Presented at International Association of Accessibility Professionals Access 2015

1. Dive into Mobile
Guidelines for Testing Native, Hybrid,
and Web Apps
Susan Hewitt, Accessibility Consultant, Deque Systems
Jeanine Lineback, Accessibility Subject Matter Expert,
Deque Systems

2. Today’s Objectives
• Identify key success criteria to test for mobile.
• Learn which testing techniques can be used
for each success criterion.
• Understand how to use these techniques on
native apps and mobile websites.

3. Which Guidelines Can You Use for
Mobile?
• WCAG 2.0
• Mobile Web Application Best Practices
(WBAP)
• Mobile Web Best Practices (MWBP)
• iOS and Android Developer Specs

4. What Tools Do We Use?
• Screen readers (VoiceOver and TalkBack)
• Jim Thatcher’s Favelets
• Paul Adam’s Bookmarklets
• Desktop Browsers with a User Agent
• Manual testing
• Bluetooth devices

5. Headings
• Applicable Guidelines: WCAG SC 1.3.1, 1
• Considerations:
– Not all browsers and devices announce headings
the same.
– iOS & Android native apps won’t announce
heading levels.
– Safari on iOS and Firefox on Android will announce
headings.

6. Headings – How to Test
• iOS (Native and Web)
– Using VoiceOver, choose “Headings” in rotor or swipe
through the page items one by one.
– Expected behavior: Elements that should be headings
are announced as such. Web content in Safari should
also announce the heading level.
• Android (Web)
– Navigate through page items with screen reader on.
Elements that should be headings are announced as
such. Web content in Firefox should also announce
the heading level.

7. Tables
• Applicable Guidelines: WCAG SC 1.3.1
• Considerations: Act differently depending on
device

8. Tables – How to Test
• iOS (both)
– Using VoiceOver, navigate horizontally through data tables
by flicking left and right through each data cell. Make sure
column headers are spoken by VoiceOver.
– Navigate vertically through data table cells by switching to
the Vertical Navigation Rotor setting and flicking up or
down. Make sure the row headers are spoken.
• Android (Native & Web in Firefox only)
– Using TalkBack, navigate horizontally through data tables
by flicking left and right through each data cell.
– Users must hear the content of row and column headers
announced with the content of each data cell.

9. Form Labels and Grouping
• Applicable guidelines: WCAG SC 1.3.1 & 3.3.1
• Special considerations: Form input types may
present different keyboards.

10. Form Labels – How to Test
• iOS (both)
– Native: Using VoiceOver navigate through screen and make sure
each form field is announced as such (and is the appropriate
type) as well as having a descriptive label. Make sure the labels
are visible to all users at all times (No placeholders for labels!)
and programmatically linked to the field.
• Android (both)
– Native (both) Using TalkBack navigate through the screen and
make sure each form field is announced as as well as having a
descriptive label. Make sure the labels are visible to all users at
all times. (No placeholders for labels!)
• For groups of related form elements (i.e. checkboxes &
radio buttons,) the labeled controls must be associated
with their common grouping element.

11. Text Resize & Magnification
• Applicable Guidelines: WCAG SC 1.4.4, MWBP
5.4.8
• Considerations: Some browsers and native
apps will override a user’s chosen method of
resizing.

12. Text Resize & Magnification – How to Test
• Android and iOS expectations
– Web: Users must be able to “pinch-and-zoom” to
enlarge the screen. (Note, this will make it
necessary to pan horizontally to see all content.)
– Native: Apps should enlarge according to user font
settings in the device.

13. Color Contrast
• Applicable Guidelines: WCAG SC 1.4.3, 1.4.6
• Considerations: Viewing the screen in
different environments and light can make
poor contrast even worse.

14. Color Contrast – How to Test
• Android and iOS
– Native: Use colors designated in the style guide to
check with a contrast tool. If the style guide is not
available, take screen shots and test using photo
software/eyedropper tools. Note that this may not
yield completely accurate results.
• Android and iOS
– Web: Test the contrast ratio in HTML by using an
automated tool, examining the style guide or style
sheet for hex codes.

15. Keyboard Navigation & Visible Focus
• Applicable Guidelines: WCAG SC 2.1.1, 2.4.7
• Considerations: Behavior varies between OS,
Web vs. native, and browser.

16. Keyboard Navigation – How to Test
• Android & iOS
– With screen reader off, navigate using a Bluetooth
keyboard.
– Expectation for iOS:
• Native: Content should be functional and navigable
using keyboard commands.
• Web: Keyboard functionality in Safari is not accessible.
– Expectation for Android:
• Content should be functional and navigable using
keyboard commands in both native and Web apps.

17. Visible Focus – How to Test
• With screen reader off, navigate via a
Bluetooth keyboard. Visible focus must always
show around active elements.
• Expectations
– Android, Web & Native: The active element with
focus is always visible.
– iOS native: Same as Android. iOS web will not
show a visible focus.

18. Touch Target Size
• Applicable Guidelines: WCAG SC 2.1.1,
Developer Specs
• Considerations: This guideline is in draft for
addition as a WCAG advisory technique.

19. Touch Target Size– How to Test
• All
– Best method: Style guide.
• Native apps: iOS active items should be at least
44by44px. Android, 48.
• Web view: Check padding in style guide to ensure
there’s a measurement equal to roughly 9mm

20. Names, Roles, and Values
• Applicable Guidelines: WCAG SC 4.1.2
• Considerations: UI controls must allow AT to
accurately relay information about their
function and state to users. Use of custom
controls is most likely to cause issues with this
guideline.
• Examples: “Hamburger menus,” links vs.
buttons, tabs

21. Name, Role, and Value – How to Test
• iOS and Android (Native and Web)
– Using a screen reader, set focus to all user interface
elements such as form fields, links, and scripted
controls elements. Make sure the element’s
name/label makes sense and is accurate.
– Make sure the role spoken (link, button, etc.) matches
the functionality of the element.
– Make sure the state of the element is announced.
(E.g. expanded/collapsed/dimmed/disabled. ) Note:
this is broken in iOS 9.1.

22. References
• W3C WCAG 2.0
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/
• Mobile Web Application Best Practices
http://www.w3.org/TR/mwabp/
• Mobile Web Best Practices
http://www.w3.org/TR/mobile-bp/
• New WCAG 2.0 Techniques Wiki
http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/mobile-a11y-
tf/wiki/New_WCAG_2.0_Techniques

23. Keep In Touch
Susan Hewitt
susan.hewitt@deque.com
Jeanine Lineback
Jeanine.lineback@deque.com