Usability testing for accessibility: Patterns for discovery Elements Penn State 13 June 2016

Devon Persing devon@simplyaccessible.com

@devonpersing

Accessibility ConsultantSimply Accessible http://sateach.es

Today 1. Why and how we do usability testing 2. Examples from the field 3. Making a usability practice for accessibility

Usability testing for accessibility

The interface is not the goal Users access your content to achieve a goal, not to interact with your content. The interface is a means to an end.

Usability is not compliance Accessibility often begins with an assessment against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0), but meeting guidelines doesn’t guarantee usability.

Context matters A solution that meets accessibility guidelines might be usable in one context but not in another.

Assumptions hold us back Letting go of assumptions about how users with disabilities use technology lets us focus on creating holistic solutions that benefit everyone.

How we do usability testing

• Moderated remote or in-person tests

• Participants select software, hardware, and environment

• Combination of functional testing and feedback on visual designs or wireframes

• Test only with content that has been assessed (and remediated, if necessary) for accessibility

• Usability is a standard process with an owner

BlindnessCognitiveSituational disabilities

Chemo brain

Color blindness

Cystic fibrosis

Gamer’s thumb

DyslexiaLanguage barriers

Photosensitive epilepsy

Astigmatism

Hard of hearing

Lazy-Eyes

Directionally challenged

Poor hearing

Age-related macular degeneration

Multiple sclerosis

Learning difficulties

Visual impairments

Tremors

Muscle slowness

Deuteranopia Monochromacy

Dichromacy

Anomalous trichromacy

Protanopia

Protanomaly

Deuteranomaly

Tritanopia

Tritanomaly

Deafness

Achromatopsia

Loss of fine muscle controlParkinson’s disease

Muscular dystrophy

Cerebral palsy

Stroke

Photoepileptic seizures

Developmental disabilities

Dyscalculia

Attention deficit disorder

Dementia

Acquired brain injuries

Neurodegenerative diseases

Difficulty concentrating

Dysgraphia

Getting older

Post-concussion syndromeSleep deprivation

Vertigo

Illiteracy

Amputation

CataractsGlaucoma

Hearing

Autism Motor Diabetic retinopathy

Low vision

Noise-induced hearing loss

Aphasia

Reading disordersVisual

Vestibular disorders

And many, many, many more…

Examples

Best practice doesn’t make perfect

ARIA tabs for primary content

• Most users had a hard time. (One breezed through!)

• AT users struggled with finding the content in context without additional way finders like headings and links.

• AT users struggled with using the controls, once found.

• If another way to do the activity was available via navigation, users preferred accessing the content elsewhere.

Grid love

Form/grid with large touch targets

• AT users could navigate easily via standard keys for forms and tables.

• Low vision users could scan the grid easily.

• Sighted keyboard-only users interacted easily with the visible radio button controls.

• Mouse users and users of devices and software that mimic mouse movements found the large target size easy to use.

The big picture

The big picture

The big picture

The big picture

Size matters

• Non-visual AT users may not use a monitor at all.

• Low vision users may trigger smaller breakpoints via:

• Browser-native zoom

• Resizing text with a plugin or at the OS level

• Sizing down the browser window to fit a portion of a magnified screen

• A combination of any of the above

Opportunities for discovery

• See exactly how users choose to interact with and understand complex interactions

• Understand why users are able or unable to access or use content

• Discover ways that users access content outside of a controlled setting

Making a usability practice for accessibility

Don’t…

• Test with users before assessing and remediating for accessibility.

• Use WCAG 2.0 as a checklist for usability.

• Make assumptions about your users’ devices, screens, and habits.

• Throw out the baby. (But maybe change the bathwater.)

Do…

• Allow participants to test with their own hardware and software, in their own environments.

• Use what you know about your users and product to inform decisions about what you test.

• Make testing flexible and low stress.

• Have an owner.

• Compensate participants.

Thank you!

/ Devon Persing/ Simply Accessible/ devon@simplyaccessible.com/ @devonpersing