This content originally appeared on TPGi and was authored by Melissa Morse
Imagine trying to navigate your favorite e-commerce website as a screen reader user, but instead of hearing about images, product descriptions, and organized menus, you’re greeted by silence.
Buttons don’t tell you what they do, images don’t have descriptions, and vital information seems to be missing. For many screen reader users, this is an everyday reality when websites and apps lack accessibility features.
That’s where user flow testing comes in. By implementing this approach, you can understand if real users can complete the core tasks, like filling out a form or navigating a complex menu.
As Charlie Pike, Director of Platform Success at TPGi, emphasized in a recent webinar, testing user journeys is key to uncovering real-time barriers. Pike walked participants through a few critical scenarios, demonstrating how testing tools can find issues quickly and enable more effective prioritization of remediation efforts.
Let’s explore these critical user journeys so you can improve your user experience, making your website or app more inclusive and user-friendly for everyone.
Key User Flows to Test for Accessibility
1. Shopping Cart Process
One of the most critical user flows in e-commerce is the ability to search for, select, and buy items. Any barrier during this process directly affects the user experience, and for screen reader users, accessibility gaps can turn a simple purchase into a frustrating journey.
A common issue arises when screen reader users attempt to apply a discount code at checkout. For example, the input field for the discount code may be present, but the descriptive label is missing. As a result, screen readers like JAWS cannot provide context about what the field is for, leaving users confused about how to proceed.
Best Practice
This scenario underscores the critical need for clear labels and instructions throughout checkout. Ensuring that all interactive elements are correctly labeled helps users navigate the shopping journey confidently and quickly, ultimately enhancing their overall experience.
2. Form Submission and Input Fields
Forms are common in many digital products, from creating accounts to submitting feedback or completing purchases. Ensuring that elements like checkboxes, sliders, and dropdowns are fully accessible is vital.
Consider this: a screen reader user navigates a product page and attempts to select a size for their purchase. If the size checkboxes are appropriately labeled, the user can easily understand their options and make the right choice.
However, the experience can quickly turn frustrating when it comes to other form elements, such as a color option picker. If this element lacks a focus indicator, the user may feel lost and unable to navigate effectively.
Without clear labels, users cannot confidently complete even simple tasks. This highlights the importance of ensuring all form elements are clearly labeled and easily navigable using keyboard and screen reader commands.
Best Practice
Enhance user engagement by clearly labeling all form elements. Thoughtful labeling not only guides users through interaction but also fosters a sense of confidence and empowerment. When users can easily find and understand each element, they are far more likely to complete their tasks successfully, reducing the likelihood of frustration and abandonment.
Want to learn more about making forms accessible on your website? Access our on-demand webinar, “Structuring Accessible Forms.”
3. Navigating Across Complex Menus
Navigating complex menus can be challenging for anyone. Still, for screen reader users, all menu elements must be labeled appropriately to convey their current “states” or the different conditions or statuses a UI element can have. For example:
- Interactive Elements: For buttons, checkboxes, sliders, and dropdowns, the “state” can show whether an element is:
- Enabled or Disabled: Whether the user can interact with the element.
- Checked or Unchecked: This shows the selection status for checkboxes and radio buttons.
- Expanded or Collapsed: For menus or dropdowns, indicates if the content is currently visible or hidden.
- Visual Indicators: States often come with visual cues (like color changes or icons) that inform sighted users about the element’s status. For screen reader users, these states must be conveyed through text or attributes, so the user understands the element’s status.
- User Feedback: User feedback encompasses the overall information provided to users about their actions and the state of various interactive elements. User feedback includes the context and implications of those states, enhancing the user’s understanding of how to interact with the interface effectively.
Consider a scenario where a screen reader user tries navigating a filter menu on an e-commerce website. If the screen reader does not announce whether a menu button is active or inactive, the user may struggle to find and select their desired filters. The user may feel disoriented without clear state indicators, such as whether a menu is expanded or collapsed.
This scenario highlights the necessity of ensuring that dynamic elements like dropdowns and filter menus are accessible and clearly labeled. Providing accurate state information empowers screen reader users to navigate through menus confidently.
Best Practice
Use ARIA attributes like aria-expanded and aria-controls to enhance the information presented to screen readers. By prioritizing this level of detail, you create a seamless navigation experience that empowers users to access and engage with all content effortlessly.
4. Browsing Product Media
On media-rich platforms, ensuring that all images and videos are accessible is critical. Missing alt text or improperly labeled media can severely hinder the user experience.
In the demonstration, Pike shared an example of a screen reader user browsing for a pair of sneakers and finding that JAWS was unable to announce the images effectively. This was due to the sneaker icons being labeled with the autogenerated alt text, “nav icon 213M.”
The user was left without valuable context, making it impossible to find the products. This lack of descriptive information results in confusion, as the user is unsure of the available options.
This example drives home the point: well-crafted alt text and clear descriptions are not just a technicality; they are essential for a smooth, accessible browsing experience.
Best Practice:
Ensure that all media, particularly product images, includes rich, descriptive alt text. Regularly test these descriptions with screen readers to verify that they effectively communicate essential information. Steer clear of generic placeholder text that adds no value; instead, craft alt text that truly informs users.
How Screen Reader Testing Tools Help with User Flow Testing
Assistive technology (AT) user flow testing is essential for supporting both compliance and usability. By focusing on key user tasks, such as shopping cart processes, form submissions, navigation, and media browsing, you ensure that your digital product meets the needs of all users, including those using screen readers.
Screen reader testing tools like JAWS Inspect are invaluable for user flow testing. These tools provide detailed transcripts of what a screen reader announces during a user’s journey, enabling testers to spot gaps in accessibility quickly.
Moreover, teams can use tools like the ARC Platform to monitor key user flows continuously. ARC User Flows enable automated testing that ensures accessibility improvements stay consistent across new releases, helping support a user-centered approach to accessibility testing.
Adopt AT user flow testing tools and integrate accessibility into the core of your design process and development cycle. Take your AT user flow testing to the next level by partnering with TPGi’s AT User Flow Testing service, which provides evaluations on first-hand perspectives from everyday assistive technology users on the usability of your digital product. Contact an expert to learn more.
The post Are You Conducting User Flow Testing in These 4 Critical Areas? appeared first on TPGi.
This content originally appeared on TPGi and was authored by Melissa Morse
Melissa Morse | Sciencx (2024-10-24T13:54:46+00:00) Are You Conducting User Flow Testing in These 4 Critical Areas?. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2024/10/24/are-you-conducting-user-flow-testing-in-these-4-critical-areas/
Please log in to upload a file.
There are no updates yet.
Click the Upload button above to add an update.