As of date, more than one billion individuals suffer from physical or cognitive impairments. This makes access to the digital world difficult for such people. However, to reduce the gap people with disabilities have to face in accessing these digital advancements, organizations have started adopting new standards of accessibility.

 

To promote inclusivity as a whole and ensure that all users, including those with impairments, can make use of day-to-day software products, accessibility testing services are implemented. 

 

It helps review if an application or system is accessible to people with impairments. The main intent behind accessibility testing is to make sure that as many people as possible can efficiently utilize the application or system. 

 

In this blog, we’re going to have a look at five reasons that emphasize the importance of accessibility testing in today’s world. 

 

Importance of Accessibility Testing

1. Guarantees Seamless User Experience

With accessibility testing services, it becomes very easy to validate if a software product is accessible to all. It can be carried out on various platforms as well, like web accessibility testing, app accessibility testing, or others for this purpose. 

 

When changes are made to the software, resulting bugs may only be discovered during the software’s actual usage. However, with accessibility testing, it makes the identification of software accessibility issues significantly easier.

 

Once these issues are resolved, it will go a long way toward ensuring that your software performs properly and is usable by people with disabilities. Thus enhancing the overall user experience. 

2. Assures Legal Compliance

Owing to the need to ensure accessibility for all individuals, many regulatory authorities have also enforced accessibility compliance standards to be followed. If accessibility standards are not met, it may result in heavy fines and legal trouble for companies.

 

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are such a set of technical requirements that are to be followed by companies. The objective behind WCAG is to guarantee an inclusive experience for all users. 

 

There are four principles on which it is based and validated: 

 

• Permeability: Software content and user interface components must be presentable in ways that users are able to perceive.

• Operability: Components of the user interface and navigation must be operable by users. 

• Understandability: The content and the software’s operation must be easily understood by users. 

• Robustness: The content must be robust enough, even as technologies evolve, so that users can still access it. 

 

Apart from that, there may be other companies and governmental authorities that have set such guidelines in place. This makes it necessary to make sure that your company also abides by the accessibility laws. With accessibility testing, it becomes easy to guarantee 100% compliance with all legal standards. 

3. Upholds Moral Responsibilities

People with disabilities are an equal part of our society, and it is important to ensure they also have access to your digital product. This could be achieved with the implementation of accessibility testing. 

 

It implies that you, as a brand, are not just striving to increase your user base but instead promoting digital inclusivity by caring for all your users. When your digital product is proven accessible, you are upholding your moral responsibilities and this builds trust among your users. 

4. Helps You Reach A Wider Consumer Base

The implementation of accessibility testing services helps you ensure that your software product is usable by people with disabilities, which is what we have understood so far. Having a software product that meets the requirements of a diverse range of abilities can help you reach a wider consumer base.

 

This involves making sure that your software product supports all assistive technologies that make using an application or system easier for people with any type of impairment. Having a clear mindset about what accessibility difficulties your users might face when interacting with your software will let you make the necessary improvements. 

 

This, as a result, can help your software product reach out and be usable by more people. To make sure of this, accessibility testing is a given. 

5. Improves Software Quality and Overall User Experience

It is believed that performing accessibility testing is only focused on ensuring ease of use for people with impairments. On the other hand, it can actually boost the overall user experience and enhance easy operation for all your users. 

 

Accessibility is dedicated to making any content or software easily accessible for all users. Accessibility testing helps to also make sure that certain aspects of the software are easily interactive and available for your regular users as well. Having an accessible product can guarantee success in the long term and also boost overall user satisfaction and experience. 

Conclusion

Accessibility testing is a crucial element in the field of software development. Like the different testing processes included within software testing, such as functional testing services, performance testing services, and usability testing services, accessibility testing is also quite important in ensuring your software’s accessibility for all your users. 

 

Affirming this can also provide your users with a satisfactory experience, even those with disabilities. It helps in your overall branding efforts and cements your company’s trustworthy and reliable reputation in the market and in the eyes of your audiences.