Navigation and keyboard use
Put the pointer aside and work through your primary navigation, search, form, and any dialog. Watch where focus goes and whether the current control is easy to identify. Try both moving forward and moving backward.
- Can you reach and activate the controls needed for the task?
- Can you enter and leave menus and dialogs without becoming stuck?
- Does closing a dialog return focus to a sensible place?
- Can you bypass repeated navigation and reach the main content?
For the technical criterion, see W3C’s keyboard accessibility guidance.
Reading and visual presentation
Read a typical page at its default size, enlarge it, and examine it on a narrow viewport. Look at labels and helper text as carefully as large headings.
- Does content remain available when text grows?
- Can you distinguish text from its background, including text over images?
- Do layouts wrap without hiding information or essential controls?
- Is meaning available in words or other cues when color is removed?
W3C explains text resizing and content reflow. Our typography guide turns those considerations into design decisions.
Content and structure
Look beyond the homepage. Check a long article, a service page, an image-heavy page, and a search result. Ask what someone needs to understand each element’s purpose.
- Do headings describe the sections they introduce?
- Do links explain their destination or action?
- Do informative images have useful text alternatives?
- Do videos include the appropriate alternatives for the information they communicate?
- Have downloadable documents and embedded services been reviewed?
Use the WCAG quick reference to investigate the applicable criteria and techniques.
Forms, errors, and confirmation
Complete a form using valid information, then repeat it with something missing or invalid. A visitor needs to understand what to enter, what went wrong, and whether the request succeeded.
- Does every input have a clear label?
- Are required information and format instructions explained?
- Are error messages connected to the relevant fields?
- Can the person correct an error without re-entering unrelated information?
- Does a saved or submitted answer actually reach durable storage?
See W3C’s form-labeling tutorial for implementation guidance.
Make the findings actionable
For each issue, record the page address, task, browser, relevant assistive technology, steps, expected result, and observed result. Assign an owner and a retest. Involve people with relevant accessibility expertise and people with disabilities in a broader evaluation.
AbleBrowse’s visitor reports can provide another source of real-world observations. Treat each report as the beginning of an investigation, and keep an accessible way for people to contact you if a tool itself is difficult to use.