Evaluating the Potential Implementation of New Metrics in Automated Web Accessibility Testing Software for Managers

Abstract

Automated software tools for testing web accessibility are the only evaluation method that scales well to thousands or even millions of web pages. However, the automated testing tools can report incorrect and misleading results, as many aspects of web accessibility cannot be tested using automated means. Previous research identified a potentially useful metric, the “presence of accessibility features” metric for measuring web accessibility using automated testing tools in a way that is both more accurate and more useful for managers. This paper presents exploratory research and development on the use of this new metric for the development of web accessibility testing tools for managers, focusing specifically on 1) technical infrastructure, 2) dashboards and notifications for managers, and 3) the potential integration of historical archived data.