User testing with disabled users

Accessibility is about experience

cxpartners tests accessibility by working with disabled users. While checklists are helpful, the most important test of accessibility is: can someone use your website or mobile experience in real life.

Assistive technology

TIP: Justifying user research Giles gives advice on how to justify usability research in his blog: justifying usability
research.Disabled people use a wide variety of ‘assistive technologies’ that help them use a site. For instance, screen readers, such as Jaws, will read out the contents of a web page; screen magnifiers will zoom in to a particular part of the page to make it easy for users with impaired vision to use. cxpartners has experience testing with these technologies.

Because disabled users often have things set up to suit their individual needs, we offer user testing in a participant’s home or place of work. This way, you get a better insight into the kinds of problems that disabled users have in the real world.

Who do we test with?

TIP: Interaction design & accessibility Read about interaction design for visually
impaired users.Accessibility doesn’t just mean ‘making the web work for blind people’. It’s important to take a range of disabilities into account when you test.

• Cognitive and learning disabilities (for instance, dyslexia or attention deficit disorders are common)
• Visual impairment (total blindness and screen reader technology gets a lot of attention, but poor vision requiring screen magnification is more common)
• Auditory disabilities (these can affect language. For instance, did you know that British Sign Language is not just a mime show, but has a grammar and structure all its own that’s different to English and to American Sign Language – so for some deaf users, written English is a second language, not their first language)
• People with impaired mobility (for instance, users with arthritis can have problems manipulating a mouse)

Other benefits

Testing with disabled users helps your project in unexpected ways. As well as giving insights into how to make your site accessible, it can help to improve usability for other types of user (for instance making a site work well for dyslexic users will also make it easy for other users to read the text in a hurry). Additionally it provides a valuable audit trail that may help prove you’ve taken the needs of disabled users into account, in line with UK disability law.

Next steps:
We’d be happy to talk to you about how running user testing with disabled users on your site could work. Call us on 0117 946 3930 or email info@cxpartners.co.uk.

If you’re interested in other ways we can work with you to improve your site’s accessibility, take a look at accessibility policy development.