People
User Testing
What really happens when people use your service?
We watch people with disabilities as they use your site or app with their own assistive technologies and ways of interacting. User testing brings out barriers that an automated scan cannot find.
- Sign-upScreen reader, keyboardCompleted5/5
- Product searchMagnification, voice controlCompleted5/5
- Subscription purchaseScreen reader, keyboard onlyIn progress3/5The form error is never announced
- Support bookingAlternative inputIn progress1/5
WHAT YOU FIND OUT
Three answers an automated scan cannot give you
User testing does not replace the audit: it completes it by observing people directly.
Can the task be completed?
We observe the whole journey, from the first step to the result the person needs to reach.
How does it behave with assistive technology?
Screen readers, magnification, voice control, keyboard only: the combination of tool and habit that no simulation reproduces.
How much does a barrier matter?
Two technically similar issues can have very different consequences. The test shows which barriers slow people down, confuse them or stop them completing the task.
Participant profiles
We select participants based on the tasks to verify, their access needs and the technologies or ways of interacting that matter for the service.
Structure and orientation
Headings, landmarks and reading order: how quickly it becomes clear where you are and what the page holds.
Name, role and state of controls
Whether a button, a tab or a field announces what it is, what state it is in, and what has just happened.
Error announcement
Whether a form reports its error perceivably and says where to fix it, rather than just colouring a border.
Zoom and magnification
What happens to the content on zoom or with changed spacing: clipped text, overlaps, scrolling in two directions.
Contrast and legibility
Whether text, icons and control borders stay legible, and whether colour is the only thing carrying a piece of information.
Visible focus
Whether the focus indicator is always visible, including when a sticky header or a banner covers part of it.
Keyboard-only navigation
Whether every action can be reached and triggered without a mouse, in a sensible order, with no trap the keyboard cannot leave.
Target size and precision
Whether target areas are large enough and far enough apart for someone with less precise pointer control.
Timing and irreversible actions
Whether a time limit or an irreversible action rules out anyone who needs longer to complete a step.
Clarity of instructions and messages
Whether instructions, labels and messages actually say what to do, or require interpreting the system before it can be used.
Predictable journeys
Whether journeys behave the way the person using them expects, with no unannounced changes of context and no steps that appear and vanish.
Memory load and authentication
How much has to be remembered to finish the task, and whether authentication demands cognitive tests that could be avoided.
How a session works
Step 1 — We define tasks and scope
We pick out the journeys that really matter: purchase, sign-up, search, booking, support or other critical tasks of the service.
Step 2 — We select the participants
We find people whose needs, ways of interacting and assistive technologies match what we want to verify.
Step 3 — We run moderated sessions
A facilitator watches the tasks being completed without steering the solution, noting difficulties, behaviours and blocking points.
Step 4 — We turn observations into a backlog
Each finding is written up with context, impact and priority, so it can become a concrete task for design, development or content.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
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