| It's no secret the web is becoming a very | | | | testing |
| complex place. Anyone who has ever managed | | | | |
| their company's efforts to create a web | | | | is generally carried out in specialized labs |
| presence knows the choices can be dizzying. | | | | where ordinary people are invited to use your |
| You have standard marketing issues, like | | | | website while being observed by usability |
| identifying target audience. You have | | | | specialists. The user is given tasks, such as |
| functional issues: Will this site be a tool | | | | finding key information or making a purchase |
| to gather information? Will it advertise a | | | | on the site. The specialist times the |
| new product or service? Will it be an online | | | | assignment and observes the user as he surfs |
| service in and of itself? Will it sell a | | | | through the site. At the end the user is |
| product? Will it be all of the above? And | | | | asked to rate various features and describe |
| unless you have your own in-house development | | | | his experience. This step is just as |
| team you have to choose the right company to | | | | important as any of the preceding ones. After |
| build and host your website; often listening | | | | all, you have now invested considerable |
| to technical terms like HTML, XML, UML, .NET, | | | | effort and resources into your company's web |
| ISP, ASP, ATS, CMS, RSS; server farm, | | | | presence and you should know if and where |
| co-location, W3C ...It's enough to leave your | | | | it's weak points are so they can be |
| mind numb. And at the end of the day it's all | | | | addressed. If a client cannot find that item |
| too easy to lose sight of the one thing that | | | | to buy or the information she wants, all your |
| should never be forgotten - that potential | | | | time and money have been wasted. Usability |
| visitor to your site.More and more companies | | | | testing asks, "Does the site meet or exceed |
| are becoming aware of the need to accommodate | | | | client expectations? Is it easy or even |
| a broadening range of potential visitors to | | | | pleasurable to use?"Deep Testing Deep testing |
| their websites. In our multicultural world | | | | is a new concept. It isn't so much adding a |
| these can be people for whom English is not a | | | | new testing layer; it's optimizing what is |
| native language. As computers become less | | | | already there. For instance, if accessibility |
| expensive, easier to use, and generally more | | | | compliance is in the specification for a |
| prevalent in day to day life, those visitors | | | | website the traditional method, as outlined |
| might be seniors. And, as technology evolves | | | | above, sees accessibility testing as one or |
| that can output media in multiple ways, such | | | | two distinct and separate layers. Deep |
| as reading text aloud, the potential clients | | | | Testing methodology would combine functional, |
| may even be blind. Testing is the key to | | | | automated accessibility, and validation |
| satisfying the broadest range of visitors. | | | | testing into one step. The advantage is that |
| Here is a quick overview of some necessary | | | | it becomes a basic requirement and not an |
| steps.Functional Testing Functional testing | | | | "add-on" or luxury. It is taken seriously by |
| is generally handled by the web development | | | | everyone from those responsible for design to |
| firm or department and is generally invisible | | | | testing to budgeting. Next, manual |
| to the client. It covers such things as | | | | accessibility testing is carried out by |
| verifying that links lead where they should | | | | someone who is not only an expert at using |
| and that forms and databases work together | | | | the software but dependant on it. In other |
| correctly. It asks the question, "Does it | | | | words, if you are conducting screen reader |
| work right?"HTML and CSS Validation Testing | | | | testing then it is done by a visually |
| The code that makes your website work should | | | | impaired person, not a sighted "expert". The |
| be written using formal grammar. It may | | | | advantage here is that by doing so you |
| function without following, so called, valid | | | | leverage the experience of the test |
| code standards but it will be treated by | | | | specialist. The visually impaired user knows |
| search engines and other automated systems as | | | | intimately what constitutes good and bad |
| second class at best. It's a bit like when | | | | design from her own frustration at bad sites |
| you wrote essays at school - you had to use a | | | | and pleasure from quality ones. She knows |
| formal structure and grammar. HTML and CSS | | | | what navigation and user aids actually work. |
| validation asks the question, "Is it written | | | | And finally, she brings to her work a |
| and structured correctly?"Automated | | | | personal passion and desire to help websites |
| Accessibility Testing Automated | | | | improve, simply because it will make her life |
| accessibility testing | | | | that much easier and more |
| | | | fulfilling.Conclusion Why should the project |
| makes use of specialized software to examine | | | | manager who's just been assigned the creation |
| your site's code to see if certain elements | | | | or upgrade of the company website care about |
| to help handicapped people use the web are | | | | all this? After all, isn't it part of the |
| present. It is very efficient at finding | | | | developers' responsibility? Yes, and no. |
| errors and omissions at this level. It is | | | | Being aware of the general aspect of web |
| somewhat analogous to a spell checker and | | | | development can only help you make decisions. |
| even the grammar checker. Some packages are | | | | And understanding the testing process makes |
| even sophisticated enough to offer advise on | | | | you think about your requirements in a more |
| how to correct issues they discover. This | | | | results oriented way. If you know that |
| level of testing asks, "Are the elements | | | | website accessibility is going to be a |
| necessary for Accessibility Compliance | | | | requirement you should understand how it will |
| present?"Manual Accessibility Testing During | | | | be verified. You can understand, in advance, |
| manual accessibility testing we examine a | | | | why simply running the site through automated |
| website the same way a handicapped person | | | | testing doesn't assure accessibility and you |
| would, for instance by using software which | | | | can budget time and money for deeper testing. |
| reads the page aloud or magnifies the text. | | | | You can take the time to find a testing firm |
| It can also mean checking that the copy is | | | | separate from the developers to independently |
| written clearly and plainly enough for | | | | verify accessibility compliance - the only |
| someone new to English or even who is | | | | way to really know for sure. And having |
| dyslexic to understand. The step is | | | | decided on testing, you will be armed with |
| ordinarily carried out by test experts who | | | | the understanding to maximize your |
| are not themselves disabled or dependant on | | | | efforts.Nik Page has been working in website |
| the software they use. It's tempting to | | | | and user interface testing for over 10 |
| believe that automated accessibility testing | | | | years.In 2005 he launched Page Accessibility |
| is enough, but you shouldn't. Just because | | | | Labs (PAL) in order to broaden the world of |
| elements necessary to meet accessibility | | | | possibility for handicapped web users. PAL |
| standards are present doesn't mean they are | | | | utilizes the unique skills and experiences of |
| implemented well. Manual accessibility | | | | visually impaired test specialists to ensure |
| testing asks, "Is it designed with all | | | | complete test coverage.PAL specializes in |
| potential clients using various output | | | | Accessibility Testing and Target Audience |
| devices in mind?"Usability Testing Usability | | | | Usability Testing Solutions. |