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Re: Tips for accessibility testing on a Apple Silicon computer

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From: Christine Hogenkamp
Date: Jan 21, 2025 12:48PM

Hi Erick,

I would argue you will probably get more meaningful results using a real
machine over a virtual machine, in terms of experiencing how an average
user might use a computer in their everyday life.

I agree with Steve that a cheap laptop is a good way to go, both in that
they are inexpensive to get one just for testing purposes but also if you
consider the average person's experience buying a laptop, a lot of people
will gravitate towards whatever is the cheapest model available at their
nearby Best Buy etc.

I would even suggest, if it's in your budget, getting both a cheap laptop
with full windows OS but also a cheap Chromebook to get an idea of how
those particular not-quite-laptops interact with assistive tech and web
browsing/apps etc. since they are very popular these days as a way to have
a "computer" for people who are not very good with tech, which is an
accessibility category in its own right and overlaps with other groups.
This will help put yourself in their shoes to see what they have to deal
with and what their machines can and can't do.

*x*
*Christine Hogenkamp (She, Her)*
Front-end Developer & Accessibility Lead
Context Creative – a Mod Op company
416.972.1439 | contextcreative.com


> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Steve Green < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
> To: WebAIM Discussion List < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
> Cc:
> Bcc:
> Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2025 16:25:42 +0000
> Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Tips for accessibility testing on a Apple Silicon
> computer
> There's no "right" or "best" way to do it. I like to have a lot of kit, so
> I've got JAWS, NVDA and Voiceover on different machines side by side, ready
> to use instantly. I don't want to be switching between one screen reader
> and another. But I have the luxury of having dozens of machines and a lot
> of space. And I never work anywhere other than at home. Likewise with
> mobile phones and tablets, of which I've got dozens so I can test with
> different versions of mobile screen readers.
>
> If you don't have space or you need to travel, you'll want something more
> compact. I would definitely buy a Windows machine, though. We have argued
> about virtualisation before, and many people are happy with it. I'm not. In
> my view it's ok for "developer testing", but I would not use it for
> "professional testing". Why take the chance when PCs are so cheap?
>
> Steve Green
> Managing Director
> Test Partners Ltd
>
>