Manual accessibility testing
Manual testing of
website accessibility
Audit automatically catches 57% of WCAG violations in minutes. The remaining 43% — screen reader UX flows, cognitive barriers, testing with real users with disabilities — is what our experts add. Together — full WCAG-AA coverage.
We respond within 24 hours · NDA signed first
Why manual testing is critical
The numbers explaining why automated scanning alone isn't enough
Automation coverage
Ceiling for axe-core, pa11y, Lighthouse per Deque research
Cognitive load, real SR experience, frustration patterns
≈1.3 billion people worldwide — 15% of potential customers
Lawsuits against non-compliant sites grow every year
How this complements your automated Audit
Two layers of testing — full WCAG 2.1/2.2 AA coverage
Layer 1 · Automation
InclusiveWeb Audit
Scanner running 90+ WCAG rules: contrast, ARIA, alt text, heading structure. Minutes, thousands of pages, continuous monitoring.
Layer 2 · Manual
Manual testing
Screen reader UX flows (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver), cognitive barriers, real users with disabilities — what algorithms can't see.
Together — Full coverage
WCAG 2.1/2.2 AA
Audit daily + manual testing quarterly or pre-release. Real compliance that auditors and regulators accept.
What manual testing covers
Semantically valid code ≠ comfortable experience for a real person with a disability
TTS and speech quality
Only real ears catch unnatural pronunciation, pauses, emphasis and intonation.
Cognitive load
Technically OK, but users get lost in dense wording, jargon and illogical structure.
Cultural nuances
Icons, colors and symbols carry different meanings across cultures and languages.
Real touch on real devices
Emulator ≠ live iPhone with safe-area, foldable screen, Pixel or older Android.
Frustration patterns
After 5 failed attempts a user behaves differently — bounce, abandonment, angry feedback.
Subtle UX issues
"The button is there but I'd never tap it" — needs human judgment, not rules.
Most valuable
Lived experience
Real users with disabilities surface bugs no tester would think to look for.
Methodology — 6 steps over 5–10 working days
Transparent process from discovery to final report with action plan
- 01Day 1
Discovery + automated baseline
Run axe-core, pa11y, Lighthouse, WAVE, Tenon.io. Initial 50–150 violations + Lighthouse score in 30 minutes.
- 02Days 2–3
Screen reader testing
Certified tester walks through every user journey with NVDA + Firefox, JAWS + Edge, VoiceOver + Safari (macOS, iOS), TalkBack + Chrome, Narrator.
- 03Day 4
Visual + color audit
Contrast per WCAG 2 + APCA, simulation of 7 color blindness types, forced-colors mode, 13+ viewports, PEAT for epilepsy.
- 04Day 5
Cognitive accessibility
Flesch-Kincaid grade, jargon detection, Plain Language compliance, heading hierarchy, descriptive links, error recovery flows.
- 05Days 6–8
User research with real people
5–6 personas: blind NVDA user, voice control user, ADHD/dyslexia, deaf/hard-of-hearing, elderly with multi-disability. Recorded sessions with consent.
- 06Days 9–10
Report + Action Plan
Structured deliverables for different stakeholders: Executive Summary, bug list, VPAT draft, video recordings, prioritized action plan.
What you receive
Concrete documents and artifacts for your team, legal and management
Bug Report (50–200 issues)
Categorized by severity, WCAG criterion, design impact, effort estimate, priority. Quick wins → architectural.
VPAT / ACR draft
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template — formal compliance document for government contracts, B2B sales, legal protection.
User session recordings
5+ annotated videos from real research sessions with timestamps for frustration / success / abandonment.
Prioritized Action Plan
Week 1–2: quick wins. Month 1–3: middle priority. Quarter 1–2: architectural. With developer hour estimates.
Re-test after 30 days
Free re-check of top-20 critical bugs after your fixes. Instructions for ongoing work.
Team consultation
1–2 hour call with developers — explanation of complex issues, discussion of system-wide patterns, Q&A.
Standards we cover
Audit aligns with international and national accessibility requirements
International
Transparent pricing
One flat rate for everyone — no hidden fees, no complex packages
Flat rate
Minimum order — 10 pages
Calculation examples
We respond within 24 hours · NDA signed first
What's included
Full audit scope in every order
- Manual SR testing — NVDA + JAWS + VoiceOver + TalkBack
- Visual + Color audit across 13 viewports + iPhone safe-area
- Cognitive accessibility audit (Plain Language, hierarchy)
- User research with real users with disabilities (3 sessions)
- Bug Report categorized by severity and WCAG criteria
- VPAT / ACR draft for compliance
- Prioritized Action Plan with hour estimates
- Re-test after 30 days — free of charge
- Team consultation call (1–2 hours)
- NDA and data confidentiality from day one
Large project of 300+ pages?
For large-scale projects we offer custom terms, volume discounts, and a dedicated team.
Who is this for
Service is aimed at production-stage products with real users
Good fit
- SaaS companies with enterprise customers (require VPAT)
- E-commerce in the US (ADA lawsuit risk)
- Banking, fintech, healthcare, EdTech (compliance critical)
- Public sector (EN 301 549 / Section 508)
Better wait
- Prototypes and MVPs — wait until production-ready
- Sites in active redesign — test after release
- Budget under $1,500 — start with free DIY tools
How is manual audit different from automated?
Automated tools catch about 57% of WCAG violations. The remaining 43% require human judgment: real SR experience, cognitive accessibility, cultural nuances, real user feelings. Manual audit covers this gap.
How long does an audit take?
Basic: 3–5 working days. Pro: 7–10 days. Enterprise: 3–4 weeks. Continuous monitoring — ongoing with monthly reports.
What is VPAT and do I need it?
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template — a formal compliance document. Required for government contracts (Section 508), enterprise B2B sales (Fortune-500 buyers ask before purchase), EU public sector (EN 301 549), and legal protection. Pro and Enterprise tiers include a VPAT draft.
Who conducts user research?
Certified IAAP CPACC + WAS (Web Accessibility Specialist) experts plus real people with disabilities. Recruitment via Fable.tech, AccessWorks, UserTesting accessibility filter and our own panel.
Do you cover mobile apps?
Yes. TalkBack (Android) + VoiceOver (iOS). Native apps — Espresso Accessibility Checks (Android) + Xcode Accessibility Inspector (iOS). React Native, Flutter — separate testing patterns.
What if I can't fix everything immediately?
Re-test after 30 days re-checks the top-20 critical issues for free. If anything remains — instructions at no extra charge. Critical bugs typically take 2–4 weeks to fix.
Ready to see what real users catch?
Submit a request — we'll get back within 24 hours with a proposal and timeline. NDA signed first.
No upfront payment · NDA → detailed brief → proposal