axe​ Accessibility

axe Accessibility Checker- An Advanced, Autonomous, All-Inclusive Accessibility Tool

Axe accessibility is a suite for people who desire thorough compliance with the tenets of website accessibility. Developed by Deque Systems, axe accessibility toolkit makes it possible for developers and QA testers to wire accessibility into the development process of a website or application. Axe accessibility incorporates the World Content Accessibility Guidelines (2.0), Section 508, and EN 301 549 to test for compliance. Let’s dive into all the important details about axe Accessibility Checker.

With over fifteen years of existence, Deque Systems is a big website accessibility brand whose rigorous pace of innovation makes it almost incomparable to other solutions. As an accessibility solution, Axe is fully autonomous in the sense that the accessibility toolkit relies on axe-Core libraries, an open-source accessibility ruleset powered by Deque Systems, for its testing. Axe’s website accessibility rules are touted as the world’s leading accessibility rules engine. The Axe-Core is upheld by Microsoft, Google, and the US Ministry of Justice as accessibility standards and has been downloaded more than 33 million times. That is massive!

One point to bear in mind from the start is that axe deviates from the traditional approach to accessibility. Thus, instead of creating a solution for a ready-made website or HTML testing, axe accessibility is deployed along the development course. That said, four fantastic tools make up the axe accessibility suite. They are:

1. Axe accessibility DevTools
2. Axe accessibility Auditor
3. Android Accessibility 
4. iOS Accessibility 
   

Axe accessibility DevTools

As the name readily suggests, axe accessibility DevTools for detecting, preventing, and rectifying accessibility defects that might occur during development. It includes a browser extension for front-end developers to run a quick in-browser test while they code. Axe accessibility browser extension is a free testing tool that has been designed to detect up to more than 50% of accessibility issues that are discoverable by automation.

Axe accessibility Intelligent Guided Testing is a pro feature of the axe accessibility DevTools. By default, standard accessibility testing could be challenging since it requires some level of expertise to conduct an advanced audit successfully. Intelligent Guided Testing simplifies the complexity associated with typical accessibility testing. In short, it eliminates the need for knowledge. A series of motives in the form of questions about page contents allow the system to refocus effort, dig deeper, and detect more flaws that otherwise would have been overlooked by a basic scan. The three main attributes of Intelligent Guided Testing are: first, its ability to conduct a more in-depth audit by refocusing attention on selected sections of the website, thereby detecting more flaws. Second, its simplicity of use such that the need for technical know-how becomes overridden by the guided prompts. Lastly, it is time-saving.

axe accessibility Auditor

Axe Auditor is an accessibility testing tool that lets accessibility experts and QA testers perform full-coverage audits in line with the WCAG 2.0 and 2.1 and Level A and AA. When you compare this compliance testing tool with many other solutions that lean toward either extreme of automation or automation, axe Auditor is ahead of the competition, as it combines automated and manual testing. What is most exciting about this combo is that you could run both manual and automated testing on the same interface. Consequently, you employ automated testing to detect simple issues, thereby freeing up time for manual testing. As if the axe Auditor is not fantastic enough, the tool allows you to specify rules that are relevant to your testing goals for content under evaluation.

Android Accessibility & iOS Accessibility

Accessibility testing for web and HTML is not the same for Android and iOS. And, with the wide acceptance of mobile apps, neglecting this side of compliance may render your efforts half-baked, unless your brand does not run on a mobile app. Not to worry, axe accessibility has got you covered. As with the web, axe accessibility has made generous provisions for mobile accessibility. For both, Android and iOS compliance checking solutions. Axe accessibility android is a free tool that allows you to run a basic, automated scan off your mobile app from your phone. 

Although axe accessibility is designed for developers, we ran an accessibility test with the free Chrome extension on a full-fledged, live website to verify the efficiency of this tool. As acclaimed, the tool turned out to be quite interesting. To run a scan, you have to open the specific page you wish to test for accessibility. On that page (whether homepage or any other page with content), you locate “Developers tool” and click on “axe”. In no time, the axe accessibility interface will pop up, and you can run a test on that page which you have opened.

Axe accessibility provides a rich report that gives a vivid presentation of violations and the process of fixing them. Compliance issues are categorized into critical, serious, moderate, and minor. By using the “highlight” button, you could pinpoint the exact part of the scanned page which has been flagged in the scan. Furthermore, an “inspect node” feature directs you to the source of the code, thus facilitating instant rectification.

Regarding disabilities covered in the scan, all disabilities are checked thoroughly in every scan run by axe accessibility Chrome extension. The comprehensive rule set includes all disability types. Specifically, from the demo tests we conducted, different scans flagged issues that are related to:

• Blindness,
• Low Vision
• Mobility.

All of which fall under “the compliance data and impact states” where you may find impacts of violation to end-users.

Axe accessibility Auditor works similarly to axe accessibility DevTools. At the end of the scan, a list of existing issues is displayed on the left corner of the application’s interface. For every issue you select, axe accessibility Auditor provides full analysis, starting with a short title that conveys the gist of the violation. Below this, it shows a breakdown of compliance issues of Checkpoint, Issue type, Impact (i.e. the intensity of the issue and effect on end-users), and method of detection (whether is automatic or manual). But it does not stop there; Axe accessibility Auditor report describes in detail the element which the violation occurred and provides recommendations for fixing.

For more information about what you need to complete in becoming fully compliant, take a look at our in-depth checklists.

Yes, it is possible to run a full website scan with the Axe accessibility Free Chrome extension. After you installed axe accessibility extension on your browser, you can start your scan on a specific page you want to test for accessibility. Naturally, there are restrictions to the available features with the free scans. For example, exporting audit reports and intelligent guided testing as only available with the paid version. Nevertheless, even without access to all the features, the free scan provided by axe accessibility plugin cover all the basic needs one could ask for.

Some accessibility scanners require one to submit their website domain for an automated audit, aCe for instance. However, with axe accessibility extension, the process requires a bit more advanced steps. In order to run a scan through the free version, you only have to install it on your browser and initiate a check. Compared to upgrading to the beta version of this, you have to create an account with Axe. This will require you to provide personal information, such as your full name, business email, and job title. In continuance, you will receive an email from Deque with a temporary activation link in which you will be asked to set up a password. This will activate your axe accessibility account, where you will be able to manage and save any checks or activities you run on your website.

Axe accessibility Chrome extension functions on all browsers. Neither is the axe DevTools nor the Auditor platform-agnostic. Developers and QA testers may still integrate these tools regardless of their development environment.

Axe accessibility offers both free and paid versions of its accessibility tools. For instance, the axe accessibility Chrome extension, as well as the beta version, are provided for free. Where axe accessibility DevTools and axe accessibility Auditor are paid tools and offer more sophisticated features. Lastly, we need to say that ace accessibility does not make their prices available for the public, but rather you need to contact axe accessibly team in Deque for a personalized quote.