Accessibility testing: Ensuring a strategic advantage

The countdown to the implementation of the EU Accessibility Directive has begun. By June 28, 2025, all digital products and services will have to mandatorily ensure that they are completely accessible. This marks a paradigm shift in the software development landscape. Until now, accessibility was mainly limited to legal and standard compliance. But to bring about a real revolution in product development, we need to take the discussion about accessibility and inclusion to a higher level. It's about embedding accessibility firmly at the core of the agile mindset and creating an environment where inclusion is a guiding principle throughout the software development process.

What is accessibility and why is it so important for companies?

Accessibility encompasses the inclusive design and development of digital products and applications to enable seamless use and interaction for people with any type of impairment. It goes beyond ensuring only usability, by actively removing barriers and promoting access as well as equal opportunities.

With over 90% of all applications¹ currently having barriers, companies risk losing up to 21% of potential customers if their digital offerings are not accessible to people with disabilities. Against this backdrop, the global market for accessibility testing is expected to reach a value of several hundred million euros by 2027² . In a study, 23% of people with disabilities surveyed stated that they never go online³ . This includes visually impaired people, deaf or hard of hearing users, as well as people with mobility and dexterity impairments and people with cognitive impairments. These figures illustrate the enormous potential of accessibility testing. Companies and brands that fail to prioritize accessibility are missing out on significant opportunities, both in terms of customer growth and regulatory compliance.

Here are some important points to consider:

Untapped market potential: uncovering market share revenue growth

According to the World Health Organization, over 1 billion people, or around 15% of the world's population, live with some form of impairment. In the United States alone, the disposable income of people with disabilities is estimated at around 490 billion US dollars, according to a study by the American Institute for Research⁴ . By not making their products and digital offerings accessible, companies are excluding a significant portion of the population.

Legal challenges

In many countries, there are laws and regulations that prescribe accessibility standards for companies. Failure to comply with accessibility regulations can lead to costly litigation and legal penalties. In 2020, companies in the United States faced over 3,500 website accessibility lawsuits⁵.

Brand reputation and customer loyalty

Accessibility demonstrates a company's commitment to inclusion and social responsibility, which has a positive impact on brand reputation and customer loyalty. Companies that prioritize the inclusion of people with disabilities report stronger customer loyalty and better brand perception.

Improved user experience and usability

Accessible design principles lead to a better user experience for all customers. Features such as clear navigation, appropriate contrast ratios, and alternative text for images can improve usability and understanding for all, regardless of ability.

The importance of accessibility testing in the digital age

At the heart of digital innovation is the potential to create spaces where everyone has equal opportunities. This is not just about fulfilling a checklist of compliance requirements but about recognizing and appreciating the many ways in which people can interact with technology. Accessibility testing must be considered and integrated much earlier in the development process.

It is important to approach accessibility testing as a distinct and specialized form of testing. Although the overarching principles of accessibility still apply, accessibility testing deserves special attention due to its unique goals, methods, and role in ensuring digital inclusion:

• Early identification: Accessibility tests enable companies to identify potential barriers and usability problems early on in the development process. This can save time, resources, and costs that would otherwise have to be spent on time-consuming troubleshooting or redesign after a release.
• Comprehensive testing methods: Accessibility testing includes a range of methods, such as automated testing tools, manual testing by users with disabilities, and compliance audits against established guidelines like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These different testing approaches help to identify a wide range of accessibility issues, from technical problems at code level to usability challenges and compliance with legal requirements.
• Continuous monitoring and maintenance: Accessibility testing is not a one-off activity but an ongoing process throughout the product or service lifecycle. As digital platforms evolve with new features, updates and technologies, continuous accessibility testing ensures that new barriers are not introduced inadvertently.
• Specialized expertise and training: Effective accessibility testing requires expertise in accessibility principles, testing tools, and assistive technologies. Companies must either invest in employees or entrust themselves to a specialized service provider.
• Integration with agile practices: Accessibility testing can be seamlessly integrated into modern software development methodologies such as Agile and DevOps. By integrating accessibility testing into continuous integration and delivery pipelines, organizations can ensure that accessibility is checked throughout the development lifecycle. Not to forget, a final check by specialists will always be necessary.
• Quantifiable metrics and reports: Accessibility testing provides quantifiable metrics and detailed reports that can help organizations track progress, prioritize issues, and demonstrate compliance with accessibility standards. These metrics and reports are valuable for communication with stakeholders, internal audits, and external reporting requirements.

While accessibility as a concept is in itself very crucial, a key component of specialized accessibility testing is its ability to proactively identify and remove barriers.  

Accessibility regulations and standards

Navigating the complex landscape of digital accessibility requires a deep understanding of the various regulations and standards that define the foundation for inclusion. The WCAG serve as a global benchmark for creating web content that is accessible to people with disabilities. These guidelines provide a comprehensive checklist that covers a range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, learning and neurological disabilities.

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) Directive, also known as Directive (EU) 2019/882, is a European Union law that aims to improve the accessibility of products and services for people with disabilities across the EU.

Here are some important points about the provisions of the directive:

• Scope: The EAA applies to a wide range of products and services, including computers, operating systems, e-books, e-commerce websites, and mobile apps.
• Accessibility requirements: The directive sets out the accessibility requirements that the products and services concerned must meet, such as the provision of accessible information, user interface design, functionality, and support services for people with disabilities.
• Harmonized standards: The directive calls for the development of harmonized technical standards to define how accessibility requirements should be met for different products and services.
• Conformity assessment: Economic operators (manufacturers, importers, distributors) must carry out conformity assessments to ensure that their products/services meet the accessibility requirements before they are placed on the EU market. Timetable for transposition: The directive was adopted in 2019 and EU member states had until June 28, 2022 to transpose it into national law. Most accessibility requirements will apply to everyone from June 28, 2025.
• Market surveillance: Member States must set up market surveillance authorities to check that products/services comply with all the accessibility requirements.  

The main objective is to harmonize accessibility across the EU internal market to enable people with disabilities to have better access to mainstream products and services at more competitive prices. It aims to create a virtuous circle of supply and demand for accessible solutions.

What are the implications for companies based in the EU?

Based on the European Accessibility Act (EAA), the following sanctions can be imposed for non-compliance with accessibility requirements:

• Fines: Article 30 states that Member States shall lay down rules on penalties applicable to infringements and shall take measures to ensure that they are implemented. The penalties should be effective, proportionate, and dissuasive.
• Product withdrawal: According to Article 20, national market surveillance authorities may request the relevant economic operator to withdraw a non-compliant product from the market.
• Sales bans: Member States may prohibit or restrict the making available on their national market of a non-compliant product (Article 21).
• Legal action: The EAA allows consumer organizations to take legal action on behalf of consumers against companies that do not comply with national provisions adopted under the Directive (Article 29).
• Damage to reputation: Authorities can publish information on infringements by economic operators.
• Exclusion from the award of public contracts: Non-compliant products can be excluded from the award of public contracts.  

Understanding these regulations and standards is more than just a compliance exercise. These guidelines and laws provide a structured framework. It's about adopting a mindset that sees these standards not as hurdles, but as a foundation on which to build richer, more inclusive digital experiences.

Integrating accessibility into the agile life cycle

In the fast-paced digital world, agile methods have become the norm for software development. Their aim is to provide products and functions quickly and efficiently. However, ensuring accessibility poses a considerable challenge within iterative development cycles.

Accessibility testing is often treated as a separate phase in the development process. This approach can lead to costly retrofits and delays in product releases, as well as a sub-optimal user experience for people with disabilities. Organizations must, therefore, take a proactive and integrated approach to accessibility testing within agile development processes to overcome these challenges. This approach involves several important steps:

• Accessibility awareness and training: All team members gain a solid understanding of accessibility principles, guidelines, and best practices. It is critical to cultivate an accessibility mindset and ensure that accessibility is seen as a shared responsibility.
• Clear definition of requirements and user stories: Clear requirements for accessibility and user stories are defined based on established standards and guidelines.
• Integrating accessibility considerations into workflows: Designers and developers integrate accessibility considerations into their workflows. Ongoing collaboration between designers, developers, and accessibility experts helps to identify and remove potential barriers at an early stage.
• Integration of automated accessibility tests in CI/CD pipelines: The integration of tools for automated accessibility testing in CI/CD pipelines can be used as support. However, these tools do not meet the current requirements of BITV and WCAG. Nevertheless, they do help to identify basic problems and check web content more efficiently. 
• Retrospectives: At the end of each sprint or release cycle, teams should conduct accessibility retrospectives to review accessibility successes and challenges during the iteration. This helps to identify areas that need improvement and adjust the approach and testing procedures accordingly.

Conclusion

Integrating accessibility into the agile software development process is not just a necessity but also a clear call to action. It's about shaping a world where technology is a bridge to inclusion, not a barrier. This transformation not only enables companies to meet their legal and ethical obligations, but also helps them gain a decisive competitive advantage and build sustainable customer relationships.

By taking a proactive stance and focusing on the needs of all users, organizations can create a sustainable future where diversity is celebrated and inclusion and accessibility are a given for all. The countdown is on!

Important links to accessibility regulations and standards

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1)
• European Accessibility Act, also known as the Directive on accessibility requirements for products and services or Directive (EU) 2019/882 

Sources

• 1 https://abilitynet.org.uk/news-blogs/inaccessible-websites-keep-disabled-people-out-work-abilitynet-tells-government-taskforce 

• 2 https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2021/06/11/2245930/0/en/Accessibility-Testing-Market-to-hit-606-46-Million-by-2027-Straits-Research.html  

• 3 https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/09/10/americans-with-disabilities-less-likely-than-those-without-to-own-some-digital-devices/  

• 4 https://www.air.org/resource/report/hidden-market-purchasing-power-working-age-adults-disabilities  

• 5 https://blog.usablenet.com/a-record-breaking-year-for-ada-digital-accessibility-lawsuits