Why Accessibility Should Be Part of the QA Process: Considerations for Web Development Teams

Depending on the size of an organization or business, weeks, months, or even a year of preparation can go into launching a website. Web development teams and brand teams collaborate closely to achieve that perfect synergy of functionality, design, and brand impression. 

The Quality Assurance (QA) process from the first step through to the last step is frequently time-consuming and precise. I’s are dotted, T’s are crossed, and everything is visited and revisited until everyone is in agreement that the website is ready for a public launch. 

At AllyADA, we share your mission to get things right, optimize performance and functionality, maximize user engagement, and build unstoppable momentum around brand identity. However, we already know there’s very likely a checklist missing from your pre-launch playbook: digital accessibility.

By integrating accessibility checks into your standard QA cycle, you won’t just go live, you’ll hit the ground running…miles ahead of your competition straight out of the gate. And your target users will appreciate you immensely for it, even if they don’t realize why.

The Drawbacks of Treating Accessibility As An Afterthought

There are a number of notable drawbacks to treating accessibility as an afterthought, but chief among them is the economic hit, which shows up in a few different ways. 

• Miss out on tax breaks: Most business owners and web developers aren’t aware that there are lucrative tax incentives available for businesses that invest in digital accessibility to bring their website into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• Fines and lawsuit payouts: Failing to meet basic ADA standards keeps your website stuck in a state of perpetual legal and regulatory vulnerability. Fines can be levied against you and lawsuits can be filed. 
• Retro-fitting is required: It is inevitable that at some point in the not-so-distant future you’ll realize that prioritizing web accessibility isn’t really optional these days. However, getting to that recognition as an afterthought means having to reverse engineer accessibility fixes. Don’t get us wrong, we’re especially good at building the digital roadmaps used by businesses and organizations in this exact situation. However, it is unquestionably true that building them in from the start is an easier, more streamlined process for everyone. And easier and more streamlined always amounts to cost savings in one way or another. 

Yes, this trifecta of economic incentives is available to anyone at any time, but not building them in from the start is wasted time and money.

The Benefits of Early Integration

The benefits of early integration and building accessibility checkpoints into your general QA process are plentiful. Among the benefits are economic boosts and experiential improvements. .Let’s take a look.

• Reduced work: It is far easier to integrate ADA compliance into your digital footprint from the start. Any time you have to retrofit a solution to a problem that could have been avoided at the outset, you’re looking at more work. It’ls like adding central air to a house that was built without it. Can it be done? Of course! Will it work? Of course! But will it take longer, require more problem solving and work-arounds to get it done? Also, of course!
• Redacted cost: More work inevitably means more money, but beyond that obvious connection you’re also looking at wracking up likely regulatory fines and lawsuit payouts, which will give any business the blues.   
• Improved UX: Everything runs smoother and functions better when accessibility is foundational and not a late-in-the-game play change. This is particularly true since digital accessibility awareness tends to help temper some of the more jarring or disorienting website attributes that can turn people off, whether they require ADA-compliant structuring or not. An accessible website tends to just be a better website. Check out some of our other articles to take a deep dive into the why behind this fact.
• Fewer regressions: This is directly related to having improved UX. Regressions are updates and fixes that need to happen along the way as part of the regular upkeep and maintenance of a website. While retrofitting accessibility can be and regularly is done (trust us, we know- this is what we do!), it is best practice to start from scratch. Systems are regularly evolving, and the more organic your accessibility profile is to begin with, the less regressions you’ll have to deal with going forward.
• Tax incentives: Guess what? The earlier you attain compliance with ADA standards, the earlier you can start reaping the tax benefits. And these benefits are available year over year. So, if you hire a digital accessibility team to work with your web development team on an accessibility QA protocol, you can claim the eligible expenses in that year. Then each year that your digital accessibility team performs a maintenance audit and your development team implements the recommendations, you can claim those eligible expenses, too. It’s a win, win, win…in perpetuity.

Step-by-step implementation framework

Let’s get practical. How do you build a QA process for accessibility? Use these recommendations as a guideline and tailor the steps as needed for your particular process needs:

1. Basic internal education: This might seem painfully obvious, but don’t underestimate the huge value-add of prioritizing internal education on accessibility issues. ADA compliance and WCAG standards can get tricky, and understanding the impact of accessibility barriers on web users is not as intuitive as it seems. Educating yourself and all of your teams, including web development and design, brand strategy and marketing, and c-suite level executives on the nuances of digital accessibility will help you understand consumer experience from a fresh perspective. 
2. Adding accessibility acceptance criteria: This step helps you refine and prioritize accessibility implementations. 
3. Implementing accessibility checklists: Providing a clear, transparent roadmap to how to bring your website into compliance is the most straightforward step you can take when it comes to achieving a consistent and reliable outcome. 
4. Introducing basic screen reader smoke testing: Don’t just assume everything is in order. Like any aspect your website’s functionality and performance, you need to ensure that a screen reader is fully functional across the website and that there aren’t any traps, glitches, or hiccups that can throw users off course.
5. Scheduling manual audits before release: Know before you hit go. Don’t just publish your site and celebrate with drinks. Have a CPACC-certified accessibility specialist audit your website from one end to the other. Refine aspects where needed, make fixes if required, and roll out your website with complete confidence that your users are getting the best experience possible.

How third-party audit partners contribute to the process

Most businesses don’t keep a CPACC-certified professional on their in-house team, so the role of an outside auditing firm is critical. This is especially true if you opt to work with a digital auditing firm that supports manual review. 

For those who aren’t familiar with the term, manual review in the digital accessibility context refers to specific reviews performed by users who are blind or low vision. These manual reviews are priceless and no amount of training or expertise can prepare anyone else for the job of reviewing a website from a perspective of authentic need. 

From reviewing and advising on potential accessibility barriers and recommended tweaks at the very beginning to exploring, certifying, and maintaining accessibility compliance going forward, a digital auditing team is your go-to resource for a best-in-class QA experience. 

For help building out a step-by-step QA process incorporating and prioritizing digital accessibility, reach out to AllyADA today.