Why this matters
Some people who use the products you test have low vision, shaky hands, colour blindness or little experience with apps. Others are reading in bright sunlight on a cracked screen. If a product only works for confident users with perfect eyesight, it fails many real customers. Accessibility and usability checks are quick, need no special equipment, and catch problems that functional tests miss.
Accessibility: can everyone use it?
A few simple checks, all possible on a phone or computer:
- Text size: increase the font size in your device settings, or zoom the browser to 200 percent. Does text still fit, or does it overlap and cut off?
- Contrast: is light grey text on a white background readable outdoors? Low contrast is one of the most common problems.
- Colour alone: if errors are shown only in red, colour blind users may miss them. There should also be text or an icon.
- Touch targets: are buttons big enough and far enough apart to tap without hitting the wrong one?
- Screen readers: Android's TalkBack and Apple's VoiceOver read the screen aloud for blind users. Turn one on briefly and check that buttons are announced with meaningful names, such as "Send money", not just "Button".
- Images: important images on websites should have text alternatives describing them.