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From: Zack McCartney
Date: Jul 15, 2016 1:09PM

Hi there!

First off, hello all! This is my first post, excited to start learning more
about web accessibility.

Anyway, I work at a web development agency and I've been tasked with
running a usability test on a web application we've built with a
participant using a screenreader. Our development team just made a bunch of
updates to the site to move it closer to ADA (Americans with Disabilities
Act) compliance, so we're trying to find out if our first pass actually
improved the site's accessibility and what work still needs to be done.

The problem is: I've never run a usability test with a participant using a
screenreader. I have basic experience running usability tests, so I have an
ok handle on how to moderate a test session, but I want to learn the basics
of testing the user-friendliness of web accessibility features.

Specifically:

- Do y'all have any advice on how to test the usability of a site's
accessibility features?


- What adaptations, if any, should I think to make to my typical
usability test setup?
- The participant and I will be connecting over the phone, I'm hoping
over video call, with him sharing his screen. I have no idea if this'll
work or if asking him to navigate through a video conferencing
app (Google
Hangouts) could complicate the test unnecessarily.


- Should I provide the participant instructions or can I (or rather,
typical of interacting with the web via screenreader) leave them in the
dark, let them figure out the site on their own?
- For a typical usability test, I'd want to the participant to know
as little as possible about the site under test, as I want to learn how
people figure out how to use a site on first encounter. But, I don't know
if omitting usage instructions — part of our dev team's
accessibility work
— would prevent the user from even interacting with the site. I want them
to at the very least to be able to access the site, even if it's still
tricky to use on screenreader.


Thanks!
Zack McCartney

PS Sorry if my question shows my ignorance of web accessibility i.e.
anything sounds goofy or dumb. I'm totally new to the topic, trying to get
up to speed. :)