Do you know about 2.2 billion people globally have near or distant vision impairment? Therefore, creating physical and virtual places which have accessibility is the need of the hour. In digital places, online websites or Apps have become the hub of business, information, interaction, contribution and much more. Therefore, these platforms must be optimised for people having visual impairment. To make them accessible rapid testing and implementation are needed. To guide you, here's everything about testing sites and Apps with blind users.

Understanding Web Accessibility

Web accessibility and designing inclusive websites not only expand audience reach but also helps specially-abled people in many ways. Moreover, having accessibility to the web is the right of every individual. 

Therefore, designing websites and Apps with special features like screen readers, Braille displays, and voice commands to interact with digital platforms is helpful. It lets individuals with permanent or situational limitations use and contribute to digital space in various ways. Therefore designing an inclusive website is important. 

Tips for Testing Sites and Apps With Blind Users

Here are some tips for testing sites and Apps with blind users:

Understanding the Problems

The first step towards building a platform for visually impaired people is understanding their concerns. Many specially-abled people face problems at different levels. So, studying statistics, eye problems etc., will help you understand it better.

For example, you can implement contrasting images. Also, you can add audio explanations wherever possible. Helping them with the best layout, alternative texts, font style etc., can make the navigation easy.

Create a Scenario

Put yourself in the scenario and test the Apps and websites. For example, you can create real-life scenarios where a partially impaired person can complete payment on your website. You can optimise each step so that they can learn and perform it.

Take the Help of Tools to Build Digital Accessibility

Many apps help with various pinpoints of web design to make it more inclusive. Some of them are:

Colour contrast tools: Some colour control tools like Color Oracle, Colour Contrast Analyzer, Lea Verou's colour contrast ratio checker etc., help to optimise the colours. For instance, they allow you to view colour if a person suffers from Deuteranopia, Protanopia, Tritanopia, and other problems. It lets you create good contrasts, which makes navigation easy.

Code checking tools: Various tools like WAVE Browser extension, Siteimprove accessibility checker, AChecker etc., help you check different things. For example, the use of alt text, missing texts, repetitive content, colours etc.

Operating system testing tools: Several tools like NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access), JAWS (Job Access With Speech), Mac OS VoiceOver function etc., helps how the platform will relate to the users.

Moreover, you can use Mozilla Firefox to test how accessible a website is from the keyboard. Also, providing voiceovers, audio scripts etc, can help a lot. 

Wrapping Up

The role of accessibility in web design is immense. Creating an ever-evolving inclusive platform for visually impaired people will expand your audience reach, build brand name, SEO, and more. But the higher purpose is to help people use the platforms. So, you can set a web accessibility strategy by rapidly testing and using new technologies.