What do I need to test?

Remembering when to test, what to test and how to test that a website, page, or component is accessible is one of the most important considerations in your role. Whether you’re working from an individual design or library, such as the GOV.UK Design System and Frontend, you should be mindful that these do not guarantee delivery of an accessible end product.

What to test #

Begin with an understanding of what you need to test in every project. This should include checking your work regularly for the following issues:

• Alternative text for non-text content, such as in images and checking for videos for captions
• A valid and logical heading hierarchy
• All controls, buttons, and links have meaningful text which makes sense out of context
• Inputs correctly associated with meaningful labels
• Keyboard navigable content with visible focus states
• All content reflows and resizes appropriately for the screen size and viewport scale
• Forms correctly inform the user on any errors and how to correct them
• Markup is valid with correct properties, states, and roles which update as necessary when the page or component state changes
• Any ARIA used is implemented with caution and valid

Checklist #

Have a checklist in all your projects to make sure you test as many things as possible. Refer to the A11Y Checklist which uses The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as a reference point.