Usability Testing and Accessibility Testing: Key Differences

A huge part of digital product success depends on its ease of user perception. However, various aspects influence the definition of “user-friendly” design. The best way to identify whether your software will be available to different audiences and whether they will intuitively complete the tasks is to conduct usability and accessibility testing.

While both techniques aim to improve user engagement, they target different areas of user experience. Usability testing evaluates the platform’s intuitiveness and ease of navigation, and accessibility testing analyzes equal access to the features for people with special needs. So how can those testing methodologies be applied, what do they have in common, and how do they differ? Let’s find out below.

Usability Testing

This type of software testing evaluates the product’s ability to provide easy and smooth interaction. It researches how users follow the flows and whether the system offers intuitive guidelines for task performance.

Usability testing looks at a product from the user’s perspective. It considers all aspects of customer experience that allow easy and seamless engagement.

Key Components

Testing the platform’s user-friendliness can be done via different approaches that present diverse possibilities for learning more about customers and their interaction with the product. Quality assurance (QA) teams conduct usability testing with these methods:

• User testing. Observation of the users in real-time is the bread and butter of the usability testers due to their significant contribution to further app development.
• Heuristic evaluation. Reviewing the interface against the established usability principles helps to identify the drawbacks in the early development stages.
• A/B testing. A/B tests help compare different hypotheses or features and implement those that perform best in user engagement.

Examples

There are plenty of cases that showcase the practical importance of usability testing. For instance, we can name the evaluation of the e-commerce checkout processes to minimize cart abandonment before the purchase. As for app development, usability testing can enhance the users’ engagement with the developed feature through the prolonged testing routine.

Accessibility Testing

Testing for accessibility is a specific methodology that ensures that the tested application or software suits people with disabilities or special needs. It also helps identify barriers or pitfalls that can decrease these users’ engagement with the app.

Key Components

Testing accessibility takes different approaches and techniques. The following components provide an excellent basis for QA representatives to exclude any inconveniences for users with disabilities.

• WCAG compliance. Evaluation of the tested software against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines is an essential step in the global sense of the scene during the accessibility testing.
• Narrator testing. This method helps the developers check if the information is delivered conveniently through visual impairments.
• Keyboard-only navigation testing. It helps the team to ensure that each piece of the app’s functionality can be easily accessed via the keyboard.

Examples

Practical examples of compatibility testing may include evaluating the registration form to ensure that it can be completed using only the keyboard or testing the screen readers to prevent visually impaired users from experiencing inconvenience during the experience with your product.

Difference Between Usability and Accessibility Testing

Understanding the major differences between accessibility and usability testing is vital for developers to deliver an exceptional user experience to their audiences. Let’s explore the particularities of both methodologies in more detail.

Purposes

Both usability and accessibility testing have sets of unique intentions. Below, we offer you a closer look at the comparison side-by-side.

• Usability testing. The primary goal of usability testing focuses on the overall perception of the application or system by large cohorts of end users. It aims to uncover hidden pitfalls that can complicate the user’s experience.
• Accessibility testing. When talking about accessibility testing, it focuses solely on the convenient use of customers with disabilities. Therefore, it ensures that visual, cognitive, or auditory impaired customers can enjoy the app as other users.

Focus

Both testing methodologies focus on different aspects of the tested software. Below, we would like to briefly introduce you to the major elements of each method.

• Usability testing. Usability testing focuses on intuitiveness, ease of use, and overall satisfaction with the product’s use. It seeks opportunities to optimize the software for all users without exceptions.
• Accessibility testing. Accessibility testing focuses more on whether the tested app meets the necessary accessibility standards like WCAG.

Testing Methodologies and Tools

To fully embrace the potential of the testing mentioned, it’s necessary to base your routine on the proper methodologies and tools. Therefore, we would like to provide you with a close description of each approach.

Usability Testing Methodologies

Testing of usability includes a wide variety of different approaches. Some of them we gathered in the section below:

• User observation. Observation of the user’s behavior is useful information that helps identify the customer’s pains and successfully solve them in the upcoming fixes.
• Surveys and interviews. By including user surveys and interviews, you can receive valuable insights that can change the overall experience of your app.

Usability Testing Tools

What about the tools that help make usability testing effective? Let’s check some of the most popular software for implementing the usability tests.

• Lookback. Perfect for enabling live interviews and capturing user interactions in real time.
• Crazy Egg. Want to visualize the user’s behaviors on your website? Check out the Crazy Egg for convenient heat and scroll maps.
• Usability Hub. If you want to test the developed product remotely, Usability Hub provides plenty of features to complete that.

Accessibility Testing Methodologies

So, let’s uncover some main approaches that create the basis of the accessibility testing routine. Check out some of the aspects of the accessibility testing routine.

• Expert reviews. A professional sight of the experienced tester can easily pinpoint the areas for project improvements.
• Manual testing. Manual testing provides a perfect opportunity to meticulously check the application against the chosen accessibility criteria. It also helps to identify the pitfalls that might be missed during the automated testing routines.

Accessibility Testing Tools

What about the most effective accessibility testing tools? Fortunately, the market has different options, allowing you to create accessible software.

• Axe. A famous tool that offers you a smooth integration with the development environments and great assistance with compliance due to the real-time feedback providence.
• Wave. Perfect for web developers who want to evaluate the convenience of their application for users with disabilities.
• NVDA. Ideal for evaluating and assessing the developed solutions, especially since it can dispel your concerns regarding the user’s navigation.

Importance of Accessibility and Usability Testings

It’s worth mentioning that usability and accessibility testing are the methodologies that complement each other. Therefore, it’s always crucial to pay a decent amount of attention to making the developed product accessible and convenient for all users without exceptions. For instance, famous companies like Dropbox or Slack significantly increased users’ engagement and overall satisfaction levels by meticulously implementing both techniques into their QA routines.

Conclusion

To sum up, let’s restate that while accessibility testing focuses on enhancing overall user satisfaction, the usability routine ensures that the software is suitable for users with special needs. However, both methodologies are essential for creating the proper software to make practical solutions for all users without exceptions.