on the basis of the assessment per requirement group.

Quick test suitability

The quick test is the method of choice when a summary overall assessment of a system is required. It is also suitable for comparing different systems and their accessibility. If the customer already has experience in solving accessibility problems, the quick test can also be used as the basis for optimization.

With the quick test, you do not receive detailed individual findings with explanations of where which barriers occur and how they are to be fixed. If you want detailed documentation, an accessibility review or audit is more suitable.

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Contact us

Contact us by phone at +41 44 515 54 20, by email at contact@access-for-all.ch, or via contact form.