Pre-Launch Accessibility Quick Checklist

By Cole Geerts (Unlicensed)
2 min

The following is a guide of last-minute checks to ensure that nothing is launched without at least a basic accessibility review. It aims to provide a basis for what we should not release without ensuring.

Pre-check

Here are some questions to ask before the quick check begins to gain more understanding about the site.

Critical Components
Which pages are the most public-facing? Which will get the most traffic?
Which pieces of functionality are critical to the use of the application? Sign-up?
Has the client flagged any steps as being critical accessibility focuses?
Are there any pieces of the site which are inaccessible as a choice? (Most examples must be recreated in another medium)

Critical Steps

These are the critical testing paths that need exploring before a site can be released with peace of mind.

Browser Stack Testing
Testing navigation across all browser types
Test JS (non-HTML components) in each browser for compatibility
Test reflow across all screen sizes
Test Form controls across all browser engines
Site Usability
Are buttons and links easily understood?
Are buttons and links semantically buttons and links? (button vs a tag)
Are interactions easy to engage with? Are buttons easy to click? Can you get lost easily?
Keyboard Usability
Can the site be navigated with only the keyboard?
Can the key user workflows be completed with only the keyboard?
Login
Sign-up
Other business critical workflows
Is the current tab-index clearly visible? (can you tell what the tab cursor is on?)
Screen Reader Usability
Can the site be semantically understood with the use of a screen reader?
Is the site navigable with a screen reader?
Are key user workflows completable with only a screen reader?
Are alt-texts appropriate?
Is the document outline semantic?
Are Headings in place?
Does the layout give enough screen reader context to enable navigation?

Tools

Here are the tools that we use to diagnose accessibility problems.

 

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