Mobile App Accessibility Testing with Appium: Ensuring Inclusive Development

Mobile App Accessibility Testing with Appium: Ensuring Inclusive Development

With the increase in demand for software technology in every aspect of life, mobile app  testing is vital for ensuring inclusive development so that our mobile applications are available for all types of users, including those who are especially challenged. This can be best performed with the help of Appium test automation tool.

To ensure our mobile application is inclusively developed, testers and developers need to understand the accessibility guidelines, which include checking for applications’ compatibility with assistive technologies along with navigation tools and screen readers. Also, for those who are physically challenged, it is required to evaluate font size, color contrast, and touch target size so that they can easily use the mobile application according to their demand.

Appium configuration to the mobile application can easily help testers and developers to test their mobile application on various devices and platforms having different browsers and browser versions with less effort in little time. Additionally, if real user testing is applied in the testing process, the mobile applications can be built comprehensively as it involves feedback from real users. The feedback can then be used to ensure the quality of mobile applications.

What Is Mobile App Accessibility?

Mobile app accessibility is defined as the design and layout of any mobile application that can be best used by any individual, including those with physical challenges. Mobile app accessibility is an important part of this digital era, as mobile applications are used by everyone everywhere. Therefore, it is important to create mobile applications that are inclusive as well as equitable.

Concerning a recent survey, the World Health Organization has estimated that over one billion people are there with some type of disability which include visual, motor, auditory, and cognitive impairment, and they too need various types of mobile application for carrying out their day-to-day tasks. To overcome the issue of providing software applications that anyone, testers, and developers can easily use, we need to prioritize accessibility in the development process.

Considering mobile app accessibility as a fundamental aspect of developing software applications can easily ensure user satisfaction and attract a vast user base.

What Is Appium?

Appium is a test automation tool that can be used freely by testers and developers in order to test and develop an efficient and effective mobile application that can be used by anyone on multiple devices, operating systems, and browser versions.  Appium is preferred for mobile app accessibility testing due to its various advanced features, which include cross-platform support, which makes testing easy and cost-effective.

Appium provides a framework that allows testers to interact with the user interface of mobile applications. Also, it supports multiple programming languages such as Java, Python, JavaScript, C#, and Ruby, which allows accessibility testing of mobile applications developed using any of these programming languages. Along with all the features, Appium also supports continuous integration, which means repetitive testing of mobile applications with little human interference to provide a seamless mobile application for all.

You can leverage the true capability of mobile accessibility testing with Appium using a cloud-based platform such as LambdaTest. It is a  digital experience testing platform using which you can effortlessly ensure that your mobile apps are accessible to all users, regardless of their abilities. By using Appium’s powerful automation capabilities on the Real Device Cloud, you can conduct comprehensive accessibility tests across 3000+ environments including Android and iOS devices. Identify and resolve accessibility issues easily using LambdaTest’s network logs, device logs, app logs, videos, and screenshots. Improve the inclusivity of your mobile apps and deliver a seamless user experience for everyone with LambdaTest’s efficient and user-friendly testing platform. Because of these features more than 10000+ enterprises rely on LambdaTest for their testing needs.

Role of Appium In Mobile App Accessibility Testing

Appium plays an important role in mobile app accessibility testing as it provides the following facilities:

• Cross-platform support: Appium allows testers and developers to test their mobile applications on various platforms, thus ensuring it is working perfectly and is accessible on all types of platforms.
• Accessibility API Support: Appium provides different frameworks for different platforms, such as AccessibilityNodeInfo for Androids and XCuiElements for iOS, so that testers and developers can easily interact with the User Interface of the mobile application.
• Automation Name Capabilities: Appium provides a feature in which if the automation name is set to UiAutomator2 for Android and XCuiTest for iOS, then testers and developers can easily retrieve accessibility information during test execution.
• Performance Logging: Enabling the performance logging feature in Appium provides testers and developers with the ability to look upon various accessibility events during the test execution, which helps in providing valuable feedback at the early stage of testing.
• Integration With Testing Frameworks: Appium allows its users to integrate the mobile application with various frameworks such as TestNG and JUnit, due to which accessibility testing can be carried out simultaneously with the existing test cases.

Testing for Mobile App Accessibility with Appium

Here are some of the tests that can be performed for mobile app accessibility with Appium:

●       Testing for Screen Reader Compatibility

Testing for mobile app accessibility with Appium involves testing for screen reader compatibility, which means that the text content displayed on the screen is accessed even by those who cannot see or read it. This is done either by using a text-to-speech feature or a braille display.

●       Testing for VoiceOver (iOS) and TalkBack (Android) Support

Testing for VoiceOver support for iOS and TalkBack for Android involves mobile app accessibility testing with Appium. This ensures the content displayed on the screen is audible to the end users. This feature also helps navigate the mobile application, thus ensuring anyone can easily use the mobile application.

●       Evaluating App Navigation with Accessibility Services

Evaluating app navigation with accessibility services includes testing whether the mobile applications are easily navigated using features such as VoiceOver or TalkBack. It ensures that the various contents of the mobile application are correctly read out so that the end users can easily perform their respective tasks on the mobile application.

●       Testing Color Contrast and Visual Elements

Testing color contrast and visual elements while testing the mobile app accessibility is equally important as it helps users with color vision deficiencies or visual impairment to access the mobile application easily. The best way to ensure the mobile application is according to the user is to involve those with visual impairment in the testing process as their feedback will allow developers to use a correct color combination.

●       Assessing Text Size and Readability

In order to test mobile app accessibility, it is important to ensure that the size of the content displayed on the screen can be adjusted according to the user. This can be done by developing a responsive mobile application with dynamic text size. Also, prioritizing readability will ensure that mobile applications are available and usable by a large number of audiences.

●       Handling Keyboard Navigation

Handling keyboard navigation is another essential part of mobile app accessibility testing with Appium, as it ensures that the mobile application can easily be used using the keyboard without the need to touch the screen. This is beneficial for those with motor disability.

●       Ensuring Focus Management

Mobile app accessibility testing with Appium involves ensuring focus management which means looking at how the mobile application functions when a user uses different methods such as keyboard, mouse, or touch to navigate through the mobile application.

●       Verifying Alternative Text for Images and Icons

Mobile app accessibility involves adding alternative texts with images and icons so that when the content of the display screen is read out to the user, they can easily understand the context of the images and icons with the help of the descriptive text.

●       Testing for Gestures and Touch Target

Testing for gestures and touch targets is another important aspect while testing mobile app accessibility, as it directly impacts the accessibility and usability of the software application. A user-friendly mobile application can be developed just by providing a touch target size that is sufficient for all types of users, along with a few essential gestures.

●       Handling Time-Based Media (Audio and Video)

Another important aspect to look upon while testing mobile app accessibility is handling time-based media, including both audio and video. This can be done by providing descriptions and captions to the media so that users can easily understand the media content and engage themselves in the mobile application.

Best Practices For Mobile App Accessibility Testing With Appium

To ensure the inclusive testing of mobile app accessibility with Appium, several best practices listed below can be used.

• Familiarize Yourself with Accessibility Guidelines: In order to develop a mobile application that can be accessed by anyone, you need to understand the requirements of the end-user and familiarize yourself with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
• Implement Continuous Monitoring: To perform mobile app accessibility testing using Appium, it is best to conduct iterative execution of test cases and fix the defects detected during the process.
• Access Touch Target Size: This means in order to provide a seamless user experience, developers should work on touch target size so that users can easily access the various features of the mobile application.

Conclusion

Mobile app accessibility testing is an essential part of mobile application development as it ensures the accessibility of the mobile application among various users, and using Appium for the same act as a boon to the testers and developers. Understanding accessibility guidelines and following the best practices will ensure that the mobile application is available for all types of users regardless of their abilities.

Mobile app accessibility can also be maintained by developing a responsive mobile application that adapts to the environment in which it is configured. In the end, we can say mobile app accessibility testing with Appium is not only beneficial for physically challenged users, but it also provides a positive user experience for all.