Interactive Component Accessibility Testing

As sites and applications become more intelligent, it’s essential to guarantee that all clients, regardless of disabilities, can access and utilize these elements. Interactive components like sliders, accordions, and modals can be especially difficult to make open, yet with the right testing strategies, it’s feasible to guarantee that everybody can utilize them.

Sliders

Sliders are a typical intuitive part used to show a range of values, like cost or amount. To test their openness, it’s vital to guarantee that they can be worked with using a console, as certain clients will most likely be unable to use a mouse. Moreover, the slider ought to be named with an unmistakable depiction of what it addresses, and the ongoing worth ought to be declared to screen peruser clients.

Accordions

Accordions are another intelligent part that can be made available. They are often used to show content in a folding organization, permitting clients to grow and implode segments depending on the situation. To test the openness of accordions, it’s critical to guarantee that they can be worked utilizing a console and that the extended and fallen states are clearly shown to all clients. Screen peruser clients ought to likewise have the option to explore between the various segments of the accordion.

Modals

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Modals are interactive components that display content in a pop-up window, often used for login forms or notifications. To test modals’ accessibility, it’s important to ensure that they can be closed using the keyboard and that the focus is properly managed when the modal is opened and closed. Screen reader users should also be notified when a modal is opened, and the content of the modal should be accessible to all users.

In addition to these specific testing methods, it’s important to ensure that all interactive components are designed with accessibility in mind from the beginning. This includes using clear and descriptive labels, providing alternative text for images, and ensuring that all content is accessible to screen reader users.

Interactive components like sliders, accordions, and modals can present several accessibility issues. Some common accessibility issues with interactive components include:

1. Keyboard Accessibility: Interactive components should be operable using a keyboard, as some users may be unable to use a mouse. This includes ensuring that all functionality is accessible straight from a keyboard and that users can navigate and find content using keyboard commands like the tab key and shortcuts.
2. Visual Clarity: Interactive components should be designed with clear and descriptive labels, providing alternative text for images and ensuring that all content is accessible to screen reader users. This includes clearly indicating the expanded and collapsed states of accordions to all users.
3. Focus Management: Interactive components should properly manage focus when opened and closed, ensuring that the focus is on the correct element and that the focus is not lost when the component is closed.
4. Alternative Text: Interactive components should have appropriate alternative text for images, as missing alternative text is one of the most common accessibility issues in web design.
5. WAI-ARIA Attributes: Developers should use the Web Accessibility Initiative- Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) to build interactive components like accordions and drag-and-drops. However, if improperly implemented, this can create issues with accessibility.

Overall, it’s important to ensure that all interactive components are designed with accessibility in mind from the beginning. 

10 Tips for Designing Interactive Components

Designing interactive components that are accessible to all users is essential to ensure that everyone can use and benefit from your website or application. Here are some tips for designing accessible interactive components:

1. Design with Empathy: Designers should approach their work with empathy, considering the needs and concerns of the audience, and conduct user research to understand diverse user needs.
2. Consistent Design: A clear and consistent design is essential for creating a user interface that is simple to use for everyone. This includes employing the same layout, colors, and fonts throughout the website or application.
3. Keyboard Accessibility: Interactive components should be operable using a keyboard, as some users may be unable to use a mouse. This includes ensuring that all functionality is accessible straight from a keyboard and that users can navigate and find content using keyboard commands like the tab key and shortcuts.
4. Visual Clarity: Interactive components should be designed with clear and descriptive labels, providing alternative text for images and ensuring that all content is accessible to screen reader users. This includes clearly indicating the expanded and collapsed states of accordions to all users.
5. Focus Management: Interactive components should properly manage focus when opened and closed, ensuring that the focus is on the correct element and that the focus is not lost when the component is closed.
6. Color Contrast: Interactive components should have sufficient color contrast between the foreground and background to ensure that all users can read and interact with them. This is particularly important for users with visual impairments or color blindness.
7. Animations: Animations can be used to enhance the user experience, but they can also be distracting or overwhelming for some users. It’s important to ensure that animations can be turned off or slowed down for users who may find them difficult to process.
8. Audio and Video: Interactive components that include audio or video content should have captions or transcripts available for users who are deaf or hard of hearing. Additionally, it’s important to ensure that the audio and video content is accessible to users with cognitive or learning disabilities.
9. Error Messages: Interactive components like forms should have clear and descriptive error messages that are accessible to all users. This includes ensuring that error messages are announced to screen reader users and displayed in a way that is easy to understand.
10. Mobile Accessibility: Interactive components should be designed with mobile accessibility in mind, as more and more users are accessing websites and applications on their mobile devices. This includes ensuring that components are easy to interact with on a touch screen and that they are responsive to different screen sizes.

By following these tips and designing with accessibility in mind, you can create more inclusive and accessible interactive components for your website or application. It’s important to remember that accessibility is an ongoing process and that you should continue to test and improve your components over time to ensure that they are accessible to all users.