Tools and testing

Vision

Part of
Accessibility and inclusive design WORK IN PROGRESS collection
Last reviewed
9 August 2026

Tools and techniques to help you test for visual accessibility..

Visual impairments

Visual impairments can affect how people perceive and interact with digital content.

Common conditions include:

low vision blindness eye conditions, such as cataracts or glaucoma colour blindness migraine

Barriers to consider

Visual impairments can make it difficult to:

  • read small or low-contrast text
  • distinguish information conveyed by colour alone
  • navigate using a keyboard or screen reader
  • read content when it is zoomed or magnified
  • understand content when text or images are difficult to see

How to test

Start with automated checks

Use accessibility testing tools to identify common accessibility issues. Automated checks are a useful starting point, but they cannot identify every barrier.

You can use tools such as:

  • axe DevTools
  • WAVE Evaluation
  • ARC Toolkit
  • Accessibility Insights

See [Find and use tools] for more information about these tools and when to use them.

Do manual checks

Check that:

  • text has sufficient colour contrast
  • information is not conveyed by colour alone
  • text can be resized without losing content or functionality
  • content remains usable when zoomed or magnified
  • pages have a clear structure
  • users can navigate and operate the service using a keyboard

You can use tools such as Contrast Checker and Resize text to help with some of these checks.

Test with a screen reader

Test your service with a screen reader to understand how people who are blind or have severe visual impairments might navigate and interact with your content.

You can use screen readers such as NVDA, JAWS or VoiceOver.

See [Find and use tools] for more information about screen readers and other accessibility testing tools.

Understand user needs

Accessibility personas can help you understand how people with different access needs might experience your service. They are a starting point for identifying user needs and deciding what to test.

Claudia – partially sighted magnifier user

Claudia uses screen magnification software to read content.

She needs:

  • high contrast and clear text
  • keyboard navigation support
  • occasional screen reader use

[View Claudia's profile and task]

Ashleigh – severely visually impaired screen reader user

Ashleigh relies on a screen reader full-time.

She needs:

  • clear page structure
  • keyboard navigation
  • meaningful alternative text

[View Ashleigh's profile and task]