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Accessibility audit process for mobile

I don’t often audit mobile apps, but when I do, I follow a process a bit like this.

It’s bit trickier to do automated checking of accessibility on native apps, especially if you’re not set up to do iOS or Android development. So, I tend to rely on manual testing. In particular, I focus on screen reader testing since that tends shows the most critical errors most clearly.

What I test

  • Check use of colour.
    • Is information conveyed using text / icons / shapes in addition to colour?
    • Do all elements have high enough contrast? (4.5:1 for text and 3:1 for everything else)
  • Test with larger text.
    • Does all text resize?
    • Is any text truncated?
  • Run an accessibility audit tool or scanner.
    • Are there no errors?
  • Test with a screen reader.
    • Do elements have appropriate semantics (buttons, links, forms)?
    • Do non-text elements (images, video, audio) have text alternatives that convey the content or function?
    • Are decorative images hidden?
  • Test with an external keyboard.

iOS settings

  • Check use of colour.
    • Settings → Accessibility → Display & Text Size, Color Filters → Greyscale.
    • Settings → Display & Brightness, test Light and Dark.
    • Settings → General → Accessibility → Display Accomodations → Invert Colours.
  • Test with larger text.
    • Settings → Accessibility → Display & Text Size, Larger text.
  • Test with VoiceOver.
  • Use XCode’s Accessibility Inspector.
    • XCode > Open Developer Tool > Accessibility Inspector.
    • In the top left, change the target to the USB-connected iOS device.
    • Use the Navigation previous and next buttons.
  • Run the Accessibility Inspector Audit Tool.

Android settings

  • Check use of colour.
    • Set System → Advanced, Developer options, Simulate colour space to Monochromacy. Then System → Accessibility → Colour correction.
    • Toggle System → Display → Dark theme on and off.
  • Test with larger text.
    • Settings → Accessibility → Font size → Largest.
  • Test with TalkBack.
  • Run the Android Accessibility Scanner.