axe DevTools: Your Complete Guide to Accessibility Testing

Introduction: Why Accessibility Matters and How axe DevTools Can Help

In today’s digital landscape, ensuring that websites and web applications are accessible to everyone is not just a matter of ethical responsibility; it’s also a legal imperative and a smart business decision. Web accessibility means designing and developing websites that people with disabilities can use. This includes people with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive impairments. Ignoring accessibility can exclude a significant portion of the population and can lead to legal repercussions, reputational damage, and lost business opportunities.

The foundation of web accessibility is built upon the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, commonly known as WCAG. These guidelines provide a set of internationally recognized recommendations for making web content more accessible. Adhering to WCAG is crucial for creating inclusive online experiences.

Fortunately, making your website accessible doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Tools like axe DevTools make it easier than ever to identify and fix accessibility issues.

So, what exactly is axe DevTools? Developed by Deque Systems, axe DevTools is a powerful and user-friendly accessibility testing tool designed to help developers and QA engineers identify and resolve accessibility issues directly within their browser. It’s more than just a browser extension; it’s a comprehensive toolkit that integrates seamlessly into your development workflow. axe DevTools is known for its speed, reliability, and ease of use, making it an invaluable asset for anyone committed to building accessible websites. It leverages the popular axe-core accessibility testing engine.

This article will serve as your complete guide to using axe DevTools. We’ll walk you through the installation process, demonstrate how to perform accessibility scans, interpret the results, and provide practical solutions for fixing common accessibility issues. We’ll also explore advanced features and integrations, and discuss best practices for incorporating axe DevTools into your development workflow.

Getting Started with axe DevTools: Installation and Basic Usage

The first step to leveraging the power of axe DevTools is to install the browser extension. axe DevTools is available for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, making it accessible to a wide range of users.

Installation Process

• Chrome: Search for “axe DevTools” in the Chrome Web Store and click “Add to Chrome.” Confirm the installation by clicking “Add Extension.”
• Firefox: Search for “axe DevTools” in the Firefox Add-ons store and click “Add to Firefox.” Confirm the installation by clicking “Add.”
• Edge: Search for “axe DevTools” in the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store and click “Get.” Confirm by clicking “Add extension”.

Once installed, you’ll see the axe DevTools icon in your browser’s toolbar.

Beyond the browser extension, it’s important to be aware that axe DevTools is part of a broader ecosystem of accessibility tools offered by Deque Systems. This ecosystem includes axe-core (a JavaScript library for automated accessibility testing), axe CLI (a command-line interface for running axe-core tests), and axe Monitor (for continuous accessibility monitoring). While this article primarily focuses on the browser extension, understanding these other tools can help you integrate accessibility testing more deeply into your development process.

Running Your First Scan

Now that you’ve installed axe DevTools, let’s run your first accessibility scan.

1. Navigate to the webpage you want to test.
2. Open your browser’s developer tools (usually by pressing F12 or right-clicking and selecting “Inspect”).
3. Locate the “axe DevTools” tab within the developer tools panel.
4. Click the “Analyze” button.

axe DevTools will then scan the webpage and generate a report highlighting any accessibility issues it finds. You can choose to scan the entire page or focus on specific elements. This flexibility allows you to target your testing efforts effectively.

Understanding the Results: Interpreting the axe DevTools Report

The axe DevTools report provides a wealth of information about the accessibility of your webpage. Understanding the different components of the report is crucial for effectively addressing the identified issues.

The report categorizes issues into several types:

• Violations: These are clear violations of WCAG guidelines and require immediate attention.
• Needs Review: These are potential accessibility issues that require manual review to determine if they are, in fact, violations. This often involves assessing the context of the issue.
• Passes: These are elements that meet accessibility standards.
• Incomplete: These are tests that could not be fully executed, often due to dynamic content or other factors.

Each issue is also assigned a severity level:

• Critical: These are the most severe issues and can prevent users with disabilities from accessing essential content or functionality.
• Serious: These issues significantly impact the user experience for people with disabilities.
• Moderate: These issues cause some difficulty for users with disabilities.
• Minor: These issues are typically cosmetic but can still contribute to a less-than-ideal user experience.

Drilling Down into Specific Issues

To understand a specific issue, click on it in the axe DevTools report. This will reveal more details, including:

• The affected element(s) on the page.
• A description of the issue and its potential impact on users.
• Code snippets showing the problematic code.
• Links to relevant WCAG guidelines for further context and understanding.

This level of detail allows you to pinpoint the exact location of the issue in your code and understand the underlying accessibility principle that is being violated.

Addressing Items that Need Review

“Needs Review” items require human judgment. For example, axe DevTools might flag an image with alt text but be unable to determine if the alt text accurately describes the image’s content and purpose. In such cases, you need to manually review the image and its alt text to ensure that it provides a meaningful description for users who cannot see the image. Another example is assessing if the visual order of content is logical and matches the underlying HTML structure, crucial for screen reader users.

Fixing Accessibility Issues with axe DevTools: Practical Examples

axe DevTools doesn’t just identify accessibility issues; it also provides guidance on how to fix them. Let’s look at some common accessibility issues and how axe DevTools can help you resolve them.

Missing or Invalid Alt Text on Images

• Issue: Images without alt text are inaccessible to users who are blind or visually impaired.
• Solution: Provide concise and descriptive alt text for all images. If the image is purely decorative, use an empty alt attribute (alt="").
• Example:

  <!– Incorrect –>
  <img src=”logo.png”>

  <!– Correct –>
  <img src=”logo.png” alt=”Company Logo”>

Insufficient Color Contrast

• Issue: Text with insufficient color contrast can be difficult to read for users with low vision.
• Solution: Ensure that the contrast ratio between text and background colors meets WCAG guidelines (a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text).
• axe DevTools identifies contrast issues and provides color pickers to help you find accessible color combinations.

Missing Form Labels

• Issue: Form fields without proper labels can be confusing and frustrating for users, especially those using screen readers.
• Solution: Use the <label> element to associate labels with form fields.
• Example:

  <!– Incorrect –>
  <input type=”text” id=”name” name=”name”>

  <!– Correct –>
  <label for=”name”>Name:</label>
  <input type=”text” id=”name” name=”name”>

Incorrect Heading Structure

• Issue: An illogical heading structure can make it difficult for users to understand the organization of content.
• Solution: Use headings (<h1> to <h6>) in a logical and hierarchical order to structure your content.
• Example: Start with a main heading (<h1>) and then use progressively lower-level headings (<h2>, <h3>, etc.) to organize subtopics.

Keyboard Accessibility Problems

• Issue: Users should be able to navigate and interact with all interactive elements on your website using only the keyboard.
• Solution: Ensure that all interactive elements (links, buttons, form fields) are focusable and that the focus order is logical. Use CSS to style the focus state to make it clearly visible.

Remember to always use semantic HTML elements whenever possible. This provides inherent accessibility benefits by conveying the meaning and structure of your content to assistive technologies.

After implementing fixes, re-run the axe DevTools scan to verify that the issues have been resolved. This iterative process is essential for ensuring that your website is truly accessible.

Advanced Features and Integrations: Taking axe DevTools Further

Intelligent Guided Tests

axe DevTools includes Intelligent Guided Tests (IGTs) which go beyond automated checks. These tests guide you through manual evaluation for complex accessibility issues that require human judgment, such as verifying the accuracy of alt text, checking focus order, or ensuring that content reflows properly when the browser window is resized. These guided tests enhance the accuracy and comprehensiveness of your accessibility testing.

Integrating axe DevTools into Your Workflow

For continuous accessibility testing, consider integrating axe-core into your CI/CD pipelines. This allows you to automatically run accessibility tests on every build, ensuring that new code doesn’t introduce accessibility regressions. Additionally, axe CLI provides a command-line interface for running axe-core tests, making it easy to integrate accessibility testing into your existing development tools.

Best Practices: Making Accessibility a Priority

• Test Early and Often: Integrate accessibility testing into your development process from the beginning. Don’t wait until the end of the project to start thinking about accessibility.
• Combine Automated and Manual Testing: axe DevTools is a valuable tool, but it’s not a replacement for manual testing and user feedback. Use axe DevTools to identify common accessibility issues, and then conduct manual testing to ensure that your website is truly usable and accessible for people with disabilities.
• Train Your Team: Ensure that your entire team is trained on accessibility principles. Accessibility is not just the responsibility of developers or QA engineers; it’s a shared responsibility.

Conclusion: Embrace Accessibility with axe DevTools

axe DevTools is a powerful and user-friendly tool that can significantly improve the accessibility of your websites. Its ease of use, speed, and reliability make it an invaluable asset for any development team committed to building inclusive online experiences. By using axe DevTools regularly and following accessibility best practices, you can create websites that are accessible to everyone, regardless of their abilities.

Accessibility is an ongoing journey, not a destination. By embracing accessibility and using tools like axe DevTools, you can create a more inclusive and equitable digital world. Start using axe DevTools today and make accessibility a priority. Visit the Deque Systems website to learn more about axe DevTools and other accessibility resources. Don’t just build websites, build websites that everyone can use.