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Re: Web application testing

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From: Jamous, JP
Date: Aug 8, 2016 7:41AM

Tim,

Amen to what you said brother.

I was like that when I first started in the corporate world. I wanted to get every screen reader/Browser combination tested. I noticed that the more dirt you add to the water the muddier it will get and you lose focus and clarity of the situation.

That was why, we decided to focus on:

JAWS/Internet Explorer
NVDA/Firefox
VoiceOver/Safari

With the above we test for all latest versions as the latest would allow us to overcome certain bugs on the screen reader side.

We have a way to tackle bugs on our side:

1. Blockers - Issues that block the user completely from using the site or app.
2. Critical - Issues that almost block users, but might have some work-around for them.
3. Major - Issues that can enhance efficiency and productivity of the user.
4. Minor - things that could be done to improve the user experience.

Pay attention to the word, things. In the Minor category we do not have issues at all. Just things to improve based on UX and not WCAG. WCAG kicks in from the Major category and higher.

Do yourself a favor and focus on KISS-Keep It Simple Stupid. Our devs aren't blind and do not care to use a screen reader. We have collaborated with them to include screen readers in their testings and different people reacted to it differently. Some were all about it, while others do not like it and don't care. However, they have to care if they want to keep their jobs though.

So as you see it is an uphill battle. That is why you have to simplify it and tackle it based on your users' requirements priorities and other categories that you might find useful to your situation.

There is no one standard that is perfect to all situations. Each situation is unique and its requirements and priorities are different from the rest.