IT & Quality Assurance Roles

 
 

Use Case Testing Best Practice

There are numerous digital accessibility testing strategies being employed today. We recommend real-world testing from people who use Assistive Technology every day of their lives. This can best simulate a “real” user’s experience with a product, whether it’s a website, mobile app, or device.

At Level Access, we use our industry-leading experience to assist clients in triaging their various offerings with multiple testing strategies. For core scenarios integral to use of the products, use case testing is performed in addition to automatic and manual testing.

 
 

 
 

1- Functional Assessments

Use case testing involves functional assessments of key workflows that are critical to the overall experience of the system or asset—the primary tasks that you would expect any user to be able to complete using your system—and defines the overall functionality of the system when using assistive technology. In the case of a job search site, that could be searching for a job or posting a resume while utilizing the JAWS (Job Access with Speech) screen reader. For a desktop application, such as Microsoft Word, it could be creating a new file, typing a new paragraph, and then saving the document as a PDF.

 
 

 
 

2- Testing Performed by Individuals with Disabilities

Testing is performed by individuals with disabilities using assistive technology, accessibility features, or other strategies they would commonly use. The results of each use case is scored objectively. Level Access uses a scoring system of one through five to rate individual use cases as well as an overall average score; five indicating no accessibility issues and one indicating severe problems that pose a barrier to access. While users can indicate efficiency and effectiveness in the use case notes, the intent of the score is to document the presence or absence of barriers and issues that would impact the user’s ability to access the service.

 
 

 
 

3- Selecting What to Test

Use cases are selected from core tasks that are integral to the use of a site or product. Each of these core scenarios can be broken down into more granular use cases as appropriate and to stay within budget. Error states and alternative paths should also be documented as part of the use case and tested during the use case. Below are examples:

Retail / e-Commerce

  • create a new account
  • log into the site or mobile app
  • search for and investigate various core products within their catalog
  • add products to the shopping cart
  • check out
  • view order status and track shipment

Financial Services

  • log into account to view balance
  • set up a new bill and pay it online
  • deposit a check using mobile app
  • complete an application for a personal loan
  • make an appointment to talk to a banker

Education

  • apply for admission
  • register for courses
  • navigate online textbooks
  • view grades
  • create/complete assessments
  • interact within discussion boards

State & Local Government

  • register to vote
  • make an appointment at the Department of Motor Vehicles
  • pay a parking ticket online
  • request services or accommodations
  • view government meetings/minutes

 
 

 
 

4- Is use case testing right for your situation?

Frankly, each client’s situation is and will be unique. As a matter of fact, clients who engage with Level Access more than once will have different needs each time. However, there are some guidelines you can use to help you determine if you should include use case testing as part of your engagement:

Accessibility journey:

  • How far along the path is your product?
  • Is this the initial release?
  • Has it been tested at all for accessibility and compliance?
  • Have remediations been done?

If you answered “no” to at least two of the above questions, then Level Access would most likely recommend including use case testing in the mix.

 
 

 
 

The only FedRAMP authorized accessibility platform​​

AMP is the only accessibility management platform with FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program) authorization. FedRAMP authorization provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services that are sold to the government. ​

Even if you don’t sell to government agencies, you can rest assured you’re working with an accessibility management platform that has met the most strict security guidelines.
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Read more about AMP’s FedRAMP authorization.