The target depth of automated testing by Axe Dev Tools

Ensuring web accessibility is crucial for creating inclusive digital experiences, and Accessibility Testing with Axe DevTools is one of the most reliable tools for achieving this. It efficiently identifies accessibility issues quickly, providing actionable insights that help developers meet the latest WCAG 2.2 standards.

With Axe DevTools, you can streamline your testing process, reduce manual effort, and catch common accessibility errors before they impact users.

Here’s a suggested target depth for using Axe DevTools.

1. Basic Accessibility Rules:

   • Start by running Axe with its default configuration to check for basic accessibility violations. 
   • This includes detecting missing alternative image text, incorrect usage of ARIA attributes, and other common issues.

2. Interactive Elements:

   • Focus on testing interactive elements like links, buttons, form controls, and navigation menus. 
   • Ensure they are appropriately labeled, have accessible names, and can be operated using the keyboard alone.

3. Forms and Inputs:

   • Pay special attention to form fields and inputs. 
   • Check for proper labeling, error handling, and input validation.
   • Ensure that users receive clear and understandable feedback when interacting with forms.

4. Semantic HTML:

   • Verify that the HTML markup follows semantic best practices. Axe can help identify structural issues such as missing headings, improperly nested elements, and redundant ARIA roles.

5. Color and Contrast:

   • Utilize Axe’s color contrast checking feature to identify elements with insufficient color contrast. Ensure that text and interactive elements meet WCAG color contrast requirements.

6. Landmarks and Landmark Roles:

   • Evaluate the usage of landmarks and landmark roles to improve navigation for screen reader users. Check for appropriate landmark roles such as header, footer, main, navigation, and ensure they are used correctly.

7. Dynamic Content and ARIA Widgets:

   • Test the accessibility of dynamic content and custom ARIA widgets. Axe can help identify dynamic content updates, focus management, and proper ARIA usage issues.

8. Accessibility Tree Analysis:

   • Use Axe’s accessibility tree feature to inspect the accessibility tree generated by the browser. This can provide insights into how assistive technologies interpret the page and help identify potential accessibility issues.

9. Documentation and Reporting:

   • Document test results generated by Axe, including detailed information on accessibility violations found and recommendations for remediation. Provide developers with actionable insights on how to fix identified issues.

10. Continuous Integration (CI) Integration:

    • Integrate Axe into your CI/CD pipeline to automate accessibility testing as part of your development workflow. This ensures that accessibility issues are identified early and can be addressed before they reach production.

By effectively targeting these areas and utilizing the features of Axe DevTools, you can conduct thorough automated accessibility testing and ensure that your web application meets WCAG standards, providing a more inclusive experience for all users.