Usability Testing for Accessibility
Tutorial G
Mary Grossnickle, Human Factors International

The goal of evaluating for accessibility, i.e., assessing a product’s usability from the perspective of users with disabilities, is to ensure that a product is both usable and accessible. A product that technically conforms to accessibility standards is not necessarily a usable product. To reach the goal of usable accessibility, evaluation must include the experience of people with disabilities. Including people with disabilities in a usability evaluation does not involve developing an entirely new usability testing methodology. Usability professionals can evaluate accessibility by using standard usability testing protocols, with a few modifications for including participants with disabilities. Planning a usability test that includes participants with disabilities involves determining participant characteristics (e.g., range and types of disabilities to include in the evaluation), recruiting participants, choosing the best location, and scheduling the right amount of time. Critical steps in preparing for the test include producing test materials in alternative formats, ensuring the accessibility of the facility, and becoming familiar with the assistive technologies that will be used during testing. When conducting the test, following simple guidelines in regard to interacting with people with disabilities will help lead to a successful experience. Setting up the room to accommodate assistive devices, personal assistants, and service animals are details that are easily overlooked. There are specific considerations to keep in mind when participants are completing the tasks, as well as when the moderator is collecting data, compensating participants, and writing about people with disabilities. Including participants with disabilities in usability testing, whether in a formal usability test or a short informal evaluation, will result in valuable feedback and a more accessible and usable product.

Presentation Material

Speaker:

Mary Martinson Grossnickle is a Senior Usability Specialist with Human Factors, International (HFI). For the past 14 years, Mary has provided design expertise and conducted usability tests in the United States, Lithuania, and Canada. Mary is currently focusing on usable accessibility, and she conducts usability tests with people with disabilities. She partners with a local technical college to recruit participants for accessibility evaluations, and contracts with screen reader users who evaluate Web sites remotely. She has taught classes on accessibility in the United States, Ireland, and Canada, and has been a presenter at the Usability Professionals Association (UPA). Mary is a collaborator with the Information Technology and Technical Assistance Training Center (ITTATC) at Georgia Institute of Technology and co-authored the online resource Accessibility in the User-Centered Design Process (www.ittatc.org/technical/access-ucd). This online resource assists usability professionals with incorporating accessibility into the user-centered design process and provides detailed guidance on planning, preparing for, and conducting usability tests with people with disabilities.

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