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Re: Accessibility user testing

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From: Maxability Accessibility for all
Date: Jul 16, 2016 7:34AM

Hello Zack,

I was participating in usability studies as a screen reader user for some
time now. I ask to provide me the details on a word document or any
accessible format to understand the task to be performed on the website.
Eg: Find a department head email address on a government website providing
the url. Usually I take 3 to 5 tasks on a single test. At the time of the
test both o us get on hangout. I share my screen on a video call. I am
asked to say aloud what I want to do or what I am doing similar to a
cricket commentary. At the end of each task I was asked how easy/difficult
the task is and any possible points of improvement.
For any further questions you may can feel free to reach off-list.

Best Regards
Rakesh

On Sat, Jul 16, 2016 at 12:46 AM, Lucy Greco < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

> there is a lot to doing this but mostly you run it like any other user
> test i would not use hangouts i would use skipe if you can as it is easyer
> for the user to share screens with you and tends to be more accessable i
> run user tests like this all the time i am the screen reader user and my
> clients find this method works well lucy
>
> Lucia Greco
> Web Accessibility Evangelist
> IST - Architecture, Platforms, and Integration
> University of California, Berkeley
> (510) 289-6008 skype: lucia1-greco
> http://webaccess.berkeley.edu
> Follow me on twitter @accessaces
>
>
> On Fri, Jul 15, 2016 at 12:09 PM, Zack McCartney < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
> wrote:
>
> > 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. :)
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > >