The Essential Guide to Mobile Accessibility Testing

Hi there! As someone with over 10 years of experience testing websites and apps on thousands of real mobile devices, I‘ve seen firsthand the critical importance of accessibility. With mobile being central to how we live, work, and connect, ensuring everyone can use mobile apps is an imperative.

In this comprehensive guide designed specifically for you, I‘ll share everything I‘ve learned about making mobile apps accessible and testing them properly.

We‘ll cover:

Eye-opening mobile usage statistics that reveal the scope of needs
Accessibility standards for inclusion on iOS and Android
Step-by-step guidance on manual testing processes
Top automated testing tools to amplify efforts
Common issues and practical tips to address them
Additional resources for your accessibility journey

Let‘s get started!

The Growing Need for Mobile Accessibility

As our world goes increasingly mobile, ensuring apps are accessible and optimized for everyone is key. Consider these revealing statistics:

There are over 1 billion smartphone users globally with disabilities or functional limitations
56% of visually impaired internet users say mobile devices are essential for independence
75% of hearing impaired individuals own smartphones compared to 65% of general population

And with an aging worldwide population, age-related capability declines will drive more demand for accessibility.

Simply put: accessible mobile experiences are essential for allowing people to participate equally in society. By building and testing apps inclusively, we can transform possibilities for millions worldwide.

Mobile Operating Systems Advance Accessibility Features

Modern mobile platforms include powerful built-in accessibility capabilities:

iOS VoiceOver

Available since 2009
Enables full touchscreen navigation via text-to-speech
Advanced gestures for efficient control
Braille keyboard input support

Android TalkBack

Launched in 2012
Also utilizes text-to-speech to make touch interfaces usable when blind
Customizable gestures and menus
Links into other accessibility services like magnification

Additional Tools

Both provide integrated screen magnifiers, screen readers, dictation services, and assistive configuration utilities. These embedded options complement dedicated 3rd party apps.

Overall iOS and Android now enable full device use solely via audio guidance and expanded touch targets. But total accessibility requires companies consciously support these tools.

Mobile Accessibility Standards and Guidelines

To make apps on both major platforms accessible, it‘s key to follow platform developer guidelines:

iOS Human Interface Guidelines

Apple‘s HIG deeply covers preferred implementations for integrating with VoiceOver, switch controls, closed captions, and other assistive technologies.

Specific criteria include:

Assigning accessible labels to all interface elements
Appropriate use of alternative text for images
Color contrast minimums of 3:1 or 4.5:1
Logical reading order and hierarchy for screen reader users
Avoiding solely conveying info via sound, shape, or visual location

Adhering to the HIG results in the most seamless and integrated accessibility experience on iOS.

Android Accessibility Developer Guidelines

Similarly, Android publishing extensive recommendations optimized for TalkBack and other capabilities:

All touchable elements should have textual labels
Form elements should correctly utilize LABEL tags
Use content descriptions to add context invisible to sighted users
Allow exclusive voice navigation between sections
Support external hardware keyboards

Android even quantifies baseline technical standards and test procedures for accessibility. Targeting AA or higher conformance enables reaching millions more users.

Both sets of guidelines are expansive but essential reading.

Step-by-Step Mobile Accessibility Testing Methodology

With key criteria in mind, let‘s explore recommended testing processes:

Manual Testing

While automating checks has advantages, manual testing most accurately simulates real user experiences.

Testing with screen readers

Enable VoiceOver (iOS) or TalkBack (Android)
Navigate app without looking at the screen to identify issues
Verify elements are labeled appropriately for context without visuals
Check controls can be understood from audio alone
Follow logical focus order between sections
Attempt common use cases like form entry solely with reader

Testing with magnification

Set magnification over 400%
Pan across views looking for truncated/overlapping content
Attempt using controls and verifying legibility
Enter sample form data and evaluate readability
Return magnification to default
Note any layout or usage issues observed

Testing with alternative input

Activate switch controls or keyboard navigation
Access all features using just these methods
Input sample form data utilizing them
Attempt advanced gestures like swipe typing
Check for any information conveyed uniquely via touch

Be extremely methodical when evaluating apps this way — small cumulative issues severely impact accessibility.

Automated Testing

Automated tools help efficiently catch common mistakes:

Code structure validators find missing tags or misconfigurations
Color contrast analyzers programatically assess combinations
Machine learning can identify missing image alt text at scale
CI integrations run packages like aXe engine during development

Think of these as assisting manual testing effectiveness — not replacing it completely.

Real Device Testing

While simulators have improved, subtle performance differences on real mobile hardware can cause issues:

Laggy animations or gestures may become unusable
Slowdowns obscure screen reader speech
Battery powered devices better model real-world unpredictability

Investing in real device labs or cloud access enables catching misses before users do.

Resolving Common Mobile App Accessibility Issues

Let‘s explore some frequent mobile app issues and practical solutions:

Fonts/colors have insufficient contrast

Use color contrast analysis tools to identify failing combinations
Alter problematic pairs to meet or exceed accessibility ratio thresholds
Enable iOS/Android dark mode support for additional options

Screen reader cannot discern context and flow

Markup elements for programmatic access without visual cues
Clarify relationships between non-text items via accessibilityLabel
Guide navigation order using accessibilityHint properties

Users struggle targeting small touch areas

Apply platform minimum tappable control sizes
Consider expanding touch targets for better inclusion
Improve precision alignment between hitboxes and buttons

Motion effects trigger vestibular issues

Allow disabling animated transitions in settings per platform guidance
Warn users before showing motion graphics where unavoidable
Never animate UI or content by default without consent

Thoughtfully addressing common pitfalls like these at design time reduces need for later rework.

Closing Thoughts and Additional Resources

Hopefully this mobile accessibility testing overview has been helpful! Keep focusing on inclusion as a priority rather than later obligation.

Here are additional resources for your journey:

Stay empowered levelling-up your accessibility game! Feel free to ping me with any other questions. Talk soon!