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Re: Accessibility user testing

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From: Dana Douglas
Date: Jul 18, 2016 9:06AM

Zack,

Welcome! Including people with disabilities in a usability test is a great way to evaluate a site's accessibility. Here are a few resources you may find helpful (there are certainly others as well) :

Slides from my 2015 UXPA presentation on the topic: http://www.slideshare.net/UXPA/uxpa-2015-why-how-to-include-people-with-disabilities-pw-ds-in-your-usability-testsdouglas-and-davis-6252015-49918852
A UXPA Magazine article by Mary Hunter Utt on the topic: http://uxpamagazine.org/guerilla_tactics/
An article from Deque Systems on the topic: http://www.deque.com/blog/incorporate-users-disabilities-ux-testing/

In general, the test can be virutally the same as any other usability test (same tasks, methodology, etc.). You will want to make sure the web conference tool you're using is accessible for screen reader users (and other assistive technologies). Skype may be the best bet - participants can share their screen through Skype. The test should be as realistic as possible. If users would not have any outside instructions or information in the real world, you should not provide that information during the usabilty test either. However, if that presents a significant barrier (first of all, you know you have an accessibility issue to fix!), but then you can provide assistance to move on and gather additional feedback on other aspects of the site.

Good luck!

Dana Douglas