In the series of reviews I’m looking at WCAG level A / AA (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) requirements from testing perspective.

Common Definitions

Human Testing

• Brief – “You know as you see it” – quick scanning is sufficient to check and make a judgment. This does not include effort of logging defects.
• Detailed – Either interaction (execution of tests) with the functionality is necessary or detailed review/analysis must be done in order to verify a requirement.

Tool-Assisted Checking

• Not Available – Tools cannot help in checking for the specified requirement or they help very insignificantly.
• Partial – Tools provide significant help in checking for the specified requirement, either by saving time in parsing content source or through visualization. Human does the verification and judgment.
• Full – Tools capable of locating and verifying the specified requirement. Brief review of checking results is sufficient to make a judgment.

Operable – Keyboard

Make all functionality available from a keyboard.

Tools provide certain help, but main effort remains manual. Good thing, most of testing can be combined with functional.

Keyboard accessible

All page functionality is available using the keyboard, unless the functionality cannot be accomplished in any known way using a keyboard (e.g., free hand drawing).

Human Testing – Detailed

Tool-Assisted Checking – Partial

Tools may assist in checking that controls have keyboard event handling attached. Testers to perform detailed exploration and verification. This can be combined with functional testing.

Shortcuts

Page-specified shortcut keys and access keys (access key should typically be avoided) do not conflict with existing browser and screen reader shortcuts.

Human Testing – Detailed

Tool-Assisted Checking – Partial

Tools may assist in checking that controls have keyboard event handling attached.

Testers to perform detailed exploration and verification. This can be combined with functional testing to some extent.

To limit exploration into reasonable timebox, explicit compliance requirements with specified screen readers and browsers should be provided by the Product Owner.

Testers should also verify that the shortcut commands were used consistently across the application, and generally consistent with common keyboard combinations.

Keyboard focus

Keyboard focus is never locked or trapped at one particular page element. The user can navigate to and from all navigable page elements using only a keyboard.

Human Testing – Detailed

Tool-Assisted Checking – Partial

Tools may assist in visualizing tab order and identifying controls with explicitly set focus.

Testers to perform verification and exploration of combinations of keyboard tabbing and navigation.

This can be combined with functional testing.