Mobile App Accessibility Testing Basics (original) (raw)

Mobile phones evolved into one of the most significant pieces of technology in our society due to their functionality, convenience and usability. Mobile phone developers also built accessibility into these devices, making them intuitive to use yet flexible and adaptable to users with diverse needs. And it’s a good thing they did, as most people check their phone every 4 minutes on average.

Mobile phones are highly accessible for users, including those who also use assistive technologies to access apps for music, podcasts and games. Mobile accessibility benefits the overall population of users, not limited to those with disabilities. For example, users with temporary limitations can continue to use mobile apps because of accessible design.

Mobile phones and apps are integrated into our daily lives, which means they fall under the public accommodation umbrella, making manufacturers legally required to meet accessibility regulations. Mobile app accessibility not only helps businesses meet compliance obligations, but also can help boost customer loyalty.

This mobile app accessibility guide describes what mobile accessibility is, why it is important, common challenges for businesses, best practices, testing methods and predictions for the future.

What is mobile accessibility?

Mobile accessibility is a set of best practices and standards to help ensure everyone can use smartphones, tablets, wearables and smart TVs without the need for additional assistive devices. Mobile accessibility also aims to provide the same quality user experience for everyone, even when assistive devices are necessary.

Modern mobile smartphones are embedded with accessibility features that help people with temporary or permanent disabilities. Features like Apple’s VoiceOver and Google’s TalkBack and the popularity of virtual assistants in Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant now make it easier for their respective users, regardless of disability, to read and send text messages.

Mobile accessibility is part of a broader web accessibility focus. Some of the same challenges of web accessibility plague mobile accessibility, including supporting a vast number of possible devices, platforms and app settings, along with small screen sizes, folding surfaces and the difficulty of designing buttons and text. Accessibility standards like WCAG provide a checklist of accessible features for mobile and web apps. Keep in mind that many customers without disabilities benefit from and enjoy accessible features, including virtual assistants, screen readers, large text display, live captioning, voice control and a suite of gestures for swiping up, down, left and right. What enables mobile app accessibility for one person might improve usability for many more.

Why mobile app accessibility matters

Mobile accessibility improves the bottom line by satisfying more customers and providing a positive user experience. Mobile accessibility benefits include:

Yes, there are benefits to mobile app accessibility, but there are also downsides for brands that fail to meet standards. Accessibility lawsuits are increasing globally as awareness, need and the desire for improved user experiences increase. Businesses reduce costs when they avoid unnecessary lawsuits or legal claims. Costs also go down when accounting for accessibility in apps as a planned requirement for all functionality. After all, the more accessible the app, the larger the potential customer base.

More than one billion people around the world have disabilities, according to the WHO – potential customers that could download and use an app. If users cannot engage with or use your app as expected, they delete it, and potentially take away future business as well through negative reviews. Incorporating mobile app accessibility into designs and functions builds positive brand recognition alongside improved profits. Mobile accessibility also enables people with disabilities to have equal access to technology. Equal access improves self-sufficiency, supports healthy aging and reduces the cost of unnecessary care services.

Common mobile app accessibility challenges

Mobile app accessibility faces multiple challenges, including these common barriers to use:

Another significant mobile app accessibility challenge is the endless variety of devices, operating systems and settings. Every device has differences in touch sensitivity, screen size and power or processing speed. Differences in the ability to take in or connect to data sources like APIs can also affect how a mobile app performs. Add all that testing coverage, including various assistive devices, and testing quickly becomes overwhelming.

Mobile apps also have unique functions like gestures, motion-based controls and voice commands. It’s not easy to create a touch screen interface on its own, but adding keyboard accessibility makes design and coding even more challenging. For users who rely on external keyboards, switch devices or voice controls, the app must handle the navigation and ensure users can intuitively complete tasks successfully.

Finally, guidelines and legal requirements constantly evolve and change with technology. The same goes for evolving security requirements. Keeping up with it all during a development cycle requires a strong, collaborative team to efficiently share the workload.

Best practices for mobile accessibility

The WCAG principles for mobile app accessibility provide guidance for promoting accessibility in apps. The four WCAG principles include making information such as text and other elements perceivable. Users must be able to operate navigation functions using different techniques. Pages must include help text and error messages that are easy to see and understand.

Mobile app accessibility best practices start with ensuring the development and project management teams fully understand what accessibility includes and how to implement it from the outset. When accessibility is included from the beginning of development, it can be more easily — and inexpensively — changed or improved as the app or features proceed through design, development and testing.

Additional mobile app accessibility best practices include:

Add to these mobile app accessibility best practices with efficient and effective testing to gain confidence in your product’s usability.

Mobile app accessibility testing methods

Effective mobile app accessibility starts during development. Build unit and integration tests into the code, and execute them when any new code is checked in. Continue testing throughout the development cycle by using both automated and manual testing methods.

Automated testing includes tools designed to scan the app, identify mobile accessibility issues and offer possible solutions. Create automated tests for mobile accessibility features where possible. For example, automated tests can assess enlarging text, reviewing live captioning text and accessibility shortcuts, including those coming from a keyboard. Test automation provides a helpful starting point, but has limitations that organizations should be wary of.

Any testing of accessible features that requires subjective judgment requires manual testing. For both, plan to test on real devices with different operating systems, settings and screen sizes. Develop tests that incorporate assistive technologies into standard user workflows.

Be sure to test various mobile devices, including tablets, wearables and smart TVs, if the app is expected to work on these devices. Testing teams may choose to create specific test suites for mobile accessibility or mix tests in with standard functional and usability tests. Be sure to include using assistive devices, like external keyboards and screen readers.

The test strategy must include user testing. User testing can be done in different ways. Many organizations use crowdtesting teams through a digital quality partner to test for accessibility issues. Crowdtesting with digital experts around the world through a partner like Applause can grant you the coverage you lack for these types of devices. Testers can include users with a variety of disabilities as well as users familiar with using assistive devices, providing perspectives internal teams often lack. Perform user testing throughout the development cycle, as it’s less costly to fix issues during than after.

The future of mobile app accessibility

The rapid development of new technologies and features will put a strain on teams attempting to maintain and ensure highly accessible mobile experiences. New app features and functions will require updated accessibility checklists and updates.

But what will these changes look like? Here are four areas teams should adapt their mobile app accessibility testing strategies for:

Naturally, AI technology is involved in the future of mobile accessibility. AI technology will continue to enable automated testing and issue identification. Coding tools will make suggestions for solutions and code fixes. AI might also provide live captioning and real-time speech transcriptions that help users understand text and videos. Screen readers may use AI to create better descriptions even for more subtle human emotions.

With that in mind, AI is dependent on improvements to 5G data processing and transfer speeds. Faster data transfer translates into higher-performing apps when using automated accessibility features.

Mobile apps could evolve to offer full navigation and use, completely hands-free. Customers of all types would be able to take advantage of using their phone without having to type on a tiny keyboard or click a tiny button on the screen. VR and AR will continue to provide extended accessibility and better quality experiences for diverse users. VR and AR could include features like haptic feedback and spatial audio clues for navigation, promoting more immersive experiences for all users. New ways for inputting text could be developed, including alternatives to keyboard shortcuts. Personalization will increase in response to customers’ needs for unique and tailored experiences. The same is true for creating new gestures and voice commands.

Whatever is in store for the future of mobile accessibility, remember the human element. Accessibility needs are human, so continue to conduct manual testing and solicit feedback from users with disabilities.

How companies can improve mobile accessibility

Organizations improve mobile app accessibility by designing, coding and testing their products. They must understand the needs of their customers and build apps that serve as many relevant users as possible. The more customers, the better off the business. Train development teams, designers, project managers and testers in mobile app accessibility standards.

Companies improve mobile app accessibility and testing by:

Development teams must mind common issues for customers with disabilities. Some examples of these accessibility challenges include:

How Applause helps businesses with mobile accessibility

Crowdtesting providers like Applause provide business value for real-time, real-world accessibility testing. Crowdtesting provides significant benefits, including high adaptability, scalability, and diverse testers with various disability levels, devices and assistive technologies. With Applause, organizations can achieve customized, comprehensive user testing for accessibility across different platforms, browsers, operating systems, settings and assistive technologies through in-house expertise. In addition to sourcing users with disabilities and their devices, Applause experts can help teams build and maintain a strong internal program.

Experience makes a big difference in helping to ensure an app satisfies potential customers. Make sure your mobile app or product isn’t holding any customers back. Leverage Applause’s expert-led assessments to identify compliance issues and provide companies actionable insights, options and solutions on an ongoing basis.

Accessibility is the ultimate goal and responsibility for all organizations and customers. Make the most of mobile apps by supporting accessibility design and testing and reach more customers than ever.