BrowserStack Accessibility Testing Made Simple

In today’s online world, web accessibility and the accessibility health of your websites matter a lot. It’s no longer just an option. Websites and apps need to work for everyone, regardless of their disabilities. However, finding and fixing accessibility issues can be tough. This is where BrowserStack comes in. We have been long using BrowserStack for accessing real devices for our testing requirements. And when BrowserStack launched the App Accessibility Testing feature, our accessibility testing team was right on it to explore how we can utilize it in our day-to-day activities. Based on our research and implementation, we have written this blog to help you get started with BrowserStack Accessibility Testing. But before we get started, let’s take a look at the the key highlights.

Key Highlights

• With BrowserStack’s complete tools, you can find and fix accessibility issues on your website easily.
• Web accessibility becomes simple with features like automatic scans, guided tests, and real screen reader testing on different devices.
• You can stay updated by adding accessibility testing to your development workflow. This helps create a smoother experience.
• BrowserStack offers a solid way to achieve and maintain WCAG compliance. This gives you peace of mind and makes your site welcoming for everyone.
• It helps you make great digital experiences by making web accessibility testing a key part of your development work.

Unlocking the Power of Accessibility Testing with BrowserStack

BrowserStack has several tools to ensure that accessibility testing is important in your development process. You can do both automated and manual testing. This helps you find and fix usability issues and accessibility issues more easily.

To check if you meet WCAG compliance, use real screen readers for testing. It’s also helpful to try different devices. If you want to add accessibility testing to your workflow, BrowserStack can help you.

The Importance of Web Accessibility in Today’s Digital Landscape

Web accessibility is key to making the internet simple for everyone. It helps people with disabilities read, understand, and use websites and apps just like others can. Making websites easy to access is the right thing to do. It also brings several advantages. These advantages are reaching more people, improving search engine rankings, and boosting your brand’s image.

The digital world keeps changing. The rules about accessibility change too. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provide easy steps to make websites better for people with disabilities. It’s important to follow these guidelines. They help create an online space where everyone feels welcome.

When you pay attention to web accessibility, it shows you care about every user. This helps people feel welcome when they visit your site. It also gets your website or app ready for many different users in the future.

Overview of BrowserStack’s Accessibility Testing Features

The BrowserStack Accessibility Toolkit is a useful tool. It helps you see if your website or app is easy for everyone to use, particularly when used with Google Chrome. This toolkit has different features that make checking simple. Here’s what it has to offer:

• Automated Solution: The website scanner helps you find common accessibility issues. It provides a clear report on what changes to make. This makes testing easier for you.
• Manual Testing: If you want to learn more about accessibility testing, BrowserStack lets you test manually. You can try acting like users with different abilities.
• Workflow Analyzer: This tool shows how people move through your website. You can check if your site is easy for them to use as they browse.
• Assisted Tests: Assisted Tests make advanced testing simple, even for those just starting out. Easy prompts guide testers through each step.
• Screen Reader: You can test how your site or app works with assistive technologies. Use real screen readers like VoiceOver, JAWS, NVDA, and TalkBack directly in your browser.

This blend of automated and manual testing helps you build a website that is effective for all users.

Why Use BrowserStack for Accessibility Testing?

• Test on Real Devices & Browsers: Use real devices and different browsers, like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge, to check for accessibility.
• Easy WCAG Compliance: Make sure your app or website easily meets WCAG standards.
• Quick Access: You can get started right away. Just log in and start testing now.
• Automation & Integration: Link with popular testing tools like Selenium, Appium, and axe.

Step-by-Step Guide: BrowserStack Accessibility Testing

Although it is a pretty straight forward process, we have broken down the process into small steps. Right from signing up or logging in to your account up until how to automate these tests for your convenience; we’ve got it all covered.

1. Sign Up or Log In to BrowserStack

• Go to BrowserStack and either make an account or log in to your dashboard.
• Choose either the Live Testing or Automated Testing sections, depending on what you need.

2. Set Up Your Test Environment

• For Live Testing: Choose the browser and device combos you want to test. For instance, check your app on Chrome on Windows 11, Safari on macOS, or Edge on Android.
• For Automated Testing: Use tools like Selenium or Appium paired with BrowserStack. You can also add accessibility testing tools, like axe-core or pa11y, to your automation scripts.

3. Conduct Live Accessibility Tests

• Open the website or app that you chose.
• Use the tools in your browser, such as the accessibility options. You can also try third-party tools like axe DevTools to check things in real time.

Focus Areas for Accessibility Testing:

• Contrast Ratio: Use bold text for better reading against the background.
• Keyboard Accessibility: Ensure you can use all parts of your app just with the keyboard.
• Screen Reader Compatibility: Check how your app works with screen readers like NVDA or VoiceOver.
• Semantic HTML Tags: Use proper headings, ARIA roles, and labels to help assistive technologies.

4. Automate Accessibility Testing

To work better and save time, you can add accessibility checks to your automation framework.

Here is a simple example of using Selenium and axe-core on BrowserStack:

import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.remote.RemoteWebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.remote.DesiredCapabilities;
import com.deque.axe.AXE;


import java.io.FileWriter;
import java.net.URL;
import org.json.JSONObject;


public class AccessibilityTest {
   private static final URL AXE_SCRIPT = AXE.class.getResource("/axe.min.js");


   public static void main(String[] args) {
       WebDriver driver = null;
       String USERNAME="XXXXXXXXXm_k82XTB";
       String ACCESSKEY="XXXXXXXXXXXX";
       try {
           DesiredCapabilities caps = new DesiredCapabilities();
           caps.setCapability("browserName", "Chrome");
           caps.setCapability("os", "Windows");
           caps.setCapability("os_version", "10");
           caps.setCapability("browserstack.user", USERNAME);
           caps.setCapability("browserstack.key", ACCESSKEY);


           driver = new RemoteWebDriver(new URL("https://hub-cloud.browserstack.com/wd/hub"), caps);


           driver.get("https://codoid.com");


           // Perform Accessibility Analysis
           JSONObject response = new AXE.Builder(driver, AXE_SCRIPT).analyze();


           // Save results to a file
           try (FileWriter file = new FileWriter("accessibility-results.json")) {
               file.write(response.toString(2));
           }


           System.out.println("Accessibility analysis completed. Results saved to 'accessibility-results.json'.");


       } catch (Exception e) {
           System.err.println("Error occurred: " + e.getMessage());
       } finally {
           if (driver != null) {
               driver.quit();
           }
       }
   }
}

5. Review and Analyze Results

• The tool finds accessibility problems in documents.
• It checks for missing alt text, wrong focus, and hard-to-use interactive features.
• BrowserStack provides session recordings and screenshots to assist with reporting.

BrowserStack Accessibility Testing Tools

• Live Testing: Test by hand with real devices and browsers.
• Automated Testing: Use tools such as Selenium or Appium.
• Third-Party Integrations: Use tools like axe-core, pa11y, or Lighthouse to get detailed reports.

Best Practices for Accessibility Testing on BrowserStack

• See how it works on real devices and browsers so everyone can use it.
• Do both manual and automated checks to get better results.
• Use screen readers to practice real-life accessibility situations.
• Review the WCAG guidelines to follow laws and make the user experience better.
• Test updates regularly to keep your application accessible over time.

How BrowserStack Enhances WCAG Compliance

Keeping WCAG compliance is important for a better online experience. BrowserStack offers tools to help you with this. These tools help you find and fix accessibility issues easily.

BrowserStack is a great tool to check your website or app. It lets you know if you are breaking any rules. This tool helps you fix these issues. It ensures you follow accessibility standards. By doing this, you avoid legal problems. It also improves the online experience for all users.

Simplifying Compliance with Automated and Manual Testing Tools

BrowserStack makes it easy to follow WCAG rules. It provides automatic solutions and tools for manual testing. This two-part method helps you check the accessibility of your website or app thoroughly.

The website scanner is the first step to keep your site secure. It quickly spots common accessibility issues. This allows you to fix simple problems quickly. If you want to check more details, the workflow analyzer examines key features of user flows on multiple pages. It provides useful insights into barriers users might encounter.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clearly evident that it is important to utilize BrowserStack’s Accessibility Testing capabilities. It helps you meet WCAG compliance with its testing tools. There are options for both automated testing and manual testing. Many success stories show how different industries have done well with BrowserStack. One of the best things about BrowserStack is that it covers all areas of testing and works well with the development tools you use. You can improve your web accessibility efforts with BrowserStack. This ensures that everyone feels included and happy. Websites that are accessible are good for all users, so start improving yours now!